NFL Power Rankings: Week 9 Standings Based on Latest Super Bowl Odds

It seems like every time we are ready to declare a team one of the best in the NFL, the squad loses a game it shouldn't have lost.

The Dallas Cowboys had moved up the list to become one of the most impressive teams all season, but a home loss to the Washington Redskins now has people second-guessing Tony Romo and company. The Indianapolis Colts and Green Bay Packers also had disappointing losses after coming into the week red hot.

This has created a lot of confusion among those trying to predict a Super Bowl winner. The Vegas lines certainly see things one way, but that does not mean you should buy into the hype for whichever teams are at the top of the list.

Here is a breakdown of power rankings based on Super Bowl odds, courtesy of Oddsshark.com. The best values to bet on at the halfway mark on the season can be seen in italics.

32. Oakland Raiders (5,000-1)

There have been some positive developments with the Raiders in recent weeks, especially the play of rookie quarterback Derek Carr. Unfortunately, none of this has led to wins, as the team fell to 0-7 Sunday.

With the schedule only getting tougher, the chances for victories could be running out. 

31. Jacksonville Jaguars (3,000-1)

In the last four games, the Jaguars defense has allowed only three touchdowns. In that same stretch, opposing defenses have returned three Blake Bortles interceptions for touchdowns.

There is still hope for Bortles, but he is doing everything he can to lose games at this point. 

30. Tampa Bay Buccaneers (2,000-1)

Everyone seemed to be looking at the Buccaneers at the trade deadline with rumors surrounding both Vincent Jackson and Doug Martin. In the end, it was safety Mark Barron and linebacker Jonathan Casillas sent off in trades.

This will make an already struggling defense even worse, while the offense will not get any better. It will be a long second half of the season for Tampa Bay. 

29. New York Jets (2,000-1)

Michael Vick will officially get the start against the Kansas City Chiefs in Week 9, but the veteran quarterback did not fare too much better against the Buffalo Bills than Geno Smith did.

At this point, it seems like the only question is who the team will be selecting in the first round of the draft.

28. Tennessee Titans (1,000-1)

Zach Mettenberger had some highlights in his first start, but he will have to show a lot more for the team to believe he could be a franchise quarterback.

Either way, he is not getting a whole lot of help around him, and the Titans will be looking at a lot more losses ahead. 

27. St. Louis Rams (500-1)

Adding Mark Barron will certainly help the Rams in the long term, as it helps solidify one of the weaker parts of the defense. However, the offense will now have to survive without Sam Bradford, Jake Long and Brian Quick.

The odds of competing in the NFC West just went from bad to worse. 

26. Atlanta Falcons (300-1)

The hope coming into the season was that last year's 4-12 record was a fluke and the Falcons would go back to being a top contender in the NFC. This does not appear to be the case, as the same problems on both sides of the ball have returned.

After an embarrassing loss to the Detroit Lions in which the team blew a 21-0 halftime lead, it is hard to imagine head coach Mike Smith keeping his job.

25. Minnesota Vikings (250-1)

The Vikings are clearly looking toward the future and trying to see which players fit into the overall scheme. While there have been inconsistencies with each, the trio of Teddy Bridgewater, Jerick McKinnon and Cordarrelle Patterson could be around for a long time.

24. Washington Redskins (200-1)

Colt McCoy was fantastic in the Redskins' Monday-night win over the Dallas Cowboys. That being said, the team should not go overboard and start considering him the future of the franchise like it did with Kirk Cousins.

This team still belongs to Robert Griffin III, and he should get his chance to prove it when he is healthy. 

23. Chicago Bears (150-1)

People like playing the long shots, but the ones higher on this list have little to no chance of even making the playoffs. Winning the Super Bowl this season is out of the question.

While the Chicago Bears have looked awful at times this season as they built a 3-5 record, there is still enough talent on the roster for a turnaround to be possible.

Head coach Marc Trestman discussed his thoughts heading into the Week 9 bye, via Eli Kaberon of ChicagoBears.com:

"

This is a serious time for all of us. It starts through re-assessing what we are doing, making the necessary adjustments to how we are working, whether it was through practice or whether it was in game-planning. This is certainly a team that has a foundation of hard work, a very good work ethic, extreme high character and they love to work, they love football.

The next step is to play consistent and clean football.

"

While Jay Cutler has struggled this season, he has a lot of talent around him between Matt Forte, Brandon Marshall and Alshon Jeffery. If the offense can just stop turning the ball over and the defense can make a few stops, the Bears have a chance to play their way back into the playoff picture.

Although the chances of success are not good at this point, it might be worth the risk for a big payoff. 

22. Houston Texans (100-1)

As long as Arian Foster is healthy, the offense has a chance to score against anyone. The problem is the quarterback play as Ryan Fitzpatrick continues to struggle.

Even with an improved record compared to last year, the Texans need a lot more help to be consistently competitive against good teams.

21. Cleveland Browns (100-1)

Brian Hoyer is doing just enough to keep his starting quarterback job while Johnny Manziel remains on the bench. The only problem is the 4-3 record is still only good for last in the AFC North.

With the division likely to be competitive all season, the Browns are going to be stuck in the bottom of the standings. 

20. New York Giants (75-1)

The Giants have the talent to be much better than they are, but struggles along the offensive line prevent everyone else from being successful. If Eli Manning finds some time to throw the ball, he should have a lot more success throwing the ball to young receivers Rueben Randle and Odell Beckham Jr.

19. Carolina Panthers (75-1)

Although the Panthers had a hard-fought loss to the Seattle Seahawks, it was still a loss. In the last six games, the team has only one win and one tie to fall to 3-4-1.

While this is incredibly enough for first place in a poor division, there are still a lot of question marks surrounding this team. 

18. Buffalo Bills (75-1)

Kathy Willens/Associated Press

Most of the other teams in this section have been struggling, but the Bills are currently 5-3 after a blowout win over the Jets in Week 8 which saw the defense force six turnovers.

This great defense has been on display all season, and it has been causing problems for opposing teams, as Daniel Jeremiah of NFL.com pointed out:

As Mike Rodak of ESPN.com noted, the offense did not have to do too much to be successful:

Meanwhile, Sammy Watkins has been as good as advertised with a number of big games over the first eight weeks of the year. Kyle Orton has gotten the most out of the rookie receiver since taking over at quarterback, and the offense is now as dangerous as it has been in years.

It might be tough to believe in a franchise that has not reached the playoffs since 1999, but this team is legit and could continue to surprise people for the rest of the year.

17. Miami Dolphins (66-1)

With a win over Jacksonville, the Dolphins have moved to 3-1 on the road this season, an impressive stat for a team led by a young quarterback.

The next few weeks will give Miami a chance to really prove its value with games against the Chargers, Lions, Bills and Broncos, four teams with at least five wins already this year. A positive record, and it might be time to believe in the Dolphins.

16. Kansas City Chiefs (40-1)

Jamaal Charles and Knile Davis create as imposing of a backfield as there is in the NFL, and the defense has been playing better lately, following the formula that helped the team to the playoffs last season.

As long as Alex Smith remains his efficient self, the Chiefs could be headed back to the postseason. 

15. Pittsburgh Steelers (40-1)

The Steelers likely aren't as good as they showed against the Indianapolis Colts, but you cannot ignore 51 points scored with Ben Roethlisberger throwing six touchdowns on 522 passing yards.

Still, the question with this team lately has been whether it can be consistent from week to week. We know the talent is there to be great, but which squad will show up in Week 9?

14. Baltimore Ravens (28-1)

The Ravens lost an opportunity to take a commanding lead of the division with a win at Cincinnati, but this is still a very good team.

If the squad wants to become legitimate contenders, though, Joe Flacco will have to play like he did on the Super Bowl run and not how he has played since. 

13. Cincinnati Bengals (25-1)

As bad as the Bengals looked over the past month, getting to 4-2-1 and first place in a tough AFC North without A.J. Green for an extended period is a big plus. When the star receiver returns, the offense should once again be difficult to stop.

Adding in the fact this team has now gone 12 games without losing at home, and Cincinnati should be a tough opponent for the rest of the year. 

12. San Diego Chargers (25-1)

Doug Pensinger/Getty Images

While the Chargers have lost two games in a row after a 5-1 start, it would be a mistake to count them out now. In fact, this might be a blessing for those looking to get more value on a Super Bowl pick.

Philip Rivers is still playing like an MVP candidate, ranking second in the NFL behind only Peyton Manning with a Total QBR of 85.5. In fact, Sam Monson of Pro Football Focus noted Rivers had the best overall grade among quarterbacks heading into Week 9 at plus-17.

Peter Burns of ESPN credited head coach Mike McCoy for putting the veteran quarterback in the best position to succeed:

Of course, the big difference is the defense, which has improved tremendously from last year with a revamped secondary. Although the unit is banged up right now, the team ranks sixth in the league against the pass (even after facing the Broncos), compared to 29th last season.

This team is balanced and should be able to win a lot more games before the year ends.

11. Detroit Lions (22-1)

Although the games have not been pretty, the Lions keep finding ways to win and are now 6-2. Like the Bengals, a lot of this has been done without an elite receiver and arguably best offensive player, in this case Calvin Johnson.

Instead, the defense has been carrying this team to wins. As soon as the group gets healthy, this squad could be even better. 

10. New Orleans Saints (20-1)

As good as the Saints looked in the win over the Packers, they still do not have a win on the road in four tries. In most cases, it will take at least one or two victories away from home to even make the playoffs. 

Drew Brees and company have to figure out what has been the problem in road games and fix it before it is too late.

9. Philadelphia Eagles (16-1)

You can blame the secondary for allowing an 80-yard touchdown to Larry Fitzgerald and the game-winning 75-yard touchdown to John Brown. However, the real problem in the recent loss was Nick Foles.

The quarterback had two bad interceptions Sunday and now has seven picks in the last four games. If his play does not improve, it will be hard to consider the Eagles a real contender going forward. 

8. Indianapolis Colts (16-1)

A week after the Colts shut out the Bengals, the defense allowed 51 points to the Steelers. The NFL is a funny thing.

Fortunately, Indianapolis seems destined to win the AFC South once again this season as long as the team beats the opponents it should. The important thing until then is preparing for ways to win in the playoffs. 

7. Arizona Cardinals (16-1)

Going into Week 9, there are only two teams in the NFL with just one loss. One is the Broncos, who sits at No. 1 in these standings, and the other is the Cardinals.

Of course, this is a big improvement from the preseason rankings, as noted by Brad Evans of Yahoo! Sports:

Although many could think it is a fluke that Arizona is 6-1 at this point in the year, this team deserves a lot more respect. The defense has become almost impossible to run against, while the offense features numerous playmakers like Andre Ellington, Larry Fitzgerald, Michael Floyd and John Brown.

Now that Carson Palmer is healthy, the quarterback will be able to spread the ball around to these players and finally allow the offense to flourish.

Just as importantly, the Cardinals are very good at University of Phoenix Stadium, winning eight of their last nine home games. If this squad can keep winning and get home games in the playoffs, it will be hard to bet against it.

6. San Francisco 49ers (14-1)

Although the bye came at the right time, the 49ers are still dealing with a lot of injuries, especially on the defensive side of the ball. There are a lot of Pro Bowlers on the roster, but it does not do a lot of good when they are on the bench.

The good news is that this team could be as good as it has in the past when Patrick Willis, NaVorro Bowman and Aldon Smith (suspension) finally return to the field. 

5. Dallas Cowboys (14-1)

Even with the loss to Washington, Dallas should still be considered a top contender thanks to the great offensive line and the red-hot running back behind it. DeMarco Murray is pretty much unstoppable, and he can control the game by getting the ball.

As long as Tony Romo stays healthy (big "if" at this point), the Cowboys should be just fine. 

4. Green Bay Packers (10-1)

Aaron Rodgers is still one of the best quarterbacks in the league, if not the best, but the Packers run defense is going to cause problems all year long.

The team has allowed the most rushing yards per game in the NFL this season, which is something that allows opponents to control the ball and keep Rodgers off the field. This is not a recipe for success in Green Bay.

Jim Rogash/Getty Images

3. New England Patriots (9-1)

It is amazing how quickly things change in the NFL. Everyone seemed to think Tom Brady and the Patriots were done after a blowout loss at the hands of Kansas City, but four wins in a row have changed the perception.

If Jonas Gray can take over as the power runner and Brandon LaFell can become the go-to receiver the team needs, the Patriots can once again be a top contender in the AFC. 

2. Seattle Seahawks (8-1)

The production has not been there, but the oddsmakers are not shying away from the Seahawks just yet. Despite the 5-3 record, Seattle has the second-lowest odds to win the Super Bowl.

As long as Russell Wilson keeps making big-time plays with both his arm and his legs, it is certainly hard to count this team out. 

1. Denver Broncos (5-2)

It is hard to deny the Broncos on top of any list at this point of the year. This squad has been almost perfect this year, only losing to the Seahawks in a tough overtime battle on the road.

With Ronnie Hillman complementing the passing attack with his hard running, Manning has as good of a chance as ever of taking home that second Super Bowl title. 

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