NFL Power Rankings: Reviewing Week 9 Standings After Sunday's Action

The New England Patriots' 21-13 victory over the Los Angeles Chargers Sunday was not pretty, but nothing has been for Tom Brady and Co. this season.

The defending Super Bowl champions capitalized on a terrible decision by kick returner Travis Benjamin to score a safety, benefited from four field goals from the great Stephen Gostkowski and a touchdown from Rob Gronkowski to pull out the eight-point win over a Chargers team that has strung together three victories in a row.

Holding a sneaky 6-2 record without any real dominant or definitive wins to speak of, this Patriots squad does not feel like championship-caliber teams of the past.

Does that affect New England's place in this week's power rankings, compiled based on the action through Sunday night?

Power Rankings

1. Philadelphia Eagles (7-1)

2. New England Patriots (6-2)

3. Kansas City Chiefs (5-2)

4. Pittsburgh Steelers (5-2)

5. Los Angeles Rams (5-2)

6. Seattle Seahawks (5-2)

7. Minnesota Vikings (6-2)

8. Buffalo Bills (6-2)

9. New Orleans Saints (5-2)

10. Dallas Cowboy (4-3)

11. Carolina Panthers (5-3)

12. Atlanta Falcons (4-3)

13. Jacksonville Jaguars (4-3)

14. Green Bay Packers (4-3)

15. Detroit Lions (3-3)

16. Denver Broncos (3-3)

17. Houston Texans (3-4)

18. Tennesse Titans (4-3)

19. Baltimore Ravens (4-4)

20. Miami Dolphins (4-3)

21. Cincinnati Bengals (3-4)

22. Washington Redskins (3-4)

23. Arizona Cardinals (3-4)

24. Los Angeles Chargers (3-5)

25. New York Jets (3-5)

26. Oakland Raiders (3-5)

27. Chicago Bears (3-5)

28. Tampa Bay Buccaneers (2-5)

29. Indianapolis Colts (2-6)

30. New York Giants (1-6)

31. San Francisco 49ers (0-8)

32. Cleveland Browns (0-8) 

Butch Dill/Associated Press

Saints March Into Playoff Discussion

New Orleans won its fifth straight game Sunday afternoon, beating an outmatched Chicago Bears team that, in years past, it would have found a way to lose to.

Perhaps most interesting was the manner in which the Saints did it.

Future Hall of Fame quarterback Drew Brees was held under 300 yards passing, and he failed to toss a touchdown. What he did, though, was complete 82 percent of his passes while running backs Mark Ingram and Alvin Kamara combined for 26 carries and over 100 yards rushing.

The balanced attack, as well as an interception of rookie quarterback Mitchell Trubisky by cornerback Marshon Lattimore, secured the victory for a rolling Saints team.

After starting 0-2 and housing a clearly unhappy Adrian Peterson for the first five weeks of the season, it appeared as though the team would go the way of recent disappointing units. Instead, they have rallied and now are among the hottest teams in the NFL.

With games against the surprising Buffalo Bills and Los Angeles Rams, as well as two divisional showdowns with NFC champions the Atlanta Falcons, the path toward the playoffs will not be an easy one for Brees and Co. 

Continuing to balance the offense and turning the ball over on defense will only continue earning the Saints wins in a year where the unexpected has become the expected.     

Jeffrey T. Barnes/Associated Press

Are the Raiders Done?

Sunday afternoon, the Oakland Raiders lost to the red-hot Buffalo Bills 34-14.

The loss, the fifth of the season for the squad, further exposed the issues surrounding a team full of undeniable talent. The offensive line struggled, and the defense has been subpar.

The inability to establish the running game and uncharacteristic mistakes by quarterback Derek Carr, a legitimate MVP candidate a year ago, has led to the downfall of a team that appeared poised to knock New England off the top of the AFC mountain in 2017.

Carr threw two interceptions Sunday while running backs DeAndre Washington and Jalen Richard failed to fill the shoes of the suspended Marshawn Lynch.

Now, the team has already eclipsed its loss totals from a year ago.

The basement dwellers in the AFC West, the Raiders have a nearly insurmountable obstacle between them and the postseason.

Hannah Foslien/Getty Images

Are the Vikings Among the NFL's Elite?

On the surface, the Minnesota Vikings do not necessarily look like an elite team. They lack the offensive stars that warrant headlines and are seemingly built to play close games in which their suffocating defense ultimately proves the difference.

Case Keenum is a journeyman quarterback playing some of the best football of his career. Latavius Murray is not a household name, but he has consistently found success in the league. The Vikings have leaned on running back Jerick McKinnon in the past when starters have gone down with injury, and wide receiver Adam Thielen, the second-leading wideout on the team, is a former special-teamer.

Even defensive stars Harrison Smith, Everson Griffen and Anthony Barr fly under the radar.

There is hardly anything at all flashy about the team, nor was their victory Sunday at Twickenham Stadium in London.

The Vikings outscored the Browns 21-3 in the second half and rode another solid, if unspectacular, performance from Keenum to victory.

A team that runs the ball, plays defense and endures few mistakes from its steady quarterback could be seen as living by an old-school philosophy in this flashy, offensively minded NFL. However, it has proved effective for the Vikings to this point and should continue to fuel them to victory.

Whether Keenum is replaced by Teddy Bridgewater, who is inching closer and closer to his return to the field, per NFL.com, could prove key to the team's ceiling—if there even is one.