NFL Week 9 Power Rankings: Vikings, Texans, Raiders Show Some Life

Several teams that’d been left for dead by many over the last few weeks revived their playoff hopes with inspiring wins over the weekend.

Welcome to the Power Rankings. For a moment, I considered having an AI-generated introduction for this week just to see whether Google had been spying on my keystrokes for long enough to actually make itself useful. Alas, the technological monolith suggested I open with: “Hello and welcome to my haunted house.”

I think we hacks are safe from the technological revolution for at least a little bit longer.

I loved this past week of NFL action. With a lot of heavy hitters on bye, we saw the epitome of the league’s middle class throwing some absolute haymakers. The Vikings, Texans and Raiders, among others, continue to pull themselves out of the dust on a week-by-week basis. No one is giving up. Taysom Hill, God bless him, is still out there slinging touchdowns. The NFC South will end like Reservoir Dogs.

But … isn’t that the way we’d want it? Neighboring sports like baseball and basketball have systematically tanked themselves to death. I met my wife the year the Baltimore Orioles made the playoffs in 2012 and enjoyed a very brief period of on-and-off contention before the team went dark for a half dozen years. On the verge of our 10th dating anniversary, they are finally relevant again.

I think I’d take being a fan of a team like the Vikings instead, where nothing seems to be able to knock the team totally off course. Not even a good business plan.

With that said, enjoy my haunted house. 

1. Philadelphia Eagles (8–1)

Last week: win vs. Dallas, 28–23
Next week: Bye

Colleague Albert Breer brought up a good point on the podcast this week: We can get more comfortable with the idea that the Eagles can return to and win a Super Bowl because they are so solid on both lines. That kind of stability negates a lot of the emotional side effects of losing a Super Bowl. Philadelphia was relatively unspectacular from a grade-on-a-curve perspective, but, like Kansas City, are in a rarefied territory where unspectacular wins are discussed like losses. This means you’re doing something right. 

2. Kansas City Chiefs (7–2)

Last week: win vs. Miami (in Frankfurt), 21–14
Next week: Bye

The Chiefs are now fifth in EPA per play on offense and … fifth in EPA per play on defense. Patrick Mahomes made the rounds this week, telling reporters in Germany about how this is the best defense he’s ever played with. That feels statistically accurate. It is wild to think that, very likely at some point this season, the Chiefs’ defense will be of slightly more value in terms of opponent EPA than the Chiefs’ offense will in total EPA. 

3. San Francisco 49ers (5–3)

Last week: Bye
Next week: at Jacksonville

The 49ers emerge from a bye and a trade deadline that saw them add Chase Young as a rotational pass rusher. Hopefully the time away allowed them to get healthy and to self-scout adequately. Kyle Shanahan is not going to tolerate any modicum of mediocrity, not when we’ve seen how astronomical the ceiling is for this roster. The Jaguars are up next Sunday—a perfect test and a very real chance for the once indestructible 49ers to slump to 5–4. 

Van Noy had two of Baltimore’s four sacks in the Ravens’ 37–3 demolition of the Seahawks :: Tommy Gilligan/USA TODAY Sports

4. Baltimore Ravens (7–2)

Last week: win vs. Seattle, 37–3
Next week: vs. Cleveland

I think the next best thing to having an elite stable of young, dynamic edge players is to have a rotation of the craftiest ones. Baltimore, with both Jadeveon Clowney and now Kyle Van Noy in the fold, alongside some of their more dynamic players up front, can be a maddening combination and a strip sack haven. I can imagine a playoff game turning dramatically because of one of these 30-plus-year-olds. All the good teams have them. 

5. Cincinnati Bengals (5–3)

Last week: win vs. Buffalo, 24–18
Next week: vs. Houston

The Bengals have been forced all season to find ways to win with an ailing quarterback, and that’s paying dividends now. The highlights from the win over Buffalo were forced fumbles, interceptions and physical runs. Joe Burrow still looks good, but in his absence, the team has strengthened every other area. The surprising part of all this? The Bengals are still developing and jelling defensively.

6. Detroit Lions (6–2)

Last week: Bye
Next week: at Los Angeles Chargers

The Lions were on bye just as Jahmyr Gibbs was rounding into form and just as my fantasy team desperately clung to his bootstraps in a desperate attempt to remain relevant. They come back a stronger unit, with their running back committee at full health and now more diverse and experienced. If I were the Chargers, I would dread getting Detroit on long rest. 

7. Jacksonville Jaguars (6–2)

Last week: Bye
Next week: vs. San Francisco

With Jacksonville and San Francisco both coming off a bye week, we’re getting a potential Super Bowl preview in northern Florida this weekend (potential in that both of these teams are a near lock to make the playoffs and, thus, potential candidates for the big game). The contest will be a nice test of Jacksonville’s physicality. The Jaguars are sound against the run and could be versatile enough to match the 49ers with their front seven. It’s one of the more intriguing matchups of the year to this point. 

8. Miami Dolphins (5–3)

Last week: loss vs. Kansas City (in Frankfurt), 21–14
Next week: Bye

The Dolphins have lost two of their last three games but remain solidly in first place in the AFC East. Miami has the kind of schedule that, if it continues to win the games in which it is favored, will have no problem coasting into the postseason. It’s games against the more formidable opponents (read: not Denver, the Patriots twice, Giants or Panthers) that seem to be giving Miami some trouble. 

9. Dallas Cowboys (5–3)

Last week: loss at Philadelphia, 28–23
Next week: vs. New York Giants

I thought this was going to be the game in which Dallas dropped its extreme vacillation between bully of bad teams in bad situations and victim of bullying against good teams. And, for the most part, that was true until the end of the game. It’s unfair to pigeonhole teams into narratives, but having a chance to score against the Eagles and then backing yourself out of the opportunity feels like something, generally, that happens to Dallas, or at least an event we tend to associate with the Cowboys. Either way, this is one they will regret dropping. 

10. Seattle Seahawks (5–3)

Last week: loss at Baltimore, 37–3
Next week: vs. Washington

A bit of a revelatory afternoon for the Seahawks, a team that struggled to generate any touchdowns and was shut out in three of four quarters versus the excellent Baltimore defense. Seattle’s defense had a hard time tracking Keaton Mitchell, who wasn’t just running around this defense—he was running straight through it. Save for the overtime win over Detroit, are we feeling about Seattle a little like we are about the Cowboys? That we need to see the team rise to the level of competition before earning our wholehearted trust? 

11. Buffalo Bills (5–4)

Last week: loss at Cincinnati, 24–18
Next week: vs. Denver

I’ll say this for Josh Allen: watching him single-handedly shoulder a team amid a late-game comeback is beautiful. He is made of the hardest oak and can still throw his body around like a Bills fan in the parking lot. The problem is that he has to. Allen is the power component of a surprisingly finessed Bills offense. And I know the offensive line takes this personally, and that, once and a while, when a running back in this offense has a good game everyone pounds their chest. But the truth is that 12 attempts per game for James Cook is not enough. I wish LeGarrette Blount was still hanging around somewhere and could sign in peak condition. 

Austin Ekeler caught only two of his seven targets Monday night, but he scored both of the Chargers’ touchdowns while totaling 70 yards on 16 touches in their 27–6 win :: Kevin R. Wexler/USA TODAY NETWORK

12. Los Angeles Chargers (4–4)

Last week: win at New York Jets, 27–6
Next week: vs. Detroit

While the offense wasn’t spectacular against this Jets defense, this is, again, a version of the team we believed we would be getting. Zach Wilson is going to bolster any pass rush’s perceived effectiveness, but it’s still nice to see Joey Bosa and Khalil Mack generating pressure. It provides a sense of comfort, like the world is still, in some way, how we understand it to be. I’ve been saying for weeks that this team could get hot and start rolling. It’s not always pretty, but the Chargers are now winners of two straight, with a massive game against the Lions coming this weekend. 

13. Cleveland Browns (5–3)

Last week: win vs. Arizona, 27–0
Next week: at Baltimore

The Browns got lucky and took a crack at a Cardinals team having just lost Joshua Dobbs but without Kyler Murray. In Deshaun Watson’s return he threw two touchdown passes, though one of them was fortuitously tipped. The Ravens and Steelers are next, where we’ll learn quite a bit about a team that has been excellent against inferior competition. 

14. Pittsburgh Steelers (5–3)

Last week: win vs. Tennessee, 20–16
Next week: vs. Green Bay

Will Levis’s return-to-Earth game couldn’t have come against a worse opponent. While the Titans kept this one respectably close, the Steelers were always going to come up with the requisite defensive stops to satisfy their deep-seated desire to win every football game by the average hockey margin of victory. Kenny Pickett, meanwhile, is almost always good enough when the situation calls for it, while Jaylen Warren remains the best stylistic complement in a backfield this year. 

15. Minnesota Vikings (5–4)

Last week: win at Atlanta, 31–28
Next week: vs. New Orleans

More on the Vikings here. I love the idea that this team is going to hurl itself into the thick of a mediocre playoff race and will scare more teams this year than they did coming in at 13–4 last year. Kevin O’Connell deserves some serious Coach of the Year consideration. What Joshua Dobbs did on almost no practice time was phenomenal. However, I’m equally excited about how good Jaren Hall looked in a brief outing. 

16. New Orleans Saints (5–4)

Last week: win vs. Chicago, 24–17
Next week: at Minnesota

The Saints managed to squeeze by the Bears in a game where Taysom Hill threw a touchdown pass, caught one and led the team in rushing. Still, Tyson Bagent was in a position to tie the game on three separate occasions. One has to wonder that if the Saints were playing someone with more experience, could they have dropped a game they shouldn’t have? Still, the NFC South is a survival division right now, and the Saints showed the requisite grittiness to get the job done. 

17. New York Jets (4–4)

Last week: loss vs. Los Angeles Chargers, 27–6
Next week: at Las Vegas

The Jets’ defensive performance against the Chargers was straight-up herculean, but there are nights when Wilson decides he cannot get rid of the football on schedule. Mixed into that grab bag were some good throws and some missed opportunities. At 4–4, the Jets’ three-game winning streak is over, but all is not lost. The Raiders in prime time this weekend, after Las Vegas has a chance to appropriately cool from their post–Josh McDaniels beatdown of the Giants, can be a get-right game.

18. Houston Texans (4–4)

Last week: win vs. Tampa Bay, 39–37
Next week: at Cincinnati

Complete thoughts on C.J. Stroud here, but in short, my goodness. I loved that Stroud wasn’t just putting up hollow stats, which we can sometimes see when these rookie passing records are broken. This was a big game, a tight game, a formidable defensive opponent. And, at every opportunity, Stroud totally rose to the occasion. His game was so incredible that it’s easy to forget the Texans were missing a kicker for most of that game. Stroud was called in on hard-to-convert two-point situations to use his body as a runner, all while taking a ton of drop-backs.

19. Tampa Bay Buccaneers (3–5)

Last week: loss at Houston, 39–37
Next week: vs. Tennessee

I still like the Buccaneers. When you run into a human buzz saw, which happens every now and again, I don’t think that should change your opinion much. Stroud was unconsciously good. So was Baker Mayfield, who was evasive in the pocket and continues to pick up critical first downs in big moments, like a fourth-and-short that led to what should have been the game-winning touchdown. 

20. Atlanta Falcons (4–5)

Last week: loss vs. Minnesota, 31–28
Next week: at Arizona

There were always going to be Falcons games where someone other than their core of star skill position players leads the way. However, I will not stand for Jonnu Smith goal line carries. I understand the element of surprise. But I also understand that you acquire elite players at short-yardage positions to use them in such situations. 

21. Indianapolis Colts (4–5)

Last week: win at Carolina, 27–13
Next week: at New England

I could make a point about the Colts, or I could just ask you to watch this video of Jim Irsay dancing after the game. I’m not particularly interested in the fact that Irsay is dancing, but in the fact that he is still holding head coach Shane Steichen’s hand, and here you have Steichen, a nice enough fella, who doesn’t know whether he can dislodge his hand from that of his wealthy boss. It is truly cringeworthy from that perspective. 

22. Washington Commanders (4–5)

Last week: win at New England, 20–17
Next week: at Seattle

Ron Rivera might be one of the precious few head coaches who I would consider a legitimate third-time head coaching candidate should the Commanders opt to move on. That quest begins now, where the ultimate Bawl Coach move is to win out after ownership traded two of your better defensive players (again, let’s be careful not to change the narrative on Chase Young) from right out under you. This may have been one of the least exciting three-point victories in NFL history. 

Raiders interim coach Pierce comfortably won his NFL coaching debut :: Kyle Terada/USA TODAY Sports

23. Las Vegas Raiders (4–5)

Last week: win vs. New York Giants, 30–6
Next week: vs. New York Jets

I love the energy that the Raiders brought to this game. If Antonio Pierce keeps it up, I would not doubt for a second that Mark Davis tries to rectify a mistake he made a few years ago in firing another talented interim: Rich Bisaccia. Pierce was … not on my list of future head coaching candidates I released back in October, but that is the beauty of this exercise. Pierce has a lot of experience as a high school, college and professional coach. He was the soul of the Giants’ locker room during his playing days. Could Davis have stumbled upon the next DeMeco Ryans? 

24. Tennessee Titans (3–5)

Last week: loss at Pittsburgh, 20–16
Next week: at Tampa Bay

I actually think Will Levis played about as well as one could have expected for his second start and first against Mike Tomlin. The rookie second-round pick made some middle-of-the-field throws in tighter windows that I’ve seen veteran passers botch. I say this about a lot of teams in similar situations, but it rings true: If the Titans can get to the end of the season reasonably certain that Levis will be their opening day starter in 2024, that’s a big win. 

25. Denver Broncos (3–5)

Last week: Bye
Next week: at Buffalo

The Broncos come out of the bye buoyed by good vibes but with a hellish schedule: at Buffalo, Minnesota, Cleveland, at Houston, at L.A. Chargers and at Detroit. I wonder whether they will regret sitting out the trade deadline after that particular stretch of time. Still, credit where credit is due: Sean Payton and Russell Wilson have helped this team dig itself out of a massive hole to start the season. 

26. Green Bay Packers (3–5)

Last week: win vs. Los Angeles Rams, 20–3
Next week: at Pittsburgh

Having a healthy and effective Aaron Jones gave a good look at part of what the Packers had been missing during this recent skid. That, and when the defense can get some momentum early and play with some degree of confidence, the unit can start to flex its collective athleticism. We all need a backup quarterback game every now and then to get right. 

27. Los Angeles Rams (3–6)

Last week: loss at Green Bay, 20–3
Next week: Bye

The Rams are now 3–6, headlined by its construction of disparate parts. They have one of the greatest defensive players of all time, but a relatively tame defense around him. They have receivers capable of playing as tight ends and putting the team in 13 personnel, but no quarterback (at least for the moment) to get it there. The Rams of the future are going to be bright. Just not right now. 

28. New York Giants (2–7)

Last week: loss at Las Vegas, 30–6
Next week: at Dallas

The Giants were in a difficult spot this week. It is never easy to face-off against a team who just fired an unpopular head coach. The outpouring of energy and emotion is unparalleled. The Raiders will probably flatline again at some point this season, but the Giants ended up taking the center barrel of a baseball bat being swung at full speed. My thoughts on Daniel Jones can be found here but in summation: The Giants need to be bad for a little while. I think Jones should take a long, Kyler Murray–esque recovery. I think the Giants should draft his replacement. If Jones is needed next year? Great. If not? He is very release-able at the end of 2024 when the dead cap number reduces significantly. 

29. New England Patriots (2–7)

Last week: loss vs. Washington, 20–17
Next week: vs. Indianapolis

There is such a University of Iowa offense energy to watching Mac Jones drop back and fire the ball at the backside of an opposing defender then angrily raise his arms looking for a pass interference call, as if this is the only remaining way in which the Patriots can move the football. The Patriots are getting run over and out-efforted, which is decidedly un-Belichickian. Terry McLaurin and Jahan Dotson simply wanted some of those big third-quarter catches a little more. 

30. Chicago Bears (2–7)

Last week: loss at New Orleans, 24–17
Next week: vs. Carolina

Montez Sweat’s first game as a Bear included one of the best pass rush win rates of the week, according to ESPN. Regardless of what we’re seeing from the outside, the front office is building as if this roster is on the ascent. We will see what Justin Fields looks like upon his return, and whether the Bears can inspire any late-season confidence in their process. 

31. Arizona Cardinals (1–8)

Last week: loss at Cleveland, 27–0
Next week: vs. Atlanta

Could the beginning of the Kyler Murray era jell with what has been—aside from this week, really—a hard charging and always dangerous Cardinals team? Murray playing this weekend is the biggest story in the sport. About 11 months removed from a torn ACL, Murray is now trying to play the Cardinals out of a position where his successor could be drafted. I know Jonathan Gannon liked Murray when he took the job. We’ll see how much. 

32. Carolina Panthers (1–7)

Last week: loss vs. Indianapolis, 27–13
Next week: at Chicago

I think, five years from now, when all the dust settles, Bryce Young and Stroud are still viewed as contemporaries. This Colts game, with two pick-sixes, would seem to disprove that entirely, but I see a completely dysfunctional offensive line. DeForest Buckner swallowed the Panthers whole. The escapability and the quick release he showed on the team’s first scoring drive was admirable. Adam Thielen is his only security blanket.