NFL Power Rankings Week 9: Post-'Thursday Night Football' Standings, Review

This late into the NFL season, the league's laggards can't avoid the writing on the wall. When results don't arrive, the preseason's cautious optimism gets replaced by grim reality.

Nobody is officially eliminated from playoff contention, but several squads need a rapid turnaround to avoid an eventual demise. With eight or nine games remaining, these cellar-dwelling teams hold a minuscule margin of error down the stretch.

Kicking off Week 9 with a victory over the Cleveland Browns, the Cincinnati Bengals widened their AFC North lead while pushing their division foes a step closer to another losing campaign. While several top teams look to follow Cincinnati's lead, many more will fight to avoid the same fate suffered by Cleveland.

Let's examine the current league pecking order before breaking down three organizations on life support. 

Rank	Team	Record
1	New England Patriots	7-0
2	Cincinnati Bengals	8-0
3	Denver Broncos	7-0
4	Carolina Panthers	7-0
5	Green Bay Packers	6-1
6	Arizona Cardinals	5-2
7	Atlanta Falcons	6-2
8	New York Jets	4-3
9	Oakland Raiders	4-3
10	Minnesota Vikings	5-2
11	Seattle Seahawks	4-4
12	St. Louis Rams	4-3
13	Pittsburgh Steelers	4-4
14	Philadelphia Eagles	3-4
15	New Orleans Saints	4-4
16	New York Giants	4-4
17	Buffalo Bills	3-4
18	Miami Dolphins	3-4
19	Kansas City Chiefs	3-5
20	Indianapolis Colts	3-5
21	Washington Redskins	3-4
22	Tampa Bay Buccaneers	3-4
23	Baltimore Ravens	2-6
24	San Diego Chargers	2-6
25	Dallas Cowboys	2-5
26	Houston Texans	3-5
27	Chicago Bears	2-6
28	Jacksonville Jaguars	2-5
29	Cleveland Browns	2-7
30	Tennessee Titans	1-6
31	Detroit Lions	1-7
32	San Francisco 49ers	2-6

Detroit Lions

Matt Dunham/Associated Press

The Detroit Lions haven't earned consecutive playoff appearances since 1994-95. At 1-7, they'd likely need to run the table to have a shot of matching last year's wild-card bid.

After finishing 11-5 last season, they're now competing for the No. 1 draft pick. A 45-10 loss to the Kansas City Chiefs in London torpedoed Detroit's point differential to minus-96, the NFL's second-worst margin behind the San Francisco 49ers.

As a result of the international embarrassment, the organization is clearing house. ESPN's Adam Schefter reported two significant front-office removals on Thursday:

These changes won't repair a team ranked No. 31 in Football Outsiders' weighted defensive-adjusted value over average (DVOA), again saved from last by San Francisco. Ranked No. 26 in total offense and No. 27 in total defense, there's little hope for a late recovery.

Matthew Stafford has surrendered 11 interceptions, one away from tying last season's tally. Yet the quarterback has only suffered slight declines in yards per attempt and quarterback rating while registering a career-high 64.5 completion percentage. Everyone around Stafford has regressed, but NFL Network's Ian Rapoport said the former No. 1 pick might not last past this season: 

The league's worst rushing attack hasn't helped since Ameer Abdullah misled everyone with his first and only career touchdown on his first carry. The biggest problem lies in last year's No. 2 defense falling off a cliff without Ndamukong Suh, representing the biggest distinction between two drastically different seasons. It's going to take a complete overhaul to get back on track.

San Diego Chargers

Despite leading the league in total offense, the San Diego Chargers sit at 2-6. They have faced some tough breaks, coughing up four defeats by seven points or fewer—including losses to Cincinnati and the Green Bay Packers despite 503 passing yards from Philip Rivers.

The fringe playoff contender has now lost four straight, and their one strength took a major hit. Already dealing with a slew of injuries, they lost wide receiver Keenan Allen for the season due to a lacerated kidney.

Lenny Ignelzi/Associated Press

Allen's 67 receptions place second behind Julio Jones, and only Jones and DeAndre Hopkins topped his 725 receiving yards. Per the Associated Press' Bernie Wilson, Rivers realizes nobody will replace such sterling production.

"It's not going to be like, 'Hey, who's going to be the next guy who's going to catch 70 the next eight games?'" Rivers said Wednesday. "I don't know that that'll happen. It could, but I think it will be more by committee effort."

San Diego has faltered even with an elite passing offense. As the running game averages 3.6 yards per carry, its defense subsequently yields 5.0 yards per rush.

The month's schedule, however, offers hope. With the Chicago Bears, Chiefs and Jacksonville Jaguars on tap, the Chargers could catch fire in a hurry. But they also have two tilts with the Denver Broncos remaining, so don't bank on the brutally banged-up Chargers overcoming an expanding injury report.

Tennessee Titans

Nashville would be a much happier place if the NFL season ended after Week 1.  

Shut it all down after one weekend, and the 1-0 Tennessee Titans are celebrating Marcus Mariota's perfect debut during a 42-14 victory over the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. They couldn't have known this at the time, but they only needed six or seven—if that many—more wins to conquer the decrepit AFC South.

Now they're 1-6, the worst of a historically awful division. They've squandered three games by three points or fewer, but it's tough to feel bad for them after dropping a 20-6 dud against the Houston Texans, who gave up 41 points in a half the previous week. 

In light of their six-game losing streak, the Titans axed head coach Ken Whisenhunt, who went 3-20 since taking over in 2014. As noted by ESPN Stats & Info, his teams haven't succeeded without Kurt Warner under center:

Interim coach Mike Mularkey must revamp a No. 31 offense without getting an offseason of personnel moves and training camp. His work will begin in the trenches, as Tennessee has relinquished 28 sacks. The AFC South is sadly in play, but protecting the franchise quarterback should be Mularkey's top priority during another lost season.