Posted by Sabrina B. @gametimegirl

For the third time in as many weeks, there’s a new leader of the ESPN.com NFL Power Rankings. The Atlanta Falcons lead the poll of our experts, a fitting vault from No. 3 after defeating the Week 10-leading Baltimore Ravens on Thursday. According to our archives dating to 2002, the Falcons are atop our rankings for the first time in franchise history. They’ll have their mettle tested in Week 11 with a visit to the No. 23 St. Louis Rams, who have a four-game home winning streak. The New England Patriots, who were our leaders entering Week 9 play, are No. 2 in this edition. The New York Jets, the Ravens and the Pittsburgh Steelers round out the top five.

Full list after the jump…
RK (LW) TEAM (REC) COMMENT
1 (3) Falcons 7-2 Confident, rested Falcons must guard against letdown when visiting improved Rams. (Sando)
2 (6) Patriots 7-2 The Patriots went 3-1 against the AFC North, with just the one bad day against Eric Mangini. (Clayton)
3 (5) Jets 7-2 Rex Ryan had to go overtime against Eric Mangini, but at least the Jets pulled out the win. (Clayton)
4 (1) Ravens 6-3 There’s no shame in a last-second loss to Atlanta at the Georgia Dome. (Walker)
5 (2) Steelers 6-3 Steelers are just 1-2 in their last three games. (Walker)
6 (8) Eagles 6-3 Michael Vick is the Eagles’ new franchise quarterback and now is awaiting a big payday. (Clayton)
7 (7) Packers 6-3 The well-rested Packers have a chance to beat Brett Favre one more time. (Walker)
8 (4) Giants 6-3 Lost in the dark against the Cowboys in Week 10, the Giants now have to prepare for the electric Michael Vick. (Clayton)
9 (9) Saints 6-3 Week 11 brings together Reggie Bush and Pete Carroll, minus NCAA investigators. (Sando)
10 (10) Colts 6-3 How many injured guys can make it back for the showdown at New England? (Kuharsky)

11 (13) Buccaneers 6-3 Bucs have not defeated a team that currently owns a winning record. (Sando)
12 (12) Raiders 5-4 Outside of team headquarters, few predicted the Raiders would be in first place after nine games. (Kuharsky)
13 (11) Titans 5-4 Hard to knock out two Miami QBs and still lose to a third-stringer. (Kuharsky)
14 (17) Dolphins 5-4 Has there been a costlier win than Sunday’s over Tennessee? The Dolphins lost Chad Pennington, Chad Henne and Jake Long. (Clayton)
15 (14) Chiefs 5-4 From 5-2 to 5-4 in a flash, and that 1-2 AFC West record is a problem. (Kuharsky)

16 (16) Chargers 4-5 In range of first place, again, after enjoying the bye week and Denver’s win over K.C. (Kuharsky)
17 (19) Bears 6-3 The “Monsters of the Midway” are second in the NFL in points allowed per game (16.2). (Walker)
18 (20) Jaguars 5-4 The Jags can’t afford a letdown against Cleveland after Hail Mary Hysteria. (Kuharsky)
19 (15) Texans 4-5 The Texans need something, anything to serve as a jolt. How are they going to find it at the Jets? (Kuharsky)
20 (24) Seahawks 5-4 Pete Carroll sweeps the Cardinals and becomes the first Seattle coach to win at University of Phoenix Stadium. (Sando)
21 (18) Redskins 4-5 Donovan McNabb got his contract extension, but the Eagles delivered a spanking to the Redskins. (Clayton)
22 (23) Browns 3-6 Playoff contenders want to avoid Cleveland in the second half of the season. (Walker)
23 (21) Rams 4-5 Issues in the Rams’ secondary caught up to St. Louis in its OT loss at San Francisco. (Sando)
24 (22) Vikings 3-6 Vikings are a perfect example of dysfunction undermining talent. (Walker)
25 (28) 49ers 3-6 Troy Smith has completed 17 of 20 passes for 357 yards on first down in two starts. (Sando)
26 (29) Broncos 3-6 In a three-game span, the Broncos allowed 59 points to one division rival and scored 49 against another. (Kuharsky)
27 (25) Cardinals 3-6 Issues on defense might be worse than obvious concerns at the quarterback position. (Sando)
28 (26) Bengals 2-7 The Bengals have the NFL’s longest losing streak at six games. (Walker)
29 (30) Cowboys 2-7 The combination of Jason Garrett’s discipline and Dez Bryant’s incredible ability stole the show against the Giants. (Clayton)
30 (32) Bills 1-8 After three losses by a field goal, the Bills and Chan Gailey finally taste victory. (Clayton)
31 (27) Lions 2-7 Only the Lions would throw a two-point conversion out of bounds to end a game. (Walker)
32 (31) Panthers 1-8 Panthers face the NFL’s toughest remaining schedule and could finish 2-14 easily. (Sando)

The 4 voters: Mike Sando, John Clayton, Paul Kuharsky and James Walker