NFL Power Rankings: Week 9

The week that was in the NFL started with a runaway, had some thrillers on Sunday and ended with a bit of a whimper on Monday night. Throw in a bunch of byes and there weren’t a ton of major moves up or down the ladder on the field. An active trade deadline has shaken things up however, making things much more interesting down the stretch for many franchises in what are still some wide-open playoff races.

Doing as much as one can to sort through all that and factoring in everything from overall roster strength, to quarterback play, to the coaching staff, here is the latest edition of NFL power rankings and where every team stacks up from 1 to 32.

Week 9 NFL Power Rankings

1. Philadelphia Eagles

Last week: 1

Destroying the 49ers doesn’t mean a lot, other than giving the team the Eagles their sixth straight win to make them the prohibitive favorite to win the NFC at this point. The continued development of Carson Wentz has been a joy to watch and you have to wonder how much higher his ceiling will be this year.

2. Kansas City Chiefs

Last week: 2

A relative breeze of a victory over the Broncos helped get the team back on track and nobody in Kansas City will take a division win for granted. Between the Steelers and Patriots though, the gap between the Chiefs and everybody else in the AFC is slowly closing as each week passes.

3. Pittsburgh Steelers

Last week: 4

No team has a more favorable schedule when it comes to securing home-field advantage throughout the playoffs than the Steelers, who passed big tests in back-to-back weeks. Big Ben still doesn’t quite look right but the offense has some home-run hitters and those defensive stands against the Lions were a huge sign of progress this season.

4. New England Patriots

Last week: 3

While you would have liked to have seen more of those field goals converted into points against the Chargers, that was still a nice effort on Sunday for a fourth straight win. The defense is improving week by week it seems and could be set for even more improvement as the trade deadline approaches.

5. Seattle Seahawks

Last week: 8

There’s little doubt as to what the game of the week was, as that thriller against the Texans was a great way to wrap up an otherwise lackluster slate of games. Though the defense wasn’t as stingy as you’ve come to expect (especially at home), the offense seems like it’s starting to find its groove with Russell Wilson (and it will have a new left tackle soon too) as the Seahawks enter a relatively easy stretch in November.

6. Minnesota Vikings

Last week: 6

We didn’t learn anything new from that romp over the Browns in London, but a big question is going to be looming as Teddy Bridgewater gets a step closer to playing while Case Keenum continues to make plays.

7. Los Angeles Rams

Last week: 5

The bye week comes at a good time as the young Rams can celebrate their first 5-2 start in over a decade while also buckling up for a tough stretch in the next month.

8. New Orleans Saints

Last week: 7

Outside of the Eagles, this might be the hottest team in football. Though they had to hold on against the Bears, the defense has really developed into a solid unit and these next few games offer the chance to really get into the mix for home-field advantage, to say nothing of securing the NFC South lead.

9. Houston Texans

Last week: 13

People might harp on the interceptions but Deshaun Watson has gone toe-to-toe with New England and Seattle — on the road — and come out looking better and better each time. As we saw on Sunday afternoon though, the defense will be key to this team making (or missing) a playoff run.

10. Carolina Panthers

Last week: 15

While the Buccaneers are a shell of themselves right now, Carolina’s trip to Tampa Bay gives the Panthers an impressive four road wins at this point. Though they’re yet to click on all cylinders like they’re capable of, keeping pace with the Saints in the division is huge as the team enters a very winnable stretch of games.

11. Dallas Cowboys

Last week: 9

A quality victory in Washington for the Cowboys, who established the run early in those conditions and saw Mike Nugent have a solid debut taking over the kicking duties. Still, this team’s future will likely be determined over these next few games — which will be without Ezekiel Elliott in the backfield.

12. Buffalo Bills

Last week: 11

It’s time to consider the previously unthinkable: the Bills hosting a playoff game. We’re still a long ways from that of course, but at 5-2 after beating up the Raiders, it’s starting to look more like something that could happen.

13. Detroit Lions

Last week: 10

Hard to believe this team, which looked like an NFC contender, is now below .500. While the Lions have been close, they may rue all those missed chances against a number of opponents, most recently the Steelers on Sunday night.

14. Tennessee Titans

Last week: 19

Even at the midpoint, it’s still hard to get a firm grasp on how good Tennessee is as a football team. Hopefully the bye week allowed Marcus Mariota to return to full health and will let us find out in the next few weeks.

15. Jacksonville Jaguars

Last week: 16

Of the six teams on a bye this past week, nobody had a better one than the Jaguars did in adding Marcell Dareus to an already ferocious defensive line. If only the team could have added reinforcements at quarterback too, because Blake Bortles continued improvement is not something to count on going forward.

16. Atlanta Falcons

Last week: 20

The Jets were the perfect opponent to snap that three-game losing streak against but the Falcons didn’t quite dominate that game like they should have. We’ll find out over this next three-game stretch whether the Super Bowl hangover is for real or if Atlanta can climb back into the mix.

17. Washington Redskins

Last week: 12

Washington is better than its 3-4 record suggests but there are a bunch of issues along the offensive line and that’s been an anchor weighing down this team.