NFL Power Rankings Week 9: Division Standings and Latest 2016-17 Super Bowl Odds
One would think a Week 8 with six teams on bye wouldn't offer much in the way of movement in NFL power rankings.
Wrong. Some contenders such as the Arizona Cardinals seemingly didn't even show up to play. Others such as the Atlanta Falcons put on a statement triumph to climb the ranks.
The nature of Super Bowl odds continues to shift in dramatic fashion too. Look at the Dallas Cowboys, who have gone from 25-1 to 10-1 in a matter of weeks. The shift doesn't necessarily make the team a bad bet, but it speaks to how much bettors could line their pockets if they anticipate changes well ahead of time.
Before the chaos concludes Monday night, here is a look at Week 9 power rankings and updated Super Bowl odds.
Week 9 NFL Power Rankings and Super Bowl Odds
| 1 | New England Patriots (9-4) |
| 2 | Pittsburgh Steelers (14-1) |
| 3 | Dallas Cowboys (10-1) |
| 4 | Denver Broncos (14-1) |
| 5 | Minnesota Vikings (9-1) |
| 6 | Atlanta Falcons (16-1) |
| 7 | Green Bay Packers (14-1) |
| 8 | Kansas City Chiefs (14-1) |
| 9 | Philadelphia Eagles (50-1) |
| 10 | Oakland Raiders (28-1) |
| 11 | Seattle Seahawks (9-1) |
| 12 | Washington (66-1) |
| 13 | New York Giants (40-1) |
| 14 | Buffalo Bills (75-1) |
| 15 | New Orleans Saints (66-1) |
| 16 | Miami Dolphins (150-1) |
| 17 | San Diego Chargers (75-1) |
| 18 | Houston Texans (40-1) |
| 19 | Baltimore Ravens (66-1) |
| 20 | Arizona Cardinals (25-1) |
| 21 | Cincinnati Bengals (50-1) |
| 22 | Detroit Lions (100-1) |
| 23 | Tennessee Titans (100-1) |
| 24 | New York Jets (200-1) |
| 25 | Carolina Panthers (33-1) |
| 26 | Los Angeles Rams (100-1) |
| 27 | San Francisco 49ers (1000-1) |
| 28 | Indianapolis Colts (50-1) |
| 29 | Tampa Bay Buccaneers (150-1) |
| 30 | Chicago Bears (1000-1) |
| 31 | Jacksonville Jaguars (500-1) |
| 32 | Cleveland Browns (3000-1) |
Odds courtesy of Odds Shark.
Division Standings
| New England Patriots | 7 | 1 | 0 |
| Buffalo Bills | 4 | 4 | 0 |
| Miami Dolphins | 3 | 4 | 0 |
| New York Jets | 3 | 5 | 0 |
| Pittsburgh Steelers | 4 | 3 | 0 |
| Cincinnati Bengals | 3 | 4 | 1 |
| Baltimore Ravens | 3 | 4 | 0 |
| Cleveland Browns | 0 | 8 | 0 |
| Houston Texans | 5 | 3 | 0 |
| Tennessee Titans | 4 | 4 | 0 |
| Indianapolis Colts | 3 | 5 | 0 |
| Jacksonville Jaguars | 2 | 5 | 0 |
| Oakland Raiders | 6 | 2 | 0 |
| Denver Broncos | 6 | 2 | 0 |
| Kansas City Chiefs | 5 | 2 | 0 |
| San Diego Chargers | 3 | 5 | 0 |
| Dallas Cowboys | 6 | 1 | 0 |
| New York Giants | 4 | 3 | 0 |
| Philadelphia Eagles | 4 | 3 | 0 |
| Washington Redskins | 4 | 3 | 1 |
| Minnesota Vikings | 5 | 1 | 0 |
| Green Bay Packers | 4 | 3 | 0 |
| Detroit Lions | 4 | 4 | 0 |
| Chicago Bears | 1 | 6 | 0 |
| Atlanta Falcons | 5 | 3 | 0 |
| Tampa Bay Buccaneers | 3 | 4 | 0 |
| New Orleans Saints | 3 | 4 | 0 |
| Carolina Panthers | 2 | 5 | 0 |
| Seattle Seahawks | 4 | 2 | 1 |
| Arizona Cardinals | 3 | 4 | 1 |
| Los Angeles Rams | 3 | 4 | 0 |
| San Francisco 49ers | 1 | 6 | 0 |
Contender to Buy: Atlanta Falcons (16-1)
The Falcons put a two-game skid behind them in Week 8 with a 33-32 victory over the Green Bay Packers.
The two losses actually work in favor of bettors who are looking for an increased payout. While the odds moved, bettors should have known to gobble up the improved payout—a two-point loss on the road to the Seattle Seahawks and an overtime loss to the San Diego Chargers weren't worth an overreaction.
Atlanta proved this in the shootout against the Packers, surviving four touchdown passes by Aaron Rogers. Matt Ryan contributed three touchdowns, and Devonta Freeman added a rushing score.
The win was really a bonus. Looking at the schedule, this one could have gone either way. The real focus was an upcoming Thursday Night Football encounter with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, an NFC South foe who bested the Falcons in a Week 1 upset.
Atlanta now leads the division at 5-3. Tampa Bay is tied as the next-closest team at 3-4. Ryan has already led the Falcons to a pair of wins in the division. A short turnaround for an encounter with Tampa Bay could put the Falcons at 3-1 in the division and 6-3 overall and bury any conversation about which team eventually wins the NFC South.
Given its momentum, Atlanta is a great buy as a team that looks like a lock for the postseason.
Worth the Risk: Oakland Raiders (28-1)
Thanks to how the AFC West foes have played thus far, the Week 9 edition of Sunday Night Football promises to be one of the games of the year when the Oakland Raiders welcome the Denver Broncos to town. The visitors have performed as expected this year, though the hosts have more than shocked.
Oakland has won each of its five road games this year, capped off by a Week 8 overtime survival of the Buccaneers. One could argue a slate of New Orleans, Tennessee, Baltimore, Jacksonville and Tampa Bay isn't too fearsome, but at some point, winning so many games away from home is impressive on its own.
As ESPN Stats & Info noted, the Raiders continue to break all sorts of iffy trends in 2016:
The team mostly has quarterback Derek Carr to thank. He threw four scores against the Buccaneers, bringing his totals to 17 scores and three picks. The ground game behind him continues to feast with eight scores and an average of 4.8 yards per carry.
Did anyone mention the Raiders beat the Buccaneers while setting a record with 23 penalties? At 6-2 and tied for first in the AFC West, it's clear the Raiders can play even better if they get out of their own way first.
It's a testament to the job done by head coach Jack Del Rio. Bettors should gobble up the Raiders before the Week 9 affair, as a win would push the odds into unfavorable territory.
Time to Jump Ship: Detroit Lions (100-1)
The Detroit Lions are a lot like the Chargers—they were a nice surprise to start the season but have regressed into their traditional average place.
Detroit hit on a nice three-game streak to right the ship, but after a 20-13 loss to the Houston Texans in Week 8, the Lions sit at only 4-4 on the year and third in the NFC North, above only the Chicago Bears.
It has been a weird ride. The Lions lost to the Bears but then upset the Philadelphia Eagles and Washington Redskins. Last time out, the Matthew Stafford-led offense could muster only one touchdown in the loss to the Texans.
Lions coach Jim Caldwell talked about his team's struggles after the game, according to the Associated Press (via ESPN.com).
"We couldn't put enough points on the board; offensively, in the first half, we were just stagnant. Defensively, we stopped the run until midway through the third quarter and they really took control on the ground. We just didn't play as well as we're capable of," Caldwell said.
Looking at the broader picture, this isn't a good payout risk. The Lions have beaten only two teams with winning records and have dropped games to the 4-4 Tennessee Titans and 1-6 Bears. Stafford has played like an MVP at times, but the Lions are too inconsistent to trust, especially in an NFC North that the Packers and Minnesota Vikings continue to run away with by the week.
Stats courtesy of NFL.com. All advanced metrics courtesy of Pro Football Focus.
Follow Chris Roling (@Chris_Roling) on Twitter.
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