Power Rankings (Week 9)

(Change from last week shown in parentheses)

1. Steelers (-): Still undefeated. Just took down their biggest division rival coming off of a bye. No reason to make a change at the top. After handling their business through the first 4 weeks of the season, the Steelers have now beaten 3 straight AFC teams who each have 5 wins on the season. This is a well-rounded team with an easy slate coming up. It’s a good time to be a Steelers fan.
2. Chiefs (-): The defending Super Bowl champs did what was expected this week in their dismantling of the Jets. Mahomes threw for 400 yards and 5 TDs to 4 different WRs. To my surprise, Le’Veon Bell didn’t do much against his former team, but I still expect him to get more and more action week after week. The Chiefs and Steelers are head and shoulders above every other team in the AFC.
3. Seahawks (+3): After their disappointing overtime loss two weeks ago, Russell Wilson and the Seahawks bounced back with a statement victory over the 49ers. Wilson strengthened his case for MVP in a game played without his top 3 RBs. DK Metcalf strengthened his case of being considered one of the leagues best WRs with a 161 yard, 2 TD performance. This dude is looking more and more like Calvin Johnson every week.
4. Buccaneers (-): It was a very lackluster performance by this team on Monday Night against a scrappy Giants team, but they managed to pull out the victory thanks to opportunistic turnovers caused by their defense. This was not an impressive showing, but they were without Chris Godwin and will be getting him back along with Antonio Brown very soon, maybe even next week. Not to mention, this was the classic trap game against a bad team when they have a battle with the Saints coming up. I’m giving them the benefit of the doubt.
5. Bills (+3): Over the past 4 weeks, the Bills don’t look like how they looked the first 4 weeks. But they defeated the desperate Patriots this week nonetheless. It seems odd that a 6–2 team could have a minus point differential on the season, but that’s exactly what the Bills have (-1 on the season). This team is not on the level of the top 2 teams in the AFC right now, but they’re a solid squad sure to be playing January football. This upcoming battle against the Seahawks will be very telling of what this team is.
6. Packers (-3): Didn’t see that one coming. After looking lifeless 2 weeks ago against the Buccaneers, they responded very well against the Texans last week. Then this week they put up another terrible performance against a bad Vikings team. In doing so, they made Dalvin Cook’s fantasy owners very happy as he ran up and down the field at ease on them. Fortunately for them (and their fans), they’re forced to forget about it quickly as they play on Thursday Night this week against the banged up 49ers (pending ongoing Covid issues…)
7. Titans (-2): After winning 5 straight to open the season, the Titans have now lost 2 straight. Unlike last week however, this week came as a complete shocker to everyone by losing decisively to the Bengals. The problem is the defense. They simply can’t get to the QB and can’t stop anyone. If they can’t stop Nick Foles and the inept offense of the Bears next week, it’s tough to be optimistic about this team playing late into January.
8. Ravens (-1): More of the same from this Ravens team. It’s just very difficult to have confidence that they can beat a good team. Lamar Jackson doesn’t resemble the MVP that he was last year. If this team doesn’t have a lead and is forced to throw the ball, the odds of them winning are very low. They have a very good defense and an elite ground game, so they won’t have any problem beating up on bad teams though. They don’t get a bad team this week though, as they’re set to face the…
9. Colts (+3): The Colts have to feel confident heading into their battle with the Ravens this week. Coming off of their bye, the Colts put up a dominating performance against the Lions. They dominated the line of scrimmage defensively the entire game, holding the Lions to 29 yards rushing on 2.2 YPC. This is a physical football team that is going to be tough to push around by anyone. That’s not the type of team you want to face in the playoffs.
10. Cardinals (-1): It was a great bye week for the Cardinals. Not only did they get to simply enjoy their OT victory during primetime over the Seahawks, but their two other division rivals, the Rams and the 49ers, both lost, putting them in a strong spot in the tough NFC West. They have to be feeling confident about their playoff hopes.
11. Saints (-): It was closer than they would’ve liked, which is becoming a trend with this Michael Thomas-less Saints, but they managed to escape Chicago with their 4th straight victory (by a total of 15 points). The mark of a good team is winning games where you don’t play your best, which this team consistently has done. Up next for them is Tom Brady and the Bucs…
12. Rams (-3): If your defense holds the opposing team to 145 total yards for the entire game, you’re most likely going to win that game. But, it’s very tough to win a game where you give up a 78 yard fumble recovery for a TD immediately followed by an 88 yard punt return for a TD. This is an elite Rams defense that will keep them in any game they play this year. But this was a bad loss for them in an NFC wild card race where one loss feels more important than it should.
13. Raiders (+3): In a game significantly affected by windy weather, the Raiders came out on top of a very important battle in the AFC wild card race. It’s tough to read too much into a game like this, but that doesn’t take away from a very impressive showing by this defense. 3 division battles in the next 3 weeks will be very telling of what this team is.
14. Dolphins (+5): Tua’s debut resulted in a victory against a good team. Sure, he only led their offense for a total of 145 yards, but he led his team to a very important victory. To the surprise of many, this Dolphins team sits 1 game in the loss column back to the division-leading Bills, 1 game back from a wild card spot, and is riding a 3 game winning streak. Don’t sleep on the Dolphins.
15. Browns (-2): Much like what I said about the Raiders, it’s very tough to read a lot into this game. That being said, they didn’t play well and lost a game that ultimately may cost them a chance at the playoffs down the line. This is a mediocre football team that has a fairly forgiving upcoming schedule that they need to take advantage of.
16. Bears (-1): The Bears competed against the Saints this week. Ultimately however, they lost, and their playoff hopes continue to sink. Their defense is strong enough to keep them respectable in every game they play. But their offense continues to leave a lot to be desired. Fortunately for them and their fans, the Packers, Rams, 49ers, Lions and Panthers also all lost this week.
17. 49ers (-3): Speaking of an NFC wild card contender who lost, the 49ers put up a dud against the Seahawks this week. On top of that, they continue to lose key players week after week. Jimmy G and George Kittle look likely to miss pretty significant time with injuries sustained this past week. It’s not looking good for the defending NFC champs, but they can turn that around if they manage to physically dominate the Packers on Thursday Night this week, like they did twice last season.
18. Lions (-1): Classic Lions. After winning two straight road games out of their bye and giving their fans hope, they put up an absolute stinker at home to the Colts. Top to bottom, it was a bad defeat by this team. They physically were outmatched on both sides of the ball. Matthew Stafford was forced into obvious passing situations constantly and made a costly error throwing a bad pick 6. Their best defensive player (Trey Flowers) and offensive player (Kenny Golladay) were both lost to injury and are expected to miss time. They need to right the ship quickly if they want to be playing a meaningful Thanksgiving football game.
19. Panthers (-1): The Panthers overperformed through the first 5 weeks of the season, going 3–2 and looking like they were going to compete in the NFC. Now they’ve lost 3 straight and are back to where many expected them to be entering the season. This is a young, promising group of players that simply are not able to compete with better teams. They will fight hard, and have a bright future, but their season this year ended with their loss to the Falcons on Thursday Night.
20. Chargers (-): It seems that certain teams just want to top other teams when it comes to finding unique, creative ways to lose games. The Chargers are one of those teams. Up 24–3 midway through the 3rd quarter, up 27–17 midway through the 4th quarter, this team managed to lose to Drew Lock and the Broncos. Wow. This team is going to compete every week. They have 5 losses this season, all by 7 or fewer points. But at a certain point, you have to win some of these games.
21. Eagles (-): The Eagles entered their division battle Sunday Night in a great spot to show the world that they deserved respect. That they were not just another NFC East team. That they were a team to be feared as a likely division winner. They did not do that. They faced an awful Cowboys defense and their 3rd string, 7th round draft pick rookie QB Ben Dinucci, and this was a game until the end. The Cowboys even led at halftime. The Eagles offense scored twice the entire game. If the Eagles want to take one positive thing from this game, it’s that it does appear that they are getting healthier. But Carson Wentz needs to stop turning the ball over. It’s that simple.
22. Vikings (+2): Great win by this Vikings team against the Packers. With 34 rushing attempts to only 14 passes, the Vikings physically imposed their will the whole game. Dalvin Cook is special. If this defense keeps playing like this, and they keep the game script to their advantage, they have a shot at stringing some wins together.
23. Bengals (+2): This Bengals team might actually be a respectable team. If you ignore Week 5 at the Ravens, this team has 4 losses by a total of 15 points. They play hard, Joe Burrow looks for real, and this offense seemingly can compete with anyone. I still don’t trust the defense, but it’s tough to say this team stinks after a decisive victory against a team in the Titans who many thought was one of the top teams in the league.
24. Falcons (+3): It was obvious that this Falcons team was not as bad as their 1–6 record indicated before this week. They got a nice, road division win on primetime this week for their 2nd victory in 3 games. It should’ve been 3 straight if not for Todd Gurley’s mental gaffe last week. Regardless, this team dug too big of a hole to get out of this season, but they’ll win some games the rest of the way. They have enough talent to compete with most teams.
25. Broncos (-3): What a thrilling victory by this team on Sunday. As much as I want to just say the Chargers gave the game away, I’m going to give this team some respect because they still had to take it, which they did. I doubt they use this win to catapult themselves into the playoff picture, but hey, crazier things have happened.
26. Giants (+5): I‘ve been mildly impressed by the grit of this team all season, but I was very impressed by what I saw Monday Night. They were the better football team against the Buccaneers this week. They outplayed them the entire game. The defense kept Brady off balance. The offense protected Daniel Jones decent enough and opened up enough holes for this team to move the ball. Ultimately however, it was the same storyline it’s been the past two seasons: Daniel Jones finds ways to lose the game by turning the ball over in big spots. Give this coaching staff and this team credit though.
27. Patriots (-4): Cancel the Cam Newton-Patriots era. Say whatever you want: yes they played the Bills very tough, yes they do lack talent everywhere and still managed to make this a game until the end. But there’s no excuse for fumbling the way Cam did at the end there. That’s just unacceptable.
28. Football Team (-2): The Football Team doesn’t face a team with a winning record all of November. With a competitive enough defense and 2 division wins already, that means they have as good a shot as anyone to win the NFC East.
29. Texans (-1): Deshaun Watson will keep this team relevant most weeks. Other than that, they’re simply not good. Please don’t waste Deshaun Watson and get this man some help around him next year.
30. Cowboys (-1): Give the Cowboys some credit. Their defense kept the Eagles off balance the entire game and forced some turnovers to make it a game on Sunday Night. It was fun seeing trick play after trick play the whole game as well.
31. Jaguars (-1): This team stinks. Nothing more to say about them as they come out of their bye set to face another 1–6 team that stinks.
32. Jets (-): One positive came out of their destruction at the hands of the Chiefs: at least Le’Veon Bell didn’t dominate them.