Colts Take Down Pats, Take Over 'AHN Top Ten' NFL Power Rankings

November 17, 2009 3:37 p.m. EST

The Indianapolis Colts narrowly overtook the New Orleans Saints in the 'AHN Top Ten' NFL Power Rankings after a thrilling win over the New England Patriots Sunday night.

The Colts got just one more first place vote than the Saints, who barely escaped the lackluster St. Louis Rams.

Down the rankings, five out of the Top Ten teams lost during Week 10. The Steelers fall from No. 3 to No. 6. The Patriots remain at No. 5 despite the loss. The Broncos fell two spots to No. 10.

The No. 7 Cowboys and No. 8 Falcons fell out of the rankings after losses. The Green Bay Packers took down Dallas to jump back into the rankings at No. 9.

Here's how teams stand after Week 10, November 17:

No. 1: Indianapolis Colts (9-0) - Everyone is talking about Bill Bellichick's decision to go for it on 4th and 2, forgetting the Colts did need a bulls' eye pass from Peyton Manning to win the game. (Last Week, 1)

No. 2: New Orleans Saints (9-0) - The Saints narrowly escaped the meager St. Louis Rams 28-23 to fall out of the top spot in the rankings (Rory Sharrock). (Last Week, 2)

No. 3: Minnesota Vikings (8-1) - Brett Favre has found his favorite target in Minnesota. Favre connected on 344 passing yards, 201 to Sidney Rice as the Vikings rolled the Lions 27-10. (Last Week, 4)

No. 4: Cincinnati Bengals (7-2) - No longer the 'Bungles', Cincy has swept the defending Super Bowl champs and conference runner-ups (Baltimore) to become the surprise team of the year. The defense is no joke and they should make a lot of noise in the playoffs (Rory Sharrock). (Last Week, 6)

No. 5: New England Patriots (6-3) - The Pats stay at five despite the close loss to the Colts, mostly thanks to a lack of competition down the rankings. (Last Week, 5)

No. 6: Pittsburgh Steelers (6-3) - Two of their losses came to the surprising AFC North leaders the Bengals, which may come into play should the Bengals and Steelers tie atop their division. (Last Week, 3)

No. 7: San Diego Chargers (6-3) - The Chargers took down the former Top Ten Philadelphia to fall into a first-place tie with the sliding Denver Broncos in the AFC West. (Last Week, Bubble)

No. 8: Arizona Cardinals (6-3) - Usually the loser of the Super Bowl goes through a year-long hangover, but not with the Cards. Arizona's offense is still legit and the addition of rookie running back Beanie Wells puts fear in the hearts of defensive coordinators (Rory Sharrock). (Last Week, 10)

No. 9: Green Bay Packers (5-4) - The Packers reappear in the Top Ten after taking down former No. 7 Dallas 17-7. Aaron Rodgers is fourth in the NFL with a 101.8 passer rating. Don't tell Green Bay fans, but Brett Favre leads the league with a 107.5 rating. (Last Week, Bubble)

No. 10: Denver Broncos (6-3) - A head-scratching loss to the3-6 Redskins makes it three in a row after a 6-0 start. With Kyle Orton nursing an ankle he injured in the 27-17 loss, Chris Simms could step up into the starting job. (Last Week, 8)

"Bubble" Teams: Dallas Cowboys (6-3), Baltimore Ravens (5-4), Philadelphia Eagles (5-4)

The "AHN Top 10" NFL Power Rankings are compiled by taking the votes of AHN's NFL writers and polling them together. Contributors attempt to balance power rankings based on each team's most recent performance, while keeping in mind the overall scope of each team's place in the league.