WEEK 7 NFL Power Rankings

That keeps the Colts on top of the National Football League for another week, and also on top of the Week 7 edition of the NFL Power Rankings. Sitting right under the Colts this week are a trio of 5-1 teams, the Denver Broncos, Cincinnati Bengals, and Tampa Bay Buccaneers, all of whom picked up wins last Sunday.

Down closer to the bottom, we've finally given in and dropped the Minnesota Vikings all the way to No. 29. They might yet have a surge in them, but right now they get to sit with the Arizona Cardinals, the San Francisco 49ers, the Houston Texans, and the rest of the league's dregs. And the Vikings have been bad for bettors as well - their 1-4 ATS mark has likely seen them cursed, and not just by Minnesota boat operators. Also at 1-4 ATS on the season? The Cards and Texans. Sitting at 1-5 ATS? The Rams, who gave false hope to their supporters Monday and then choked.

Why do we do this? Why do the NFL power rankings even matter? Well let me tell you!!! They don't! But we still love NFL power rankings anyways. Here is the Week 7 edition of the NFL Power Rankings.

" the Week 7 NFL Power Rankings "

Week 7 NFL Power Rankings:				Last Weeks Power Rankings >>
05 Record	Rank	Team		2005 NFL Power Rankings - Comments
6-0-0	1	Colts		Next three weeks: The Texans, a bye week, and then a matchup with their nemesis, the New England Patriots.
5-1-0	2	Broncos		Went up big early versus the Patriots, then held on in the fourth quarter to improve to 5-1 on the season.
5-1-0	3	Bengals		Bounced back from their first loss of the season to take out the Titans, with another big game from Carson Palmer.
5-1-0	4	Buccaneers		One big win, one big loss. Topped the Dolphins in T-Bay last week, but likely lost QB Brian Griese for the season.
4-2-0	5	Falcons		Michael Vick and company had to pour it on in the fourth quarter Sunday to keep from losing to the last-place Saints.
4-2-0	6	Jaguars		Nothing special for Byron Leftwich versus the Steelers (19-of-35 for 177 yards passing) - but his team still got the win.
3-2-0	7	Steelers		Hurry back Ben Roethlisberger - backup QB Tommy Maddox couldn't get the job done versus the Jaguars.
3-2-0	8	Eagles		Don't get an easy game to follow up their bye week - will be hosting the Chargers in Philadelphia on Sunday.
4-2-0	9	Seahawks		Won in a walk over the Texans on Sunday night; Shaun Alexander rushed for 141 yards and four scores. They are 3 feet to left from 5-1 record.
3-3-0	10	Patriots		Only at .500 after the first six games of the season, but at least they're still tied for first in the AFC East division.
4-2-0	11	Panthers		Chris Weinke led the team on their game-winning drive Sunday, but Jake Delhomme should be fine for next week.
4-2-0	12	Cowboys		Julius Jones didn't play on Sunday - but the Drew Bledsoe / Keyshawn Johnson combo kept the offense moving.
3-2-0	13	Chargers		Dropped the Raiders 27-14 on Sunday to up their season mark to 3-3, thanks to another big Tomlinson effort.
3-2-0	14	Chiefs		Kept pace with the Broncos in the AFC West division by winning last week, but are still two wins behind the leader.
3-2-0	15	Giants		Eli Manning and the offense sputtered versus the Cowboys on the weekend, knocking them out of first place.
3-2-0	16	Redskins		Couldn't keep up with the Chiefs on the weekend, and fell by a 28-21 final score for their second straight loss.
3-3-0	17	Bills		J.P. Losman will continue to sit as long as Kelly Holcomb is leading this team to wins.
2-3-0	18	Ravens		Didn't light up the scoreboard versus the Browns, but didn't need to in order to top former Raven Trent Dilfer.
2-4-0	19	Rams		Lost the game on Monday night, and lost Marc Bulger with a sprained shoulder. Jamie Martin had to take over.
2-3-0	20	Lions		Another mediocre effort from Joey Harrington in their loss last week - will be a controversy when Jeff Garcia returns.
2-4-0	21	Jets		How overworked is Curtis Martin going to get with Vinny Testaverde at the helm?
2-3-0	22	Browns		Could only manage a field goal in their loss to the Ravens last week, and their passing game was largely ineffective.
2-3-0	23	Dolphins		Ricky Williams in his return on Sunday: five carries for eight yards rushing, six catches for 22 yards receiving.
2-4-0	24	Saints		Aaron Brooks turned in a solid performance versus the Falcons on Sunday, but it wasn't enough for them to win.
2-3-0	25	Titans		Might have a poor record on the season, but at least they're nowhere close to the Texans and the division basement.
2-3-0	26	Bears		Even the struggling Bears had no trouble with the Vikings, rolling to an easy 28-3 win over Minnesota on Sunday.
1-4-0	27	Raiders		Not only did they fall to the Chargers last week, but Randy Moss was felled by a groin injury; Sunday status is TBD.
1-4-0	28	Packers		First win of the season was followed by a bye week; will be going for their second victory versus the troubled Vikings.
1-4-0	29	Vikings		How did this team manage to become MORE dysfunctional after getting rid of Randy Moss?
1-4-0	30	Cardinals		Come off their bye week into a matchup that they might be able to win - versus the Titans on Sunday afternoon.
1-4-0	31	49ers		Alex Smith was overmatched two weeks ago in their loss to the Colts; get the Redskins this week.
0-5-0	32	Texans		What are their chances of getting that elusive first win this week? Not good - they have the Colts coming to town.