Niner Noise
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NFL power rankings: Breaking down the league’s toughest divisions

By Peter Panacy

OAKLAND, CA - OCTOBER 16: Charcandrick West #35 of the Kansas City Chiefs is tackled by Malcolm Smith #53 of the Oakland Raiders during their NFL game at Oakland-Alameda County Coliseum on October 16, 2016 in Oakland, California. (Photo by Brian Bahr/Getty Images)
OAKLAND, CA - OCTOBER 16: Charcandrick West #35 of the Kansas City Chiefs is tackled by Malcolm Smith #53 of the Oakland Raiders during their NFL game at Oakland-Alameda County Coliseum on October 16, 2016 in Oakland, California. (Photo by Brian Bahr/Getty Images) /
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MIAMI GARDENS, FL – JANUARY 01: Tom Brady #12 of the New England Patriots passes during a game against the Miami Dolphins at Hard Rock Stadium on January 1, 2017 in Miami Gardens, Florida. (Photo by Mike Ehrmann/Getty Images)
MIAMI GARDENS, FL – JANUARY 01: Tom Brady #12 of the New England Patriots passes during a game against the Miami Dolphins at Hard Rock Stadium on January 1, 2017 in Miami Gardens, Florida. (Photo by Mike Ehrmann/Getty Images) /

Niner Noise takes a look around the NFL and dishes out our divisional power rankings as Week 1 of the 2017 regular season draws near.

The 2017 NFL season is almost upon us, and there have been more than enough shakeups and changes to throw off the balance of power around the league.

Not long ago, the NFC West was the most dominant division in football. Any fans of the San Francisco 49ers can attest to this.

But the NFC West has fallen on relative hard times as of late, giving rise to other divisions around pro football to take its place. Remember when the NFC East was the laughingstock of the NFL?

Well, that’s changed in a big way.

And there are plenty of other tough divisions too.

In this slideshow, we’ll rank each NFL division in power-rankings format. Which division stands out at the top?

To get there, let’s start off at the bottom.