NFL Power Rankings Week 9: Latest 2014 Standings and Reaction for All 32 Teams

Halloween is still a few days away, but the NFL already delivered plenty of tricks and treats during an enigmatic Week 8.

We witnessed a wild game in London, a couple of teams score over 50 points and a few of the league's powerhouses taken down by seemingly inferior squads. The week also resulted in each AFC North team owning a winning record and the exact opposite for every NFC South team, as each sit below the .500 mark.

Needless to say, some updated power rankings are most certainly in order.

Based on criteria consisting of season-long trends, team health, on-field product and overall records, here's a look at the NFL's updated hierarchy heading into Week 9, with analysis regarding each team's offense.

32. Oakland Raiders

David Richard/Associated Press

The Raiders have now lost seven consecutive games following a 23-13 defeat by the Cleveland Browns. This is truly the worst team in football right now, but with rookie Derek Carr developing nicely and several young, talented weapons at wide receiver, this team certainly has a future.

31. New York Jets

Geno Smith is not the answer in New York. Let's just get that out of the way. He's been given multiple opportunities to produce and hasn't been able to come close to expectations. Here's a fact from his Week 8 performance, via Manish Mehta of the New York Daily News:

Replacing him with Michael Vick isn't any kind of a viable solution, either. This team has a long season ahead.

30. Jacksonville Jaguars

The Jaguars have several nice, young elements on the offensive side of the ball. Quarterback Blake Bortles is going through some growing pains, but he does look the part. Wide receiver Allen Robinson has been a revelation and should expected to be a major contributor for a long time.

29. Tampa Bay Buccaneers

Tampa Bay has some talented pass-catchers. However, without a competent quarterback or any sign of a running game, that's a moot point. Putting up just 13 points against the Minnesota Vikings just proves how deep of a hole this offense is in.

28. St. Louis Rams

Just when the Rams appeared to be on the verge of something special, Austin Davis and Co. fumbled their way to just seven points against the Kansas City Chiefs in Week 8. Making matters worse, the team lost tackle Jake Long and wide receiver Brian Quick for the season, according to Nick Wagoner of ESPN.com.

27. Tennessee Titans

Wade Payne/Associated Press

While Tennessee lost to the Houston Texans on Sunday, rookie quarterback Zach Mettenberger's debut went quite well. He threw for just shy of 300 yards and two touchdowns while getting picked once. His ball distribution—eight different players caught at least one pass—was equally impressive.

26. Atlanta Falcons

Atlanta looked good early in London against the Detroit Lions, but the team couldn't hang on for a win. There are just too many injuries on the offensive side of the ball to allow the likes of Matt Ryan, Julio Jones and Roddy White to reach their full potential. The lack of a running game doesn't help, either.

25. Washington Redskins

Where did this Colt McCoy come from? Suddenly, he looks like a top-tier quarterback against what was a good Dallas Cowboys defense. Here's a very interesting statistic, via ESPN Stats & Info:

Although, let's not get ahead of ourselves here. We're going to need to see that kind of performance a couple more times before we know whether McCoy is the second coming of Peyton Manning or Ryan Leaf.

24. Minnesota Vikings

Teddy Bridgewater continues to make strides at the quarterback position, and running back Jerick McKinnon has been fantastic out of the backfield recently. Even Cordarrelle Patterson is beginning to come through. The Vikings could start rising up this list if this trend continues.

23. Chicago Bears

Darren McCollester/Getty Images

This offense is so incredibly talented, yet it can't get out of its own way. Matt Forte is still one of the league's best running backs. Alshon Jeffery is a freak-of-nature wide receiver. However, Jay Cutler continues to make terrible throws, and Brandon Marshall doesn't appear to be playing at full speed.

22. New York Giants

Let's hope a Week 8 bye did wonders for the Giants. This team has been on a roller-coaster ride so far this season and is in need of some stability. Some weeks, Eli Manning looks unstoppable. Other weeks, he can't seem to get going at all. He'll need to be at his best without Victor Cruz at his disposal for the rest of the season.

21. Carolina Panthers

Cam Newton couldn't do much of anything against a Seattle Seahawks defense that had been uncharacteristically average before Week 8. Darin Gantt of Pro Football Talk tweeted his thoughts on the quarterback's situation:

Still, with a little more consistency, this offense can flourish. Newton has rookie wide receiver Kelvin Benjamin, tight end Greg Olsen and other veterans at his disposal. This unit should be clicking better by now.

20. Houston Texans

Ryan Fitzpatrick is a very average quarterback, and that's okay for the Texans. He's bailed out constantly by wide receivers Andre Johnson and DeAndre Hopkins, and with Arian Foster's resurgent season, this team runs a very balanced offense.

19. New Orleans Saints

When did the 2009 Saints return? Anyway, that's what the team looked like against the Green Bay Packers on Sunday. Drew Brees played out of his mind, wide receiver Brandin Cooks is every bit as advertised and Mark Ingram is running with a purpose. There's only one question remaining: Can they keep up the pace on the road?

18. Cleveland Browns

Tony Dejak/Associated Press

Cleveland's offense has taken a step back of late. The team was terrible in Week 7 against the Jaguars, and despite a Week 8 victory, it didn't look much better. Brian Hoyer was efficient enough to get the job done, mostly thanks to Andrew Hawkins, but the team's running game averaged just 1.6 yards per carry—against the Raiders.

17. Seattle Seahawks

Seattle's offense continues to struggle. Russell Wilson and Co. had a difficult time getting things going on Sunday, making the Panthers defense look like it did a year ago. This team isn't running the ball near enough and still needs to add more offensive weapons.

16. Miami Dolphins

Quarterback Ryan Tannehill looked surprisingly average against the Jaguars despite coming into the Week 8 contest on a tear. Luckily, running back Lamar Miller continues to be very solid this season, ensuring the offense remains balanced. Gaining 326 yards isn't terrible, but that number should have been higher against Jacksonville.

15. Pittsburgh Steelers

Here's a team that just went crazy in Week 8. Pittsburgh has looked very average this season, but something clicked against the Indianapolis Colts, as Ben Roethlisberger's 522 yards and six touchdown passes paved the way for a 51-point showing. Here's an interesting perspective of the quarterback's performance, via Chris Wesseling of Around the NFL:

Keeping up that kind of pace will ensure a continued climb up the league's pecking order.

14. Buffalo Bills

The Bills had a huge day in Week 8. However, the Jets beat themselves for most of the game. Kyle Orton has been surprisingly effective at quarterback, and Sammy Watkins is proving his worth. Unfortunately, the running game does not look good without Fred Jackson or C.J. Spiller in the fold.

13. San Diego Chargers

Philip Rivers has been very impressive this season, Antonio Gates looks ageless and running back Branden Oliver has been a pleasant surprise. This team is coming off of back-to-back losses, but with these kinds of offensive weapons, the Chargers will get back on track soon enough.

12. Green Bay Packers

Rogelio Solis/Associated Press

Despite being hampered with a hamstring injury for a chunk of Sunday's contest against the Saints, Aaron Rodgers still threw for more than 400 yards. Eddie Lacy looked great running the football, but he wasn't given enough opportunities. It was a down game for the Packers, but it doesn't come with much cause for concern.

11. Kansas City Chiefs

The Chiefs have been a very good football team this season, and for some reason, people are only just beginning to notice. This team's offense continued its great efficiency in its drubbing of the Rams. Alex Smith completed 24 of his 28 passing attempts, and Jamaal Charles played a big part in the running game and passing game. This offense is clicking.

10. San Francisco 49ers

It's been a roller-coaster season for San Francisco. The offense has tended to rely on Colin Kaepernick too often this year, and it needs to get back to its ground-and-pound style of play. This team has a great one-two punch with Frank Gore and Carlos Hyde and must concentrate on establishing the run.

9. Baltimore Ravens

After coming off of two solid games, Joe Flacco came back down to Earth against the Bengals. He wasn't pressured much but still threw two interceptions and completed just half of his passes. Baltimore has a great ground game with Justin Forsett in the backfield and needs to get him going early to set up the play action.

8. Cincinnati Bengals

The Bengals rebounded nicely from a horrible performance in Week 7 against the Colts. This team runs a very balanced offense, and Andy Dalton continues to play well despite the absence of wide receiver A.J. Green. Once he is back in the fold, this team will do some damage, and according to ESPN's Coley Harvey, that will be in Week 9:

7. Philadelphia Eagles

Sure, this sounds like a redundant trend, but the Eagles really do need to run the ball more. There's no reason for Nick Foles to throw 62 times in a close game. LeSean McCoy is a pretty good running back, and getting him going will help free up receivers and cut down on the quarterback's costly turnovers.

6. Indianapolis Colts

The Steelers lit it up on Sunday, and Andrew Luck just couldn't keep up. He did manage to throw for 400 yards and three touchdowns, but he pushed too hard, and two costly interceptions were a direct result. Still, this offense looked rather dangerous even with Reggie Wayne and Trent Richardson out of commission.

5. Dallas Cowboys

Brandon Wade/Associated Press

Dallas lost to Washington on Monday in the week's biggest upset. DeMarco Murray was as brilliant as ever, rushing for 141 yards and eclipsing the century mark for his eighth consecutive game this season. Tony Romo played well but left briefly with a back injury that was later called a contusion. We'll have to monitor this situation closely.

4. Detroit Lions

Calvin Johnson and Reggie Bush continue to deal with lingering injuries, but Matthew Stafford has found some great weapons in Golden Tate and Theo Riddick in the meantime. Both have great hands and are capable of making big plays when in space. They'll keep this team afloat.

3. New England Patriots

Tom Brady is showing no signs of age right now. The future Hall of Famer put together his best performance of the year, completing 30 of his 35 passing attempts for 354 yards and five touchdowns against the Bears. He has nice chemistry with Brandon LaFell, and Rob Gronkowski continues to look stronger. Even Jonas Gray looked capable out of the backfield.

2. Arizona Cardinals

The Cardinals are no longer a surprise team. Head coach Bruce Arians and quarterback Carson Palmer fit perfectly together. A trio of explosive wide receivers and elusive running back Andre Ellington only complement the quarterback, and his strong arm, nicely.

1. Denver Broncos

Joe Mahoney/Associated Press

Manning and Co. find themselves at No. 1 overall through eight weeks. The field general is simply a touchdown machine, and his plethora of weapons would make any of the league's quarterbacks salivate. Ronnie Hillman's emergence in the backfield only strengthens this already dynamic offense. The impending Week 9 Brady-versus-Manning showdown is primed to be one for the ages—here's why:

Get your popcorn ready.