NFL Power Rankings: Biggest Risers and Fallers Heading into Week 9

With the first-ever college football selection committee rankings this week, never has ranking things been so much fun. That obviously includes NFL power rankings.

With teams having played either seven or eight games this season, we have a pretty good idea of what most of these squads are about. Below, we'll rank the entire NFL and take a close look at a few teams rising or falling down the rankings.

32. Oakland Raiders (0-7)

The Raiders have played seven games. The Raiders have lost seven games. Rookie quarterback Derek Carr has shown promise, but the rest of the team generally hasn't. With the Seattle Seahawks, Denver Broncos, San Diego Chargers and Kansas City Chiefs on deck, the Raiders could be facing an 0-11 start. Yikes.

31. New York Jets (1-7)

The Jets, bless their hearts, won their first game of the year. Fittingly, it was against the Raiders. Since then they've absolutely collapsed, with Geno Smith seriously struggling (10 interceptions this season and two benchings) and the secondary unable to contain any opposing passing attack. Percy Harvin isn't going to save this team.

30. Jacksonville Jaguars (1-7)

We always knew the Jaguars were in the second year of another rebuild, and they've lived up to that billing. There is hope, of course—Blake Bortles has shown flashes of his potential, though his 12 interceptions are a reminder of how far he has to go in his development—but once again, the Jags are likely going to have a top-five pick in this year's draft.

29. Tampa Bay Buccaneers (1-6)

The Bucs tried to retool before the season began, but now it appears they're going to need to rebuild. Josh McCown played poorly as the starter, Doug Martin has been pretty atrocious and the defense can't stop the pass (30th in pass yards allowed) or the run (23rd). The schedule opens up a bit in the next three weeks, as the Cleveland Browns, Atlanta Falcons and Washington are all winnable games. If the Bucs can't take two of three from that stretch, it's hard to imagine them even getting to five wins this season. 

28. Tennessee Titans (2-6)

The Titans are already onto the Zach Mettenberger Era, an era that likely wouldn't have ever even begun if Jake Locker could stay healthy and consistently produce. So that's where they stand as an organization right now. Thankfully, they've had the bye week to sort some things out, though when they come out of the bye they'll have the Baltimore Ravens, Pittsburgh Steelers, Philadelphia Eagles and Houston Texans awaiting them.

Yikes.

27. St. Louis Rams (2-6)

Who knows what the Rams could do if Sam Bradford could stay healthy? Or if they could get anything out of Tavon Austin? Or if breakout player Brian Quick wasn't lost to injury? Or if Jake Long wasn't done for the year too?

What if? That's the question in St. Louis. That's a question that's hard to answer. What is? That's easier to answer: A pretty poor football team that will have another draft pick in the top 10.

26. Atlanta Falcons (2-6)

Few teams have fallen from grace faster than the Falcons.

The team has lost a whopping five games in a row, and one would guess the offensive line and a pretty poor defense are to blame. The Falcons have solid options in the passing game in Matt Ryan, Julio Jones and Roddy White, but they can't do it alone.

With the Panthers (twice), Arizona Cardinals, Green Bay Packers, Pittsburgh Steelers and New Orleans Saints yet to come, the league's biggest faller seems likely to continue its descent down the rankings. 

25. Minnesota Vikings (3-5)

In a strange season for a number of reasons, Teddy Bridgewater has provided hope. Rookies like Anthony Barr and Jerick McKinnon have also shown that the Vikings are on the right track. The playoffs are a pipe dream this season, but Minny is a team to look out for next year.

24. Washington (3-5)

Maybe, just maybe, the pending return of Robert Griffin III will help Washington get back into the NFC East title race. Or maybe, just maybe, he'll continue to struggle running Jay Gruden's offense. Washington has the players on offense to be a major threat—if RG3 can hit the ground running, literally and figuratively, it has the potential to shoot up these power rankings. 

23. New York Giants (3-4)

The Giants are arguably the league's streakiest team. They've sandwiched a three-game winning streak with a pair of two-game losing streaks. The loss of Victor Cruz for the season and the absence of Rashad Jennings has hurt them in the past two games. On the other hand, the Philadelphia Eagles and Dallas Cowboys simply looked like better teams.

22. Chicago Bears (3-5)

Can you say implosion? After a promising start, the Bears have lost four of five games and are looking up in the NFC North at the Packers and Detroit Lions, both off to a strong start. As usual, the Bears go as Jay Cutler goes—in the team's three wins, he has seven touchdown passes and no interceptions. In their five losses, he has 10 touchdown passes and eight picks. 

If he doesn't cut back on the turnovers, this playoff contender is going to be out of the race sooner rather than later. The Bears continue to nosedive down these rankings, a disappointing trend for a team with so much talent, especially on offense.

21. Carolina Panthers (3-4-1)

Some of Carolina's struggles are easy to explain. Cam Newton wasn't healthy to start the season and was limited in what he could do. The offensive line hasn't been great, and the team has a rotating cast of running backs that spend as much time on the training table as they do on the field.

But boy, the demise of the defense has been somewhat surprising. Yes, key players are missing, but the fall from grace for this unit has been abrupt. If they don't start stopping people, the offense simply isn't built to win shootouts, and this will end up being a very long season for Carolina.

20. New Orleans Saints (3-4)

There is hope for New Orleans. The team's convincing victory over the Packers has to give it confidence, as does the returning health of Jimmy Graham. The NFC South has been atrocious this season, and a Thursday night victory over Carolina will give the Saints sole possession of first place in the South and make them the clear front-runners to win the division. So yes, there is hope.

19. Cleveland Browns (4-3)

Not only are the Browns 4-3, but they could easily go to 5-3 with a very winnable game against the Bucs this week. The Browns' schedule is going to get more difficult down the stretch, sure, but keep in mind the team will also get Josh Gordon back for the stretch run. The AFC North is wide-open, folks, and while it might be a bit premature to suggest the Browns can win this division, it's also not a crazy notion. There is hope in Cleveland.

18. Kansas City Chiefs (4-3)

Here's what the AFC looks like right now: Two great teams (the Denver Broncos and New England Patriots), two good teams (the Indianapolis Colts and San Diego Chargers) and a lot of questions after that. The 4-3 Chiefs are in the wild-card discussion for the same reasons they made the playoffs last season—they're the best running team in the league, they play solid defense and Alex Smith manages games. 

The Chiefs aren't a sexy team, but you don't need to be sexy to make the playoffs.

17. Houston Texans (4-4)

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Arian Foster might be the hottest player in football at the moment. The star running back has 601 yards from scrimmage and eight touchdowns in his last four games. Somehow, the Texans are a dreadful 1-3 in that time. Still, with Jadeveon Clowney returning from injury to pair with MVP candidate J.J. Watt, there is reason to believe in this team down the stretch.

16. Miami Dolphins (4-3)

Miami is playing excellent defense and Lamar Miller has been brilliant for the team, and the Dolphins head into a huge Week 9 showdown against the San Diego Chargers on a two-game winning streak. If the Dolphins keep running the ball successfully and playing stingy defense, they have all the makings of a wild-card team. Of course, things won't be easy in the cluttered AFC.

15. Buffalo Bills (5-3)

Buffalo has possibly lost C.J. Spiller for the year, is also without Fred Jackson and is playing Kyle Orton as the starter. So how exactly is it 5-3?

Well, led by one of the league's best defensive lines, it's allowing just 92.3 rushing yards (eighth in the NFL) and 233.8 passing yards (12th) per game. Sammy Watkins is a Rookie of the Year candidate. And wins over the Bears, Dolphins and Lions suggest the team is legit. It remains to be seen how long they can ride Orton, but for now the Bills are trending up.

14. Pittsburgh Steelers (4-3)

For the first six games of the year, the Steelers rotated wins and losses. But finally, with Ben Roethlisberger throwing for over 500 yards, the team smoked the Indianapolis Colts and strung consecutive wins together. 

Simply put, the Steelers have had one of the best offenses in the NFL this year, as they are third in yards per game and tied for ninth in points per contest. Antonio Brown is the league's most consistent wide receiver, Martavis Bryant is emerging as the red-zone threat the team desperately needed and Le'Veon Bell is having a breakout season. 

The Steelers are legit.

13. Baltimore Ravens (5-3)

The Ravens are ahead of the Steelers primarily because they beat them, and they are behind the Bengals primarily because they lost to them twice. While it can also be a bit complex to use head-to-head as the main consideration when doing power rankings, in the very tight NFC North it certainly informed the decision. 

The Ravens have been winning for three main reasons: They run the ball well (128.4 yards per game, eighth in the NFL), stop the run (90.4 yards per game, seventh in the NFL) and Joe Flacco has been solid (2,049 passing yards, 14 touchdowns, seven interceptions).

Add in the dangerous receiving duo of Steve Smith and Torrey Smith and you have the recipe for a playoff team. It won't be easy winning the AFC North, but the Ravens look like a wild-card contender regardless. 

12. Cincinnati Bengals (4-2-1)

The Bengals have been beat up this season, a scary thought considering they've still managed to start 4-2-1. Giovani Bernard is one of the players struggling with injuries, although he's developed into an incredibly reliable back for the team and is having a breakout season along with receiver Mohamed Sanu. When this team is healthy—getting back A.J. Green will be huge—look out below.

11. Seattle Seahawks (4-3)

Seattle's best continues to be better than anyone else's best. It's beaten Denver and Green Bay this year, after all. But for some reason, we've rarely seen its best this season. Marshawn Lynch has slumped of late (186 total rushing yards in his past three games). The defense has been far from dominant. Reported chemistry issues have flooded the headlines.

If the Seahawks get into the playoffs, they'll be as dangerous as any team in the league. At the moment, however, they appear to have a fight on their hands just to reach the postseason. The Seahawks have gone from being champions to potentially fighting for a wild-card spot. Still, better days seem likely to be ahead for this team.

10. San Diego Chargers (5-3)

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San Diego is trending down.

After a 5-1 start to the season that included a win over the Seahawks, the Chargers have dropped games to the Chiefs and Broncos. And San Diego can't be considered an elite team mostly because in its matchups against the top teams on its schedule (Arizona Cardinals, Seahawks, Bills, Broncos, Chiefs) it is 2-3. 

Yes, Philip Rivers is having an MVP-caliber season (2,213 passing yards, 20 touchdowns, five interceptions), but until the Chargers consistently beat top teams, they can't quite be considered in the league's top tier of teams.

9. San Francisco 49ers (4-3)

When the Niners get healthy and Aldon Smith returns from suspension, they could be scary. Colin Kaepernick's inconsistencies can be maddening, but this is a beat-up team that still has wins over the Cowboys, Eagles and Chiefs.  

With a strong running game and an always-stingy defense, it's hard to see the Niners failing to reach the postseason. 

8. Green Bay Packers (5-3)

A Week 8 loss to the Saints ended the Packers torrid streak of play, as they came into that contest on the heels of four wins in a row. Aaron Rodgers has once again been superb (2,092 passing yards, 19 touchdowns, three interceptions), Jordy Nelson and Randall Cobb form the top wideout duo on the league and Eddie Lacy has started to produce after a slow start. 

The Packers are one of the scariest teams offensively in the NFL. If the defense can keep from imploding, the Packers are going to be a tough team to face down the stretch.

7. Indianapolis Colts (5-3)

Andrew Luck is amazing. He leads the league in passing yards (2,731), is tied with Peyton Manning at first in touchdown passes (22) and has added two rushing touchdowns for good measure. With Ahmad Bradshaw having an excellent season, T.Y. Hilton emerging as a true No. 1 receiver and Dwayne Allen producing at tight end, there's no end in sight to the fireworks offensively for Indianapolis. 

After a slow start, they've gone 5-1 and before the Steelers exploded in the passing game against them, the secondary had been playing excellent football led by cornerback Vontae Davis. The AFC South appears to be theirs for the taking, and only two teams appear to be truly better than them in the AFC.

6. Dallas Cowboys (6-2)

Are the Cowboys for real?

Certain things seem real. DeMarco Murray is a stud. Dez Bryant is a stud. The offensive line has played quite well. The defense has been solid if unspectacular. Jason Garrett has finally taken some of the pressure off of Tony Romo's shoulders, to great effect. Offensively, they are as balanced as any team in the NFL.

But an overtime loss to Colt McCoy and Washington was not the sort of performance you expect from a true contender. And it's hard to talk about the Cowboys without mentioning December. The Cowboys are 5-9 in December since 2011, typically collapsing right as a playoff spot beckons. In fact, they've lost to a division rival on the last day of the season with a playoff berth on the line three seasons in a row. 

The Cowboys are No. 6 on these rankings because they've been excellent thus far this season. They aren't higher because recent history suggests the Cowboys will come back down to Earth in December. 

5. Philadelphia Eagles (5-2)

If you were approaching the power rankings like a college football poll, the Eagles would have an interesting resume.

They have a great win (beating the Colts on the road), a few more solid victories (division wins over Washington and the Giants) and quality losses (they've lost by a total of nine points to the Niners and Cardinals on the road and had chances at the end to win each contest). 

And when you consider that they didn't have Lane Johnson for the first four games of the season, Pro Bowlers Evan Mathis and Jason Kelce have yet to play this season and Darren Sproles missed the Arizona game, the sky appears to be the limit for this team. As the offensive line returns to full strength and LeSean McCoy gets the running game back on track, the Eagles are going to be scary.

Yes, the secondary is atrocious. Yes, Nick Foles has been maddeningly inconsistent at times. And yet through injuries, spotty secondary play and some Foles struggles, the Eagles are 5-2. We're going to learn a lot about this team as the schedule gets tougher (they play the Texans, Panthers, Packers, Cowboys twice and Seahawks in the next seven weeks), but the Eagles appear to be on track for a playoff berth.

4. Detroit Lions (6-2)

No Calvin Johnson? No problem. A slew of injuries to the running backs and tight ends? Whatever. Early deficits in a number of games? Not an issue. 

The Lions just keep on finding ways to win.

Matt Stafford gets better as the game goes on. Golden Tate has been a revelation. The defense has been awesome, led by one of the league's best defensive lines. 

The Lions started well last year before collapsing, so crowing them just yet isn't wise. But it's scary to think of how dangerous this team might be when it actually gets healthy once again. 

3. Arizona Cardinals (6-1)

Take away a humbling loss to the Broncos and the Cardinals have been arguably the best team in the NFL. They have wins over the Chargers, Niners and Eagles. They have a balanced offense featuring breakout star Andre Ellington and the three-pronged passing attack of Larry Fitzgerald, Michael Floyd and John Brown. Their run defense is as stingy as any in the league. 

A matchup this week against the Cowboys is going to tell us a lot about both of these teams, but Bruce Arians has this team on the right track. If they can keep Carson Palmer upright and figure out the pass defense, currently giving up the most yards per game in the NFL (302.9), the Cardinals could march to a division title and perhaps even a Super Bowl berth this season.

2. New England Patriots (6-2)

Outside of the top team on this list, no team is hotter than the Patriots right now. It's not just that the Pats have won four games in a row, but how they've won those games that is giving the rest of the league pause.

After a slow start to the season, Tom Brady has absolutely incinerated opponents in the past month. Just consider this tweet, via SportsCenter:

Yes, yes he did.

With Rob Gronkowski at full health and Brandon LaFell developing chemistry with Brady, the Pats offense has been tough to stop. Add in one of the league's top pass defenses and the Patriots have shot way up the rankings over the past month.

But just one team stands between them and the No. 1 spot. It just so happens to be the team they play this week...

1. Denver Broncos (6-1)

What really needs to be said here?

You already know that Peyton Manning is the best quarterback in the league. You already know that Demaryius Thomas, Emmanuel Sanders and Wes Welker make up the best trio of receivers in the league. You can see that the defense is drastically improved from a year ago, or that Ronnie Hillman has given the league's best offense another dangerous dimension. You know the Broncos were an overtime in Seattle away from being undefeated. 

When the Broncos face the Patriots on Sunday afternoon, we'll get to see the two top teams in the league do battle with the top spot on the power rankings on the line. What could be better than that?

Hit me up on Twitter—I'll answer your fantasy questions and make some corny jokes, too. It's more fun than a J.J. Watt selfie.