NFL Power Rankings: Week 9
16 – San Francisco 49ers (5-3) (PR: 8)
LW – Loss to Houston Texans 15-26
Am I being too harsh by dropping the 49ers this far? Maybe. But that was probably the most frustrating and sad 9ers game I’ve ever watched, and I’ve watched alottttt of 49ers football. Nothing was working on offense or defense. To not get a first down until midway through the 2nd quarter is so so bad. Let’s point out the major, glaring issues here. The O-Line is the worst in the league. The defense made too mistakes to count. Jauan Jennings drops passes. Injuries are getting out of control. The “next man up” narrative is getting old. It works until you’re so injured that you’re picking up a random dudes named Tom and Jerry from Target and expecting them to play on Sunday. I’m sure my disdain for this team will subside after a couple of days but right now I am not happy.
15 – Chicago Bears (4-3) (PR: 14)
LW – Loss to Baltimore Ravens 16-30
A loss to who Tradon refers to as the “Worst Team in the League” is not a good look. It feels like the Bears always start off so strong but run out of gas. In the 1st quarter the Bears had 9 first downs while the Ravens only had 3 plays, but the tide turned quickly over the next 3. Part of the reason for this weak performance was injuries to their strong defense. Injuries to their starting DE and DT left them prone to runs and the Ravens exploited that going for 177 yards on the ground.
14 – Jacksonville Jaguars (4-3) (PR: NR)
LW – BYE
The Jags move back into my power rankings because some teams lost and moved down. Did they do anything major over the BYE? No, but hopefully they get to regroup after 2 ugly losses to NFC West teams. They do have a get right game against the Las Vegas Raiders coming up. I would strongly suggest betting over on any Brian Thomas Jr props out there.
13 – Pittsburgh Steelers (4-3) (PR: 13)
LW – Loss to the Green Bay Packers 25-35
The Steelers have now lost 2 in a row, and I echo the sentiments that I brought up last week – the defense that was once so good, is now old and easily beaten. That defense allowed Jordan Love to throw for 360 yards! He was not sacked once nor was he intercepted. He had so much time on some throws that he literally could’ve have made a turkey club and eaten it without being touched.
12 – Los Angeles Chargers (5-3) (PR: 15)
LW – Win over Minnesota Vikings 37-10
Back into the win column go the Chargers and a dominant victory at that. The Chargers also uncovered a diamond in the rough (Aladdin reference anyone?) in Oronde Gadsen II. The TE seemed like Justin Herbert’s favorite target for most of the game. Now Herbert has not one, not two but three pass catching weapons along with a solid run game.
11 – Seattle Seahawks (5-2) (PR: 9)
LW – BYE
Can’t fault the Seahawks for much following their BYE but they drop because some of the teams ahead of them had good wins. Coming out of the BYE, the Seahawks are a +57 which is good for third in the NFC. I am excited to see more of this Sam Darnold, JSN connection. I feel bad for Cooper Kupp but JSN is the guy in Seattle. One last thing, Kenneth Walker > Zach Charbonnet.
10 – New England Patriots (6-2) (PR: 12)
LW – Win over Cleveland Browns 32-13
Drake Maye faced the most vicious pass rush (aka Myles Garrett) of his career this week and he answered with 282 yards, 3 passing TDs and added 50 yards rushing. This guy can do it all. Although he was sacked 6 times, he kept plays alive and showed that he has taken the next step in his development. The Drake Maye glaze is real but so well deserved.
9 – Green Bay Packers (5-1-1) (PR: 10)
LW – Win over Pittsburgh Steelers 35-25
Admittedly, this team should be ranked higher but their earlier season defensive struggles give me pause. Does the defense look stronger after last week? Yes, but I need to see more consistency out of them. On the offensive side, we got to welcome back Christian Watson from his ACL injury and he had a game. 4 receptions for 85 yards in his first game back. But you know who had an even bigger game? Tucker Kraft. He had 143 (I la la la love you) yards and 2 TDs. If he can continue having big, big games like this, he might be TE of the year.
8 – Los Angeles Rams (5-2) (PR: 3)
LW – BYE
I feel bad by dropping the Rams this far after a BYE but that’s how the cookie crumbles. Surprisingly, the Rams have been the 2nd best defensive team in the league when it comes to points allowed. When I think Rams, I think offense, so good for them. Sneaky good defense. Speaking of offense, Puka Nacua should be back and healthy following the BYE. 300+ yard games for Matthew Stafford incoming!
7 – Denver Broncos (6-2) (PR: 11)
LW – Win against Dallas Cowboys 44-24
Going into last week’s matchup, it was a true offense vs defense battle. The Cowboys are all offense while the Broncos are all defense. The Broncos defense came out on top, holding the explosive Dak Prescott to 188 yards and 2 TDs. In the process, the Broncos seem to have rediscovered their offense. It felt like they couldn’t stop moving the ball forward. Bo Nix had 4 TD passes and JK Dobbins showed he still has it in him with his 111 yards on the ground. Side note – Dobbins should have won Comeback Player of the Year last year.
6 – Tampa Bay Buccaneers (6-2) (PR: 4)
LW – Win against New Orleans Saints 23-3
The Bucs drop because this was kind of a disappointing win. The Saints are horrible, yet the Bucs struggled to move the ball offensively. This game was won on the defensive end. The Bucs defense had 5 sacks and 2 INTs. What happened to Baker Mayfield, the MVP candidate? It was 2 straight games of him missing throws and now only 152 yards passing against a horrendous defense.
5 – Philadelphia Eagles (6-2) (PR: 5)
LW – Win against New York Giants 38-20
Good news Eagles fans, Saquon Barkley is no longer a ghost! He finally did something and had 150 yards rushing with a TD! Ready for the bad news? Barkley got hurt. Not sure the severity of it but ready for some more good news? It’s their BYE week this week so he’ll have more time to rest and recover. And last but not least, here is some bad news to equal it all out – Tyler King is an Eagles fan.
4 – Kansas City Chiefs (5-3) (PR: 7)
LW – Win over Washington Commanders 28-7
Anyone else feel like the Chiefs didn’t try at all in the first half? Well, they can do that because they’re that good again. They have their identity back. Here’s a couple scary thoughts for all other NFL teams – Travis Kelce had a vintage Travis Kelce game with 99 yards. The Chiefs have a run game now which accounted for 148 yards. Patty Mahomes has 2 potential WR1s in Rashee Rice and Xavier Worthy. This upcoming game against the Bills will be fun.
3 – Buffalo Bills (5-2) (PR: 6)
LW – Win over Carolina Panthers 40-9
Told ya the Bills would have a “Get Right” game. It was utter domination by the Bills on both sides of the ball. On the defense, they shut down Andy Dalton with 7 sacks and 3 takeaways. On the offense, James Cook showed that he is firmly in 2nd place in running back of the year voting. Cook racked up 219 yards on 19 carries and he could’ve had more had the game been close.
2 – Detroit Lions (5-2) (PR: 1)
LW – BYE
The Lions drop a spot because of the Colts continued dominance. Coming out of the BYE, the Lions the best +/- in the NFC with a +64. Their offense seems to be coming together nicely and the Jared Goff, Amon-Ra St. Brown connection is thriving. They have all parts of the offense working together in sync and it is truly beautiful to watch. Their defense gets to the opposing QB early and often (mainly because of Lu’s favorite player Aiden Hutchensen) and disrupts offenses. This week they get a Minnesota Vikings team that has JJ McCarthy at QB.
1 – Indianapolis Colts (7-1) (PR: 2)
LW – Win over Tennessee Titans 38-14
Complete and utter domination for the Colts this season. They are a +116 on the season and no team even comes relatively close. Jonathan Taylor is literally running away with Offensive Player of the Year with another very strong performance – 174 total yards and 3 TDs. Daniel Jones is keeping teams honest with his ability to sling the ball all over the field. His long term extension is in the works and should be here shortly. I know Matt felt they were going to do bad after last week but they proved him wrong. I stand by my thought that the Colts are the most consistent team in the NFL.