NFL Power Rankings 2014: Predicting Post Week 9 Standings

The NFL is one big sloppy mess at the moment, and that's meant in the best way possible.

Last week consisted of many teams hanging on the edge of relevance, winning in convincing fashion, tarnishing a highly regarded club's status in the process. So much parity makes ranking all 32 teams a strenuous process.

Outside of the Denver Broncos occupying the No. 1 spot—sorry for the spoiler—everything else is up in the air. The difference between the No. 2 and No. 12 teams is minuscule, and there's a valid case for everyone in that group warranting a better or worse allotment.

But what the heck, let's take another stab at appraising each NFL team with rankings that will inevitably vary based on Week 9's results.

Away	Home	Predicted Winner
New Orleans Saints	Carolina Panthers	Saints
Tampa Bay Buccaneers	Cleveland Browns	Browns
Arizona Cardinals	Dallas Cowboys	Cardinals
Philadelphia Eagles	Houston Texans	Eagles
New York Jets	Kansas City Chiefs	Chiefs
Jacksonville Jaguars	Cincinnati Bengals	Bengals
San Diego Chargers	Miami Dolphins	Chargers
Washington Redskins	Minnesota Vikings	Vikings
St. Louis Rams	San Francisco 49ers	49ers
Denver Broncos	New England Patriots	Broncos
Oakland Raiders	Seattle Seahawks	Seahawks
Baltimore Ravens	Pittsburgh Steelers	Ravens
Indianapolis Colts	New York Giants	Colts

32. Oakland Raiders (0-7)

Looking at their unfair schedule going forward, it's no guarantee the Oakland Raiders win a game this season. After facing the Seattle Seahawks this week, they still have to play five games within an otherwise stacked division. The pressure will be on to upend the St. Louis Rams or Buffalo Bills.

31. Jacksonville Jaguars (1-7)

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Over their last three games, the Jacksonville Jaguars have outscored their opponents by two points. After getting trumped by a 94-point margin through the first four games, they're at least now playing competitive games.

30. Tampa Bay Buccaneers (1-6)

The Tampa Bay Buccaneers have had the misfortune of losing two overtime games this season, but that's not enough to write off their ghastly 1-6 record as a fluke. They're second-to-last in point differential and last in total offense and defense. No argument here for anyone who would transpose Jacksonville and Tampa Bay.

29. New York Jets (1-7)

Geno Smith posted five passing yards and three interceptions in the first quarter last week. Yep, that'll get you benched. ESPN Stats & Info gave some analysis behind "He's awful."

This is the second time Smith got replaced mid-game by Michael Vick, but Rex Ryan will now keep playing his veteran, per the team's official Twitter page.

Aside from Denver loaning the Jets Peyton Manning for the final eight games, no quarterback can save Gang Green this season.

28. Tennessee Titans (2-6)

Zach Mettenberger was alright, alright, alright in his first NFL start, going 27-of-41 for 299 passing yards and two touchdowns. Given their young talent at the skill positions, the Tennessee Titans can dig their way out from the bottom with solid play under center.

27. St. Louis Rams (2-5)

The Rams found out that special teams isn't a sustainable route to consistent success. After shocking the Seahawks with two gutsy plays on punts, they fell victim to a kickoff returned to the house in a game firmly controlled by the Kansas City Chiefs.

26. Atlanta Falcons (2-6)

Cue everyone wondering what's wrong with Matt Ryan despite the nonexistent running game, vulnerable offensive line and dismal defense. He threw a head-scratching interception that led to their collapse on Sunday morning, but overall, Ryan is fine. The rest of the Atlanta Falcons aren't.

25. Minnesota Vikings (3-5) 

Rookie Anthony Barr took matters into his own hands early in an overtime clash against Tampa Bay, forcing and recovering a fumble for the walk-off touchdown. FOX Sports 1's Mike Garafolo highlighted the significance of his game-deciding play.

If they can get matching productivity from fellow first-round neophyte Teddy Bridgewater, the Minnesota Vikings can at least avoid becoming a pushover.

24. Washington Redskins (3-5)

Let's see how many heads explode upon reading this tidbit about Colt McCoy, courtesy of ESPN Stats & Info. 

It's obviously a small sample size, but a man who started the season as Washington's third-string quarterback has helped the squad edge out two straight narrow wins. 

23. Chicago Bears (3-5)

Let's play another round of "Blame the quarterback solely for an entire team's shortcoming." This time, it's the Chicago Bears' general manager joining the fun, per NFL.com's Ian Rapoport. 

So the defense allowing 487 yards to the New England Patriots had nothing to do with the 51-23 loss, right?

22. Carolina Panthers (3-4-1)

If the season ended today, the Carolina Panthers would sadly steal a playoff spot over the San Francisco 49ers and Seahawks, to whom they lost last Sunday. They could bolster that NFC South lead by defeating the New Orleans Saints on Thursday night, but it doesn't look good for the NFL's No. 24 offense and No. 21 defense.

21. New York Giants (3-4)

The New York Giants' season is a simple case study of losing to good teams and beating mediocre ones. Their four conquerors hold the NFC's four best records at a combined 23-7. Look for this trend to continue over to the AFC side on Monday night against the Indianapolis Colts.

20.  Houston Texans (4-4)

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It's a similar story for the Houston Texans, who have lost to four winning teams outside the G-Men while preying on Washington, Oakland and Tennessee. Although defense is usually its bread and butter, Arian Foster, Andre Johnson and DeAndre Hopkins must keep amplifying the offense to balance out the No. 28 passing defense's deficiency.

19. Cleveland Browns (4-3)

The Cleveland Browns have the misfortune of playing in the only conference currently stacked with four winning teams. Oddly enough, they have held their ground in every game besides a 24-6 thumping to the Jaguars. Their other two defeats came against the Baltimore Ravens and Pittsburgh Steelers by a combined five points.

18. Miami Dolphins (4-3)

While on the subject of teams churning off subpar efforts against the Jaguars, the Miami Dolphins gained 326 total yards to Jacksonville's 377 despite coming out ahead on the scoreboard. If not for two costly pick-sixes from rookie Blake Bortles, the Dolphins would have a lot of explaining to do this week.

17. New Orleans Saints (3-4)

So far this season, the Saints have lost one game by one point, one game by two and another by three. A poor conference has forgiven their 3-4 start, but they must be careful not to fall deeper when they face the 49ers and the heart of the AFC North during Weeks 10-13.

16. Buffalo Bills (5-3)

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The Buffalo Bills lead the NFL in sacks (28) and takeaways (18), but the latter stat will prove hard to sustain when not facing the Jets. If they're serious about making their first postseason trip since 1999, they need to rattle off some wins in November before taking on the Denver Broncos, Green Bay Packers and New England Patriots during the final month. 

15. San Francisco 49ers (4-3)

The 49ers can only receive so much of a free pass simply based on being the 49ers. While the Broncos are responsible for putting their minus-seven point differential in the red, they also ranked No. 20 in Football Outsiders' Defensive Value Over Average (DVOA) heading into their Week 8 bye.

They'll eventually earn a higher spot when key players get healthy, but they're lucky to find themselves in the top half of the pecking order right now.

14. Pittsburgh Steelers (5-3)

Steelers fans are probably letting their imaginations run wild after putting up 639 yards and 51 points on the Colts last Sunday. Onlookers won't have to wait long to see if this breakout is for real, as they'll face their arch-nemesis this weekend, looking to avenge a 26-6 loss against the Ravens from Week 2.

Let's hope they're not superstitious—otherwise those bumblebee uniforms will never come off.

13. Cincinnati Bengals (4-2-1)

Leading the AFC North, the Cincinnati Bengals are the conference's only team with a negative point differential (-3). That should change after playing the Jaguars in Week 9, possibly with A.J. Green returning to action.

12. Green Bay Packers (5-3)

The Packers have defeated only one team (Dolphins) with a winning record. The league's worst rushing defense got shredded to a tune of 172 rushing yards by Mark Ingram on Sunday night. In a loaded field of potent teams, it's enough to slide them outside the top 10.

11. Kansas City Chiefs (4-3)

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Since dropping an ugly Week 1 loss to the Titans, the Kansas City Chiefs have bested the Patriots and San Diego Chargers while suffering two single-digit losses to the Broncos and 49ers. 

Despite having faced Peyton Manning, Tom Brady and Philip Rivers, the Chiefs are first in passing yards allowed per game. The funny thing is, these 4-3 Chiefs look better than the guys who started 9-0 last season.

10. Detroit Lions (6-2)

The scoreboard says the Detroit Lions won in London, but everyone lost from witnessing that atrocity. Incompetence saved Detroit, as a Matt Prater missed field goal was nullified by a delay-of-game penalty, giving him a second chance to win the game.

Sure, rallying from a 21-point deficit without Calvin Johnson is great, but spotting 21 points to the Falcons is terrifying.

9. Baltimore Ravens (5-3)

A three-point loss against a tough opponent has some other pundits dropping the Ravens outside the top 10 altogether. NFL.com's Elliot Harrison sends them to No. 15, citing "the fact that Baltimore has beaten up on mostly weak teams while losing to the better clubs."

He's not lying, as the Ravens decimated the Panthers, Buccaneers and Falcons while succumbing to the Colts and the Bengals, now twice. Yet they still rank first in point differential (+86). That counts for something.

8. Seattle Seahawks (4-3)

The Seahawks have to regret letting Golden Tate walk in free agency, especially after trading Percy Harvin to the Jets. NFL Network's Daniel Jeremiah demonstrated Tate's big-play ability that the Seahawks are dearly missing in their aerial assault.

Despite their lack of firepower in the passing game, they're still fierce enough defensively to reclaim the NFC West before the season expires.

7. San Diego Chargers (5-3)

Don't worry, guys, it happens. Nobody should look down on the Chargers for losing to the Broncos on the road, especially while dealing with a slew of injuries.

On the bright side, they get the more manageable Dolphins this week and the lowly Raiders and Rams following a Week 10 bye. They'll want to ace that stretch before the schedule heats up again.

6. Dallas Cowboys (6-2)

The ultimate trap game? They were riding high after silencing the 12th Man in Seattle. Everyone was buying several shares of their stock and talking Super Bowl. So of course the Dallas Cowboys lost to Washington on Monday night.

There are several factors to watch going forward. Is Tony Romo healthy? Can DeMarco Murray survive such an overbearing workload? Will a defense expected to stink heading into the season remain solid, or is McCoy's 25-of-30 evening a harbinger of leaks waiting to cave in on Dallas' success?

5. Indianapolis Colts (5-3)

Joe Robbins/Getty Images

Let's not overreact to one defensive monstrosity, as the Colts are equipped to handle more grounded shootouts going forward. Andrew Luck has exceeded 300 passing yards in all but one game this season, and the defense placed No. 9 in defensive DVOA before that stinker. 

4. Philadelphia Eagles (5-2)

Big plays burned the Philadelphia Eagles, who gained 121 total yards more than the Arizona Cardinals on Sunday. As concerning as it is to see Nick Foles down at No. 28 with a 59.2 completion percentage, they can take a sigh of relief seeing LeSean McCoy average 4.0 yards per carry against the NFC's premier rushing defense.

3. Arizona Cardinals (6-1)

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Can the Cardinals keep winning close? They've cemented their sixth triumphs by a 7.3-point margin of victory. They could just as easily be another decent 4-3 club without big late touchdowns from John Brown to top the Chargers and Eagles.

Yes, the No. 3 team in these ranks could easily finish 9-7 and miss the playoffs. A more likely letdown scenario is them winning 10 or 11 games but surrendering the division to Seattle. 

2. New England Patriots (6-2)

Weeks ago, everyone was talking about how the Patriots could finally squander their AFC East stranglehold with a deteriorating Tom Brady. Now they're fighting for control of the AFC against the Broncos this weekend.

Want to talk about a brutal schedule? After Denver and a bye, New England gets Indianapolis, Detroit, Green Bay and San Diego in succession before mercifully returning to inner-conference competition. That stretch will show whether this resurgence is more than smoke and mirrors.

1. Denver Broncos (6-1)

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The Broncos have obliterated the Cardinals, 49ers and Chargers by a combined 60 points over the past four weeks, throwing in a routine 14-point win over the Jets that may have been their worst game of the set.

In those four contests, Demaryius Thomas has 626 receiving yards and four touchdowns. Ronnie Hillman has given John Fox balance, averaging 4.7 yards per carry this season in place of the injured Montee Ball. Peyton Manning's offensive juggernaut once again looks unstoppable.

Knowing this year's NFL, that may mean the Broncos get shut out this week.