NFL Power Rankings Week 9: Full Standings Heading into Sunday

With one game down in Week 9, it's time to take a look at the most up-to-date power rankings heading into Sunday's action.

The Cincinnati Bengals lost a surprising one against the Miami Dolphins on Thursday Night Football, with Andy Dalton getting sacked by Cameron Wake in overtime for a game-winning safety.  With six other teams on bye week, there are only 12 games remaining.

Let's go ahead and give some last-minute power rankings heading into Sunday, breaking down all 32 teams for Week 9.

32. Jacksonville Jaguars

Things just keep going from bad to worse for the Jacksonville Jaguars.  The offense started making a few more plays with Justin Blackmon back in the lineup, but now he has been suspended indefinitely, according to Albert Breer from NFL.com:

Blackmon was easily the most talented player on the Jaguars, and now they're a team without much to look forward to.  They rank near the bottom of the league in most categories, and they will likely be looking at one of the top picks in the NFL draft.

31. Tampa Bay Buccaneers

It's been a very rough season for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers under Greg Schiano, officially putting the head coach on the hot seat.

The Bucs have lost all seven games this year, and they've allowed 31 points in each of their last three games.  Mike Glennon has been terrible, but he hasn't been great either, throwing for 997 yards, six touchdowns and three interceptions.

Don't expect the Bucs to turn it around any time soon, as they will be playing the Seattle Seahawks this Sunday.

30. Minnesota Vikings

Boy, that quarterback situation is not fixing itself any time soon.

Christian Ponder will get the starting nod on Sunday instead of Matt Cassel or Josh Freeman.  The team's official Twitter account confirmed the decision:

The quarterback situation isn't the only concern the Minnesota Vikings are facing right now, as they have one of the worst defenses in the league.  As a team, they're allowing 401.6 yards and 32.1 points per game, and that means this is going to be a long year for the Vikings.

29. Houston Texans

After winning their first two games by a combined nine points, the Houston Texans have completely collapsed, losing five straight.  Things have gotten so bad that now they're third in the AFC South behind the Indianapolis Colts and Tennessee Titans.

For as dysfunctional as the offense has been this year, the defense is actually stepping up for Houston.  The Texans are currently leading the NFL in pass defense, allowing just 145.6 passing yards per game.

Still, the defense can't do it alone, and the Texans need to get something going offensively to start winning some games again.

28. Pittsburgh Steelers

This is not the Pittsburgh Steelers team that we've been used to seeing over the past few seasons.

It looked like the Steelers were starting to turn it around after winning two straight games, but then they lost to the Oakland Raiders.  The offense has struggled on the ground and through the air, allowing 26 sacks on Ben Roethlisberger and running for just 3.3 yards per carry.

The rest of the AFC North seems to be a step ahead of the Steelers right now, and it might be time for them to start adding some younger talent.

27. Cleveland Browns

When Brandon Weeden starts for the Cleveland Browns, bad things tend to happen.

Before tearing his ACL, Brian Hoyer started in three straight games and led his team to wins in every one, although he did have to leave against the Buffalo Bills.  With Jason Campbell starting last week against the Kansas City Chiefs, they were nearly able to win again, losing 23-17.

With Campbell starting again, the Browns has a good chance to beat a struggling Baltimore Ravens team and possibly start moving back up the rankings.

26. New York Giants

They may have lost their first six games, but the New York Giants have won their last two and are now just two games back in a very weak NFC East division.

For as bad as Eli Manning has been at taking care of the ball, he actually hasn't thrown an interception in his last two games.  Meanwhile, the defense has started to get it together a bit, allowing just seven points in each of the last two games.

Is there a chance that the Giants can pull off an insane comeback to win their division?  Maybe, but they still have a lot of work to do.

25. Washington Redskins

It finally looked like the Washington Redskins had turned things around last week, taking a 21-7 lead over the Denver Broncos in the third quarter.  Then they gave up 38 unanswered points and got blown out.

Robert Griffin III struggled, although he's starting to look more comfortable on the knee, and the offense is showing signs of improvement.  However, that defense is going to have to stop allowing 30 and 40-points games if the team wants to have any shot of having a respectable season.

24. Philadelphia Eagles

We have three straight NFC East teams near the bottom of the rankings, and that says a lot about how weak this division is.

Chip Kelly's new offense doesn't seem to be paying off right now, as they've scored just 10 points in the last two games.  Meanwhile, their defense is allowing over 400 total yards of offense per game.

It doesn't seem to matter who is under center, as the Eagles are seriously struggling in 2013.

23. Oakland Raiders

The Oakland Raiders deserve a ton of credit for having a surprising amount of success for a team that wasn't expected to do much this season.

Not only are the Raiders looking to move to .500 on the year with a win over the Eagles on Sunday, their defense is also starting to step up, allowing just 330.9 yards and 21.4 points per game.

Terrelle Pryor has been an incredibly exciting player to watch at quarterback.  He may not be the best passer, but he makes up for it with his explosiveness in the run game.

They aren't going to make a playoff push in the AFC West, but the Raiders deserve some love for already exceeding expectations this year.

22. Buffalo Bills

There's plenty of young talent on the Buffalo Bills, but that hasn't exactly transitioned into wins.

The Bills have yet to string two consecutive wins together, going 3-5 so far this season.  They've been dealing with injuries at the quarterback position, with EJ Manuel missing the past few games, and that's certainly not helped.

The good news is that Manuel will return soon, and that this team has enough young talent in players like Manuel, Robert Woods and Kiko Alonso to be a potential threat in the AFC East down the road.

21. Atlanta Falcons

Any talk about a Super Bowl run for the Atlanta Falcons has quickly gone away for the past few weeks.

At 2-5, the Falcons are third in the NFC South, with their playoff chances quickly fading away.  They've dealt with a number of injuries on both sides of the ball, including losing Julio Jones for the season.

An inexperienced secondary has kept the Falcons from having much success on defense.  To make matters worse, Cam Newton and the Carolina Panthers are their next opponent, which means that Falcons could be facing a 2-6 start to the year.

20. St. Louis Rams

Keep in mind that these rankings are based off of what teams have done and not what they will likely do going forward, which is why the St. Louis Rams are ranked No. 20, at least for now.

Kellen Clemens didn't have a good game against the Seahawks, but he did nearly lead a fourth-quarter comeback in the final minutes of the game.  Robert Quinn and Chris Long deserve a lot of credit for leading the defense and combining for 15.5 sacks on the season, but the secondary still needs a bit more help before they can be considered one of the better defenses in the league.

19. Tennessee Titans

The Tennessee Titans were able to get off to a 3-1 start, but three straight losses have hurt them.  

The good news is that Jake Locker is back, and he's been terrific when he's played.  So far, he's thrown for 1,047 yards, eight touchdowns and just one interception in five games.

The defense has been big as well, especially their secondary.  According to Pro Football Focus (subscription required), Alterraun Verner and Jason McCourty are the second and third-highest grade cornerbacks in the league behind Darrelle Revis.

They may not win their division, but looking at their remaining schedule, the Titans have a real shot to make a playoff push.

18. Miami Dolphins

The four-game losing streak officially ended for the Dolphins on Thursday night in what was a crazy game against the Bengals.

Brent Grimes, whom the Dolphins brought in over the offseason, had one of the biggest plays of his career, returning an interception 94 yards for a big touchdown.  Meanwhile, Ryan Tannehill did a good job holding onto the ball, completing 20 of his 28 passes for 208 yards and grabbing a touchdown on the ground.

If the Dolphins can keep pulling out tough wins like this one, then they should be able to be a playoff contender at the end of the year.

17. Baltimore Ravens

The defending Super Bowl champions are just 3-4 this year, and they do not look like the same team we were expecting.

Ray Rice and Bernard Pierce have not gotten the job done on the ground, but you can't put all of the blame on them.  They're averaging just 2.8 yards per carry and 74 rushing yards per game, but Football Outsiders has the Ravens as the team with the worst offensive line in the NFL.

Joe Flacco hasn't been great, but the defense is stepping up.  This team is inconsistent and needs to work on getting things going offensively in order to make a push in the AFC North.

16. Arizona Cardinals

The Arizona Cardinals were one of the worst teams in the league last season, but things look a lot better in 2013.

The secondary for the Cardinals might be one of the most talented in football, with Patrick Peterson and Tyrann Mathieu making some big plays.  They forced four interceptions last week against the Falcons, showing that they can get to pretty much any opposing quarterback.

Carson Palmer hasn't lived up to expectations, but at least he's getting Larry Fitzgerald the ball.  The veteran wide receiver has already passed his touchdown total from 2012 and has 36 receptions for 470 yards and five touchdowns.

15. San Diego Chargers

The switch to Mike McCoy as head coach appears to have been the right move so far, as the San Diego Chargers are currently 4-3 in his first season.

Philip Rivers is having one of the best seasons of his career.  He's already thrown for 2,132 yards and 15 touchdowns with just five interceptions this season, posting an impressive 111.1 passer rating.

The Chargers have held their last two opponents to 15 total points, and it looks like the defense is starting to turn things around, which is very good news.

14. New York Jets

The New York Jets win the award for the most inconsistent team through the first eight weeks of the season.  Not only are they 4-4, they've also not won or lost two consecutive games.

The big concern has been the development of Geno Smith.  At times the rookie quarterback has shown signs of greatness, but at others he's made some very questionable decisions.  He's already thrown 13 interceptions and fumbled six times.

The defense keeps bailing the Jets out for the most part, with the exception of last week's game against the Bengals.  A tough game against the New Orleans Saints should say a lot more about this team on Sunday.

13. Dallas Cowboys

The Dallas Cowboys were about a minute away from being 5-3, but instead they're on their way to a third consecutive 8-8 season.

People are quick to blame Tony Romo and the offense, but he's been great.  He's thrown for 2,216 yards, 18 touchdowns and just five interceptions this season.  

The real issue has been the defense.  They rank dead last in total defense, allowing 422.5 yards per game, but they're also holding opponents to 23.3 points.

It shouldn't be hard for the Cowboys to win their division, but that defense needs to improve if they want to make a postseason run.

12. Chicago Bears

I'm not going to drop the Chicago Bears until we see that how they do without Jay Cutler or Lance Briggs, but it's quite likely that it's going to be ugly and that they'll be dropping down the rankings in the coming weeks.

Josh McCown will be starting at quarterback for the Bears on Monday, and although he had a solid game against the Redskins, that was only because they have one of the weaker defenses in the NFL.

Don't expect much from the Bears this week, as they have a very tough matchup against the Green Bay Packers without two of their best players.

11. Cincinnati Bengals

The overtime loss to the Dolphins certainly hurts, but the injuries to Geno Atkins and Leon Hall are what is going to really hurt this team down the road.

Dalton continues to be one of the more confusing quarterbacks in the NFL.  After throwing for five touchdowns and posting an incredible 98.9 total QBR, Dalton came back and threw three interceptions with zero touchdowns for a 13.5 QBR on Thursday.

The injuries on defense are really going to hurt, so we will have to see if others can step up without Hall and Atkins.

10. Carolina Panthers

Don't look now, but the Panthers have won their last three games by a combined score of 96-38.

During this three-game win streak, Newton has been sensational, racking up 773 total yards and eight total touchdowns without throwing a single interception.  The defense has been one of the best in football, allowing just 301.4 total yards and 13.7 points per game.

It would have sounded crazy at the beginning of the season, but the Panthers are officially a top-10 team in the NFL right now.

9. Detroit Lions

Calvin Johnson and Matthew Stafford showed us last week that they have the potential to lead one of the most explosive offenses in the NFL.  Megatron went off for a career-high 329 receiving yards last week, the second-most in NFL history.

The Detroit Lions also have some help in the backfield with Reggie Bush and Joique Bell.  The two running backs have combined for 1,385 total yards and eight total touchdowns.

There's a very good chance that we see the Lions grab a wild-card spot this year, and with that offense they could make a deep playoff run.

8. New England Patriots

A win is a win in the NFL, and although the New England Patriots appear to have a number of problems, they're still 6-2 and on top of the AFC East.

Tom Brady is having one of the worst season statistically of his career, but the rest of the team has stepped up, especially on defense.  Even with Vince Wilfork out for the year, the defense is holding opponents to just 18 points per game.

The AFC isn't a very strong conference this year, and the Patriots should be in contention for a possible first-round bye at the end of the year.

7. Green Bay Packers

When Aaron Rodgers is your quarterback, chances are that you can keep it together when other players are injured.

The Packers have done just that without James Jones and Randall Cobb.  This season, they've averaged 438.9 total yards and 30.3 points per game on offense, making them the second-most deadly offense behind the Denver Broncos.

Rodgers is playing really well, but the real story has been the emergence of a running game.  Eddie Lacy is making the case for the Offensive Rookie of the Year award, running for 446 yards and three touchdowns this season.  With that running game opening the field for Rodgers, the Packers can do just about anything.

6. San Francisco 49ers

Everyone clearly overreacted after the San Francisco 49ers lost two straight games.  They're currently riding a five-game win streak heading into their bye, scoring at least 31 points in every one of those games.

While Colin Kaepernick hasn't been the same as he was last year, Frank Gore is picking up the slack.  He's already run for 618 yards and seven touchdowns, and the 49ers lead the NFL with 153 rushing yards per game.

The offense is starting to click, and with Mario Manningham and Michael Crabtree on pace to return at some point this season, the 49ers will be healthy heading into the playoffs and become a very dangerous threat in the NFC.

5. Seattle Seahawks

The Seahawks appear to be a different team since falling to the Colts in Week 5, but they've still come up with wins in each of their last three games.

The Rams nearly pulled off the upset over the Seahawks without their starting quarterback, and that's obviously a bit concerning.  They're still holding opponents to just 15.6 points per game, and that top-tier defense is what will help the Seahawks finish the year as one of the best teams in the NFL.

4. New Orleans Saints

After going just 7-9 in 2012, the Saints are already looking to win their seventh game in Week 9.

Rob Ryan has completely turned this defense around.  Other than their one loss to the Patriots, the Saints haven't allowed more than 18 points in any game.  

Drew Brees and Jimmy Graham have been as good as everyone expected, but the emerging weapon in the offense this year has been Kenny Stills.  He's emerged over the last two games, catching six passes for 193 yards and three touchdowns.

With how much better this team is this season, Sean Payton should be one of the top candidates for the Coach of the Year award, as the Saints are currently the best team in the NFC.

3. Indianapolis Colts

Losing Reggie Wayne is going to hurt, but the Indianapolis Colts have proved that they're a top-tier team through the first eight weeks.

The Broncos, 49ers and Seahawks have gone 20-1 when not playing the Colts, but all three of them lost to this team.  They don't have the flashiest numbers, but they do a good job limiting their turnovers and making the most of their opportunities on defense.

Andrew Luck continues to lead the Colts to big wins in just his second year in the NFL.  If T.Y. Hilton, Darrius Heyward-Bey and Coby Fleener can all step up with Wayne out, then they have a real shot at making a Super Bowl run.

2. Denver Broncos

The Broncos are playing like a college team this season, scoring 42.9 points per game, and that's bad news for the rest of the league.

Peyton Manning is well on his way to earning yet another MVP award.  If he continues his current pace, Manning will throw for 5,838 yards and 58 touchdowns while completing 71.2 of his passes, all of which would be single-season records.

The defense has stepped it up with Von Miller back in the starting lineup, as they allowed just 266 yards and forced five turnovers against the Redskins.  With Manning on offense and the defense playing like they did last week, this is the second best team in the NFL right now.

1. Kansas City Chiefs

What a difference a year makes.

The Chiefs went 2-14 last year and had the No. 1 overall pick in the NFL draft.  Now that Andy Reid is their head coach and Alex Smith is their quarterback, they've now gone 8-0 and are the only remaining undefeated team in the NFL.

Kansas City easily has the best defense in the league right now.  The unit has forced 20 turnovers and held opponents to just 12.3 points per game, leading the NFL.  Players like Tamba Hali and Justin Houston have been huge on defense, and they lead the league with 36 sacks, nine more than the Bills, who have the second most at 27.

A lot of people thought that the Chiefs were going to turn things around this season, but I don't think there were many people that really thought they would be this good halfway through the season.