Week 7 NFL Power Rankings: Deion Branch Returns to New England With a Bang

Deion Branch caught 9 passes for 98 yards and a touchdown in his first game back as a Patriot. Jim Rogash/Getty Images

1. PITTSBURGH STEELERS (2): 4-1. One thing is for sure: Ben Roethlisberger's return spells trouble for the rest of the league.

2. BALTIMORE RAVENS (1): 4-2. The Ravens had every opportunity to win that game, but failed to execute in overtime. They will bounce back against the Bills.

3. NEW YORK JETS (3): 5-1. The Jets got lucky that they were able to get that pass interference call late in the game, but Rex Ryan will take it. They have won five straight games heading into the bye week.

4. NEW ENGLAND PATRIOTS (5): 4-1. The Patriots didn't look they missed Randy Moss at all Sunday. Welcome, Deion Branch.

5. INDIANAPOLIS COLTS (7): 4-2. The Colts were in control of the game pretty much the whole time and the defensive stop late sealed the deal. They have a bye week before they play the Texans in a rematch from Week 1.

6. NEW ORLEANS SAINTS (10): 4-2. The Saints responded in a big way to their loss in Arizona and get another easy game in Week 7 when they host the Browns.

7. PHILADELPHIA EAGLES (13): 4-2. Kevin Kolb made a legitimate case to regain his starting job as he lit up the Falcons, going 23-29, 326 yards and three touchdowns.

8. NEW YORK GIANTS (8): 4-2. Is it 2008? Where did this Giants defense come from? They will look to keep it going Monday night in Dallas.

9. ATLANTA FALCONS (4): 4-2. The Falcons were playing catch-up the whole game and that's never a good thing. The defense got shredded.

10. TENNESSEE TITANS (12): 4-2. The Titans look like a team who will fight for the AFC South crown. Their defense was dominant against the Jaguars.

11. HOUSTON TEXANS (14): 4-2. That was a very impressive comeback by the Texans and it's something to build on heading into their bye week.

12. WASHINGTON REDSKINS (6): 3-3. It was all there for the Redskins to win that game, but they couldn't get anything going on the final drive. Next, they travel to the Windy City.

13. GREEN BAY PACKERS (8): 3-3. Decimated by injuries, the Packers have now dropped two straight games and they have problems. They need to develop a running game bad. I don't understand why they didn't trade for Marshawn Lynch.

14. MIAMI DOLPHINS (16): 3-3. That was a huge win for the Dolphins after dropping two straight games. Chad Henne rebounded nicely from the Patriots loss.

15. KANSAS CITY CHIEFS (18): 3-2. Luckily that loss didn't hurt the Chiefs too much because every other team in the AFC West lost.

16. MINNESOTA VIKINGS (15): 2-3. They saved their season with that win against the Cowboys. If the Vikings can get it going they can compete for the NFC. It's wide open.

Will The Chargers Make The Playoffs?

17. SEATTLE SEAHAWKS (25): 3-2. Am I hearing this correctly? Did the Seahawks win on the road? Pete Carroll has this team on the move.

18. CHICAGO BEARS (11): 4-2. Are the Bears really as good as their record? That was a bad loss to the Seahawks.

19. SAN DIEGO CHARGERS (17): 2-4. The Chargers have major problems, and better hope Antonio Gates' injury isn't too serious. This team just can't win on the road.

20. ARIZONA CARDINALS (22): 3-2. The Cardinals come out of the bye week and must play the Seahawks for first place of the NFC West.

21. ST. LOUIS RAMS (29): 3-3. Just when I thought the Rams would fold after their 44-6 loss in Detroit, they upset the Chargers. The Rams already have the same amount of wins they have combined for the last two seasons.

22. DENVER BRONCOS (23): 2-4. The Broncos did everything right to win that game except for the very costly pass interference call at the end of the game. They will rebound against the Raiders.

23. DALLAS COWBOYS (21): 1-4. At 1-4, is the Cowboys season lost? They're not dead yet, but they are in another must-win situation against the Giants.

24. JACKSONVILLE JAGUARS (20): 3-3. Not that David Garrard is anything special, but if his injury is serious, the Jags can kiss their season goodbye with Trent Edwards as their quarterback.

25. TAMPA BAY BUCCANEERS (19): 3-2. Stupidly I picked the Bucs to beat the Saints this week. Whoops.

26. CINCINNATI BENGALS (24): 2-3. Did they figure it out over the bye week?

27. DETROIT LIONS (27): 1-5. With Shaun Hill breaking his forearm, Matthew Stafford's return to the Lions comes at a perfect time.

28. SAN FRANCISCO 49ERS (30): 1-5. The 49ers finally won a game, but can they build on it? The schedule is favorable the next five games: [@]Car, vs. Den, vs. STL, vs. TB, [@]Ariz.

29. OAKLAND RAIDERS (26): 2-4. So much for Jason Campbell getting a spark from last weeks win against the Chargers, he couldn't do anything against the 49ers.

30. CLEVELAND BROWNS (28): 1-5. Colt McCoy struggled in his first-ever start as expected, but he was better than I thought he would be. Side note: This is the first week that Peyton Hillis didn't score a touchdown.

31. CAROLINA PANTHERS (31): 0-5. The Panthers have turned back to Matt Moore out of the bye week, but will that make a difference?

32. BUFFALO BILLS (32): 0-5. The winless Bills come out of the bye week on the road against a Ravens team coming off a loss in New England. Gulp.

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