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Much of the AFC talk in the coming weeks is going to center around three teams: the New England Patriots, Denver Broncos and Cincinnati Bengals.

And why wouldn't it? Two of those three teams are undefeated and have all done a pretty good job of separating themselves from the rest of the AFC pack. Also, all three will be involved in huge matchups moving forward with the Patriots heading to Denver in Week 12, and then Cincinnati visiting the Broncos in a Week 16 "Monday Night Football" matchup.

Who really knows how that will shake out, but barring any sort of major injuries, it's safe to assume those three will dominate the AFC conversation entering the playoffs. One team you might not want to sleep on, though? The Pittsburgh Steelers.

It's been a weird season for the Steelers. Suspensions to players like Martavis Bryant and Le'Veon Bell have complicated matters. So, too, have injuries. Bell is now done for the season, and quarterback Ben Roethlisberger looks like he's going to miss more time.

But, if they can tread water and find a way into the playoffs, the Steelers might be a matchup no one wants. When everyone -- or mostly everyone -- is healthy, they can be a nightmare. While we don't want to overstate what they did Sunday against one of the worst defenses in the NFL, Oakland, it's tough to ignore how many weapons they have on offense. In Bell's absence, DeAngelo Williams has been great (5.3 yards per carry), and Antonio Brown's 17-catch, 284-yard performance was a relatively unneeded reminder that he's still arguably the best wide receiver in football.

If Roethlisberger gets healthy and they can string some wins together, don't be surprised if this Steelers team ends up knocking off one of those three AFC powers.

Now, on to this week's power rankings.

1. New England Patriots (Last week: 1): It's really not a huge stretch to say Sunday's effort against Washington was the Patriots' worst of the season. They still won by 17 points.

2. Cincinnati Bengals (Last week: 2): Wanna know a big reason for Andy Dalton's success this season? He's been sacked just 11 times this season. The only starter who's played all season to be sacked less is Derek Carr in Oakland.

3. Carolina Panthers (Last week: 4 ): The Panthers barely held on despite a big early lead against Green Bay, but they're now very much in the driver's seat for homefield advantage in the NFC.

4. Denver Broncos (Last week: 3): We're pretty locked in with our top five, so Denver ain't falling far after its first loss. This was bound to happen, and it's not entirely surprising it came on the road against a desperate team in Indy.

5. Green Bay Packers (Last week: 5): The Packers were miserable in the first half, which was the biggest reason their furious second-half comeback fell short. After a pair of losses -- on the road in Denver and Carolina -- the Pack probably is pretty pumped to see Detroit at home on the schedule next week.

6. Arizona Cardinals (Last week: 6): The Cardinals had a perfectly timed bye week because they've got a tough slate coming up. Their opponents the rest of the way: Seattle (twice), Cincinnati, St. Louis, Minnesota, Philadelphia, Green Bay. Eesh.

7. Minnesota Vikings (Last week: 7): Don't sleep on the Vikings' defense. The Minnesota defense is in the top 10 in yards allowed and second behind only Denver in points per game allowed.

8. Seattle Seahawks (Last week: 10): The Seahawks must be feeling pretty good. They're coming out of the bye and they've got some real winnable games down the stretch. The fact that the Rams lost Sunday doesn't hurt, either.

9. New York Jets (Last week: 9): The Jets continued to play into what's been a developing trend so far this season: New York beats bad teams. Everyone else? Eh, not so much. If that continues, they should be looking at a 9-7 record, maybe 10-6.

10. Atlanta Falcons (Last week: 8): The Falcons were a nice story to begin the season, but it feels like they're destined to go 10-6 and then get their doors blown off in their first playoff game.

11. St. Louis Rams (Last week: 9): The Rams lost Sunday, but don't tell Janoris Jenkins. The Rams cornerback was pleased with his own play against Stefon Diggs, tweeting out the stat sheet.

12. Pittsburgh Steelers (Last week: 15): The Steelers' offense, when everyone's actually on the field, makes them a team that conceivably pick off the Patriots in the playoffs. The whole having everyone on the field thing, has been a bit of an issue, though.

13. New York Giants (Last week: 14): The return of Jason Pierre-Paul can't be overstated enough. It didn't pay immediate dividends -- no sacks of Jameis Winston -- but any updgrade is needed at this point, especially with New England on tap in Week 10.

14. Philadelphia Eagles (Last week: 16): Maybe, just maybe, the Eagles are coming around. They're averaging nearly 29 points in their last four games of which they've unsurprisingly won three.

15. Buffalo Bills (Last week: 17): The Bills are still tough to get a read on, but they showed Sunday how good they can be, especially on offense -- when they're healthy. Whether they stay healthy the rest of the season is very much in question.

16. Indianapolis Colts (Last week: 20): It's a little too simple to say having Rob Chudzinski take over as offensive coordinator made the difference Sunday versus Denver, but it certainly looked like it helped.

17. Oakland Raiders (Last week: 13): Even if the Raiders miss the playoffs this season, they've come as far as anyone in 2015. Sunday's never-say-die showing in Pittsburgh wasn't quite enough, but you've gotta love the fight that team showed.

18. New Orleans Saints (Last week: 12): The Saints have allowed the second-most yards in the NFL this season, which is also where they finished last season. Rob Ryan must have some dirt on Sean Payton.

19. Dallas Cowboys (Last week: 19): Nobody's gained more during the Cowboys' six-game losing streak than Tony Romo, whose perceived value has never been higher than it is right now as they crumble without him.

 

20. Tampa Bay Buccaneers (Last week: 21): It's all about ball control with Tampa Bay. The Bucs have two turnovers in three games this season. In their five losses, they've turned it over 12 times.

21. Washington Redskins (Last week: 21): The Redskins had more drops Sunday against the Patriots than a bad radio show.

22. Kansas City Chiefs (Last week: 23): This is still one of the best commercials of all time. That's all we've got on the Chiefs this week.

23. Chicago Bears (Last week: 27): Adam Gase is getting all kinds of credit for the work he's done with Jay Cutler and the Bears offense, as he should, especially in this stretch where the Bears have won three of five after starting 0-3.

24. Baltimore Ravens (Last week: 24): Coming out of the bye, five of the Ravens' remaining eight games are at home. They're technically still alive, and none of the teams they're chasing are particularly good. Just saying.

25. Cleveland Browns (Last week: 25): At this point, it really doesn't make a whole lot of sense for the Browns to go back to Josh McCown. He's 36 years old, and the Browns are dead. Might as well use the rest of the season to get a look at John Football.

26. Miami Dolphins (Last week: 22): If Dan Campbell could find a way for his team to play either Houston or Tennessee every week, he'd get my vote for coach of the year.

27. Tennessee Titans (Last week: 31): Marcus Mariota was unreal, completing 28 of 39 passes for 371 yards and four touchdowns. For now, we'll just ignore the fact that it came against Rob Ryan and the hapless Saints defense.

28. San Francisco 49ers (Last week: 28): The win was just the third of Jim Tomsula's career, so you'll have to excuse him for this "meh" postgame locker room speech.

29. San Diego Chargers (Last week: 26): Feeling pretty confident in declaring the Chargers dead. They just aren't very good.

30. Houston Texans (Last week: 29): The Texans have three wins, sure, but those three wins came against Tampa Bay, Jacksonville and Tennessee, so excuse me for not buying what they're selling.

31. Jacksonville Jaguars (Last week: 30): The Jaguar car company actually was started as Swallow Sidecar Company and originally made sidecars.

32. Detroit Lions (Last week: 32): I was kind of surprised that Jim Caldwell wasn't fired this week the Lions' house cleaning. But it's not like they're going anywhere either way, so you might as well suck as hard as you can and try to get that No. 1 pick.

Thumbnail photo via Charles LeClaire/USA TODAY Sports Images