Another week, and another undefeated team sits atop the NFL power rankings for week nine. Several teams saw their stock rise by a lot and others saw their stock plummet.
Note that these power rankings were compiled before the outcome of “Monday Night Football” between the Packers and Bears.
1. Kansas City Chiefs (9-0) – Two defensive touchdowns showed how resilient this team is. However, the offense looks off and it will be interesting to see how the Chiefs fare against the Denver Broncos in two weeks after a bye.
2. Denver Broncos (7-1) The Broncos have a bye this week and will clash with the Chargers next week.
3. New England Patriots (7-2) In demolishing the Steelers, the Patriots put up more points against Pittsburgh than any team in Steelers history. With the return of Rob Gronkowski–who carried Steelers defenders with him hopping on one foot more than one occasion–this New England team is frightening.
4. Seattle Seahawks (8-1) The Seahawks nearly lost to the bottom-dwelling Buccaneers at home but Marshawn Lynch again powered them to a comeback victory. Seattle fans have to be a little bit worried by the play of the offense.
5. San Francisco 49ers (6-2) The 49ers have been red-hot after losing two games in a row early on. They had a bye this week.
6. New Orleans Saints (6-2) Saints defensive coordinator Rob Ryan is now 0-5 against his brother Rex Ryan of the Jets. New Orleans couldn’t stop the run on a regular basis, allowing 198 yards on 36 carries. The Saints will play prime-time against the Cowboys and they will likely shore up any weaknesses by then.
7. Indianapolis Colts (6-2) – Andrew Luck had an ugly first half and the defense couldn’t stop the Case Keenum-Andre Johnson combo. But the young Colts quarterback played lights-out after intermission in leading another come-from-behind victory.
8. Green Bay Packers (5-2) The Packers will play the Bears on Monday night in Green Bay.
9. Cincinnati Bengals (6-3) The Bengals lost Geno Atkins to a knee injury but have found something special in Giovanni Bernand, who turned in one of the best touchdown rushes of the season in the fourth quarter. The Bengals have a 10-day bye to get healed up.
10. Detroit Lions (5-3) – The Lions had a bye; they’ll play against the Bears next week.
11. Carolina Panthers (5-3) – Cam Newton threw several errant passes, including two for interceptions, after playing relatively mistake-free over the past few weeks. But the Panthers’ defense picked up some of the slack and capitalized the Falcons’ error-prone ways. The Panthers are over .500 for the first time in years.
12. New York Jets (5-4) – Ex-New Orleans Saints RB Chris Ivory has been a big pickup for the Jets offense, rushing for 139 yards, while the defense picked off Drew Brees twice and constantly pressured him–despite some questionable personal foul calls that went against New York. The Jets have only won on odd weeks.
13. Dallas Cowboys (5-4) – Another Tony Romo fourth-quarter interception was followed up by a beautiful 90-yard drive for a touchdown that sealed the game against the Vikings.
14. San Diego Chargers (4-4) – The Chargers missed a touchdown toward the end of regulation that would have avoided overtime and a loss. If San Diego wants to make the playoffs, its defense–and especially the secondary–needs to play better.
15. Miami Dolphins (4-4) – The Dolphins snapped out of a four-game losing streak powered by a sack-prone defense. Miami’s offense churned out yardage and points in the first half, but stagnated in the second half and in overtime.
16. Chicago Bears (4-3) – The Bears play the Packers on Monday night. QB Jay Cutler and linebacker Lance Briggs are listed out for the game, but cornerback Charles Tillman will likely play.
17. Cleveland Browns (4-5) – Journeyman quarterback Jason Campbell may be the spark that Cleveland needs for the remainder of the season to potentially make the playoffs. On the other side of the ball, Cleveland crushed the Ravens’ run game and constantly mixed up blitzes and pressure.
18. Philadelphia Eagles (4-5) – Nick Foles, of all quarterbacks, tied an NFL record with seven passing touchdowns in a rout against the Oakland Raiders, who this season have a serviceable defense. If this is true form of the Chip Kelly offense, the NFC East is in trouble.
19. Tennessee Titans (4-4) – Chris Johnson scored the first two touchdowns this season in a vintage 140-yard rushing performance. Johnson’s great performance came in spite of the porous Titans’ offensive line allowing several sacks on quarterback Jake Locker. The Titans should be able to dispatch the winless and Justin Blackon-less Jacksonville Jaguars next week.
20. Arizona Cardinals (4-4) – Arizona had a bye this week and will play the Texans next week at home.
21. Baltimore Ravens (3-5) – The Ravens’ season is nearly lost after losing to the Browns for the first time since 2007. Baltimore allowed Joe Flacco to get sacked five times, while he missed nearly half his passes.
22. Buffalo Bills (3-6) – Two turnovers for touchdowns killed the Bills’ chances against the undefeated Chiefs, and undrafted rookie Jeff Tuel was responsible for both of them.
23. Houston Texans (2-6) – Case Keenum’s and Andre Johnson’s heroics couldn’t get it done in the second half. Houston’s momentum seemed to dry up after coach Gary Kubiak was taken to the hospital during halftime. This was a must-win game for Houston and the Texans probably shouldn’t be talking about the playoffs this season.
24. Washington Redskins (3-5) – The Redskins got a much-needed win, but that was after giving up a lead and going into overtime. Washington has played too inconsistently this season to likely make the playoffs.
25. New York Giants (2-6) – The Giants have a bye this week but in the past two games, only allowed 14 points have been surrendered by the Giants. With coach Tom Coughlin and Eli Manning, it’s not unfathomable to imagine the Giants making a playoff run despite a horrendous start.
26. St. Louis Rams (3-6) – The Rams’ backup QB, Kellen Clemens, turned in performance and did everything possible to sustain drives until he made an untimely fumble in the fourth quarter. RB Zac Stacy gashed the Titans’ defense but the Rams couldn’t stop the Titans’ rushing attack.
27. Oakland Raiders (3-5) – The Raiders took a big step backward after getting smashed by the Eagles; the 49-20 final score even seems closer than it actually was. The Raiders’ once-promising defense was embarrassed for 529 yards and Nick Foles’ seven touchdowns. This comes two weeks after Foles completed 11 out 29 passes for 80 yards against the Giants.
28. Atlanta Falcons (2-6) – During their skid this season, it appeared Atlanta could pull it together and make a run. But not after Sunday’s loss to the Panthers. Matt Ryan tried to single-handedly will his team back in the game but threw three interceptions and make some questionable throws. Overall sloppy play, turnovers, and penalties have doomed the Falcons this season.
29. Pittsburgh Steelers (2-6) – The Steelers season is now just about done after the defense gave up more than 400 passing yards and surrendered 55 points. It might be time to get some new faces on defense next season.
30. Minnesota Vikings (1-7) – In a loss, Adrian Peterson delivered one of the best rushing touchdowns this season as he carried several defenders with him for 11 yards. But the 1-7 start is the worst in Vikings history. They face the Redskins on Thursday.
31. Tampa Bay Buccaneers (0-8) – Tampa again gave up a second-half lead after getting too conservative. The Tampa loss was the largest comeback in Seahawks history–a testament to how good the Seahawks are at home and how bad the Bucs are in 2013. Only time will tell to determine if coach Greg Schiano will be fired by the end of the season.
32. Jacksonville Jaguars (0-8) The Jaguars had a bye this week but still found a way to lose. On Friday, the Jaguars suspended top wide receiver Justin Blackmon indefinitely for substance abuse issues. He will enter rehab, reported ESPN on Sunday.
