NFL Power Rankings: Week 9
With the trade deadline in the rearview, along with half of the season, the landscape of the NFL is becoming much clearer. It’s been clear how few quality teams there are in the league this season. The same trio remain in the same order at the top in the Eagles, Bills and Chiefs. I can certainly understand an argument for any permutation of these teams. To me, the undefeated status of the Eagles means something. So does the fact that the Bills beat the Chiefs heads up.
The next tier has now shrunk. In the NFC, I view the 49ers as the biggest threat to Philly. The addition of CMC, the creativity on offense along with the weapons, and the physicality on defense give them realistic hope of a deep run. That being said, I still have no confidence in Jimmy G. Behind San Fran I like the Cowboys and the Vikings. I give Dallas the nod because of Micah Parsons- it’s that simple. But don’t sleep on Minnesota’s addition of T.J. Hockenson. Their offense has the potential to be lethal if they can work him into the system quickly.
In the AFC, I really only see two teams that have consistently shown they’re deserving of being noticed. The Dolphins are legitimately scary, particularly after adding Bradley Chubb. The Hill-Waddle duo is insanely good and Tua seems like the perfect QB for that system. The Ravens could very well be undefeated if not for a few late-game collapses. They’re clearly a step below the top dogs though.
Then there’s the Relevant tier. In the NFC, I’m probably one more solid win away from truly buying into the Seahawks. Geno Smith looks awesome. He’s simply running their offense and not making mistakes. The Giants came back to life a bit this week by losing to Seattle. It was a little surprising that they didn’t acquire WR help at the deadline, which they depserately need if they want to truly be considered a contender. I wonder if Odell is interested in a reunion? The Packers, Bucs and Rams trio continues to fall well short of preseason expectations. Green Bay at least showed a little bit of a fight against a much superior Buffalo team. Maybe they can build on that. Tampa is a mess, and I can’t even put into words how bad the Rams are. Please find me a clip of their most recent run play that can be considered a success. Why are they in this tier then? Because despite all of this, there’s still half a season to go and they clearly have higher ceilings due to their QBs then the rest of the conference. The Cardinals and Saints round out this tier for the NFC. This may be a little high for both of them, but they’ve shown some signs of life recently.
In the AFC, the Chargers and Bengals have both had inconsistent seasons so far. I could easily see both of these teams flipping between this tier and the one above based on their performance any given week. After losing 2 straight to begin their season, the Titans have extremely quietly won 5 straight. I have no real confidence in them, but 5 straight wins is 5 straight wins. The Jets did a Jets-thing this week as they lost at home to a bad New England team. Zach Wilson looked horrendous. Still, it was one week, so I can’t completely give up on them as a team or him as a QB… yet.
Now we’re into the bulk of the league, which is the Stink tiers. The Jaguars blew a golden opportunity in London in their loss to the Broncos. I’m struggling to understand why Trevor Lawrence continues to slide under the radar with how underwhelming his first year and a half has been in the NFL. I’m not one to give up on a QB this early, but he needs to do more. Denver may hit their stride at some point here, but they were so bad for half the season that I don’t see them becoming relevant. The Bears failed to repeat their success from last Monday Night against the Patriots as their pitiful defense made Dallas fan think their offense is back. Despite New England’s win, I can’t forget how bad they looked to Chicago just a week ago. Let’s all take a moment and think about any friends or family who are friends of the Raiders. I was so wrong about them this year. Don’t look now but the Commanders and Falcons are both 4–4. The only difference is Washington is comfortably in last place in their division and Atlanta is somehow atop theirs. But neither of these teams deserves to be relevant just yet. Nice win on Monday Night Browns.
The Lions continue to be the most talented, exciting 1–6 team in recent memory. Their offense was back… for a half. They’re just consistently outcoached week in and week out. Oh, and their defense is a joke. It’s a sad day for Steelers fans who now reside in this tier. They’re just inept offensively. The Panthers continue to fight and almost accidentally found themselves atop the NFC South, but they figured it out in overtime. And then the Colts and Texans sit comfortably down there at the bottom. Remember when Indy beat Kansas City? That’s so 2022 NFL.
