NFL Top 10 Power Rankings through Week Nine

Week Nine of the NFL just wrapped up with the end of the Monday Night Football game, and its result has dramatically changed the Top 10 of the Power Rankings this week.

After months of doubt and losing, the Tampa Bay Buccaneers finally got their first win with a 38-28 victory over the Green Bay Packers, while wearing the old school orange-creamsicle looking uniforms. So congratulations go out to Raheem Morris, who finally got his first head coaching victory in the NFL.

One of the biggest shockers in the NFL is the four-game losing streak of the New York Giants. After starting out 5-0 and for a few weeks being the No. 1 team in the NFL, they dropped a rough 21-20 game to the San Diego Chargers with Phillip Rivers throwing the game winning touchdown pass with 23 seconds to go.

Some have blamed the secondary for the Giants' losses, but this week goes right onto the coaches, specifically offensive coordinator Kevin Gilbride for the absolutely weak play calling near the red zone that could have put San Diego away, but instead kept them in the game and let the Chargers march down the field to win.

I've never been a fan of Gilbride's. He's been fired from different coaching jobs, and if the Giants' struggles continue, he needs to go. Defensive coordinator Bill Sheridan could be soon to follow out the door if the Giants keep giving up the points like they have, 137 points surrendered in the four-game losing streak.

And in other news, the Kansas City Chiefs finally released troubled running back Larry Johnson after being suspended for using a gay slur against head coach Todd Haley. Apparently after Johnson was released, there were at least four to seven different teams interested in Johnson's services.

This guy is nothing more than a jerk and has been given several chances to clean up his act, yet someone is going to give him another shot because of his talent. Unless he cleans up his act, I seriously hope Larry Johnson falls flat on his face and fails in the NFL until he's out for good.

With that out of the way, let's get to the top of the NFL power rankings after Week Nine.

10. Arizona Cardinals (UR) (5-3, Won 41-21 over the Chicago Bears)

The Cardinals are slowly starting to take control of the NFC West, especially with the 49ers and Seahawks losing and dropping out of the race.

Kurt Warner simply took apart the Chicago secondary, going 22-for-32, throwing for 261 yards and five touchdown passes.

After a slow start to the year, Larry Fitzgerald is picking up steam again, catching nine passes for 123 yards and two touchdowns. He's showing no signs of being affected by "The Madden Curse."

The Cardinals did allow 369 yards and three touchdowns from Jay Cutler, but Arizona completely shut down the running game and made the Bears become one-dimensional.

Next week, the Cardinals get the Seahawks at home. Another win for Arizona means more separation and the possibility of the Cardinals successfully winning the NFC West again.

9. Philadelphia Eagles (8) (5-3, Lost 20-16 to the Dallas Cowboys)

At home, this was a game the Eagles were expected to win on Sunday Night Football.

Instead, Tony Romo looks like Troy Aikman in beating the Eagles secondary in the fourth quarter.

Donovan McNabb never really got into a full rhythm, going 16-for-30 with one touchdown and two interceptions.

Brian Westbrook had to sit out of his second consecutive game with a concussion, but LeSean McCoy didn't have a better day, only rushing for 54 yards on 13 carries and no touchdowns.

After a monster game last week against the Giants, DeSean Jackson was held to two catches for 29 yards. Jackson's become the deep threat for the Eagles and when they win, it's because Jackson is ripping through the opposition's defense.

Next week the Eagles travel to the West Coast and play the Chargers. San Diego has been playing much better as of late, so this may be a rough game for the Eagles on the road.

8. Denver Broncos (4) (6-2, Lost 28-10 to the Pittsburgh Steelers)

Can you feel that Denver? Wondering what that is? It's the Chargers breathing down your neck.

A few weeks ago, the Broncos all but had the AFC West wrapped up at 6-0, but with two tough losses to good football teams, they are starting to sputter downwards.

Monday Night's contest was going to be a real challenge to see where Denver stood against playoff teams like the Steelers, and they failed in this game.

Kyle Orton had a terrible game, throwing three interceptions, one of which was taken back for a touchdown.

Denver was also held to 27 running yards, three of which were gained by rookie Knowshon Moreno, who was supposed to be the feature back for Denver but is not having a good rookie season.

Denver will head to Washington to play the Redskins in a game they must win, because if they don't they risk falling back into a tie with the Chargers or first place in the division. But Washington is a bad team, so the Broncos should win this game.

7. Dallas Cowboys (7) (6-2, Won 20-16 over the Philadelphia Eagles)

It's been almost two years since the Cowboys had sole possession of first place in the NFC East, but after a gutsy win on Sunday night, they avenged their defeat against the Eagles from last December.

The loss last year where the Eagles tortured Dallas 44-6—that seemed like a distant memory for the Cowboys.

Instead, Tony Romo did his best Troy Aikman impersonation by throwing 21-for-34 and 307 yards with a 49-yard game winning touchdown pass to Miles Austin and put the Cowboys in first place.

The Eagles kicked a field goal with 4:27 remaining, but Dallas never surrendered the ball and kept it away from the Eagles in order to secure their fourth straight win.

Four weeks ago, Dallas looked lost; now they look like a playoff contender.

The Cowboys travel next week to Lambeau Field to play the Packers. Green Bay has been struggling, especially trying to protect Aaron Rodgers from getting sacked. This could be a game where the Dallas defense runs wild all over Rodgers.

6. New England Patriots (5) (6-2, Won 27-17 over the Miami Dolphins)

The Dolphins had a 17-16 lead with three minutes to go in the third quarter. Then a 71-yard touchdown pass from Tom Brady to his favorite target in Randy Moss eliminated the hope of Miami pulling off an upset.

Brady went 25-for-37 and 332 yards with the touchdown pass to Moss. Moss had six catches for 147 yards and the touchdown pass. Wes Welker also had nine catches for 84 yards.

Laurence Maroney returned to importance and being healthy, rushing for 82 yards on 20 carries and a touchdown.

New England is clearly going to win the AFC East after the Jets and Dolphins have basically fallen apart during the season.

Next week on Sunday Night Football, the rematch returns. In a rematch of the AFC Championship Game from a few years ago that saw two teams slug it out to the finish, the Patriots will take on the Colts. The Patriots will need to be sharp in this one if they want to keep up.

5. Pittsburgh Steelers (6) (6-2, Won 28-10 over the Denver Broncos)

No matter how bright the lights are and how big the game is, the Steelers always find a way to step up and win big games. That is what makes them the defending Super Bowl Champions.

Ben Roethlisberger continues to establish himself as a premier quarterback in the NFL by going 21-for-29 for 233 yards and three touchdown passes.

Hines Ward caught seven passes for 44 yards and two touchdown passes. Santonio Holmes caught six passes for 93 yards.

On the ground, Rashard Mendenhall carried the ball 22 times for 158 yards, establishing a running game against a defense that had shut down the run.

Pittsburgh's defense also stepped up, with defensive backup Tyrone Carter intercepting Kyle Orton for a 48-yard touchdown return. Carter was playing in place of starter Ryan Clark.

Next week, the Steelers will play the Bengals in a battle that will determine first place in the AFC North division.

4. Cincinnati Bengals (9) (6-2, Won 17-7 over the Baltimore Ravens)

You better believe the Bengals are for real in 2009. When you sweep the season series 2-0 over the runner-up of the AFC Championship Game, you are for real.

When you send a bar of soap to your opponents, like Chad Ochocinco did earlier in the week to the Ravens defense, to let them know they stink, and then pull off a dominating win, you are for real.

The Bengals from start to finish dominated the game against the Ravens. Carson Palmer went 20-for-33 and 224 yards with one touchdown in another good performance.

Cedric Benson continues his quest to a great 2009 that could find himself in a Pro Bowl, carrying the ball 34 times for 117 yards and a touchdown.

The Bengals held the Ravens to just one touchdown, which was scored in the fourth quarter by Ray Rice, who was held to just 48 yards. From start to finish, Baltimore was beat.

Next week will be the biggest game of the year for Cincinnati. They will play the Steelers in a rematch to determine first place in the AFC North. A win would silence every critic the Bengals have had this season. A loss would only put them back one, but they would still be in the playoff chase.

3. Minnesota Vikings (3) (7-1, Bye Week in Week Nine)

I wonder how many fans all over are eating barrels of crow right now with the Vikings at 7-1 and in first place?

Better yet, I wonder how many fans are eating that same crow with Brett Favre at 7-1 and in first place?

Because, that's exactly what the 40-year-old quarterback, who retired twice and un-retired twice, has just done with this team. He has not only made them a playoff contender again, but a possible Super Bowl contender in 2009.

Favre has thrown for 1,925 yards and 16 touchdown passes and only thrown three interceptions, which is a tremendous start to the season.

Sidney Rice has emerged for Minnesota with the help of Favre, catching 37 passes for 585 yards and two touchdown passes. Percy Harvin is having an excellent rookie season, catching 28 passes for 369 yards and three touchdown passes. Harvin's development has been helped because of Favre's strong play.

As good as they are on offense, they are the No. 1 ranked defense in the NFL so far. Jared Allen has 10.5 sacks and at times looks un-blockable.

Next week, the Vikings will get the Lions in the Metrodome, a game the Vikings should easily win and move on to 8-1.

2. New Orleans Saints (2) (8-0, Won 30-20 over the Carolina Panthers)

The Panthers were leading this game 17-6 at halftime. Some thought the Saints might finally get dropped.

Then the Panthers and Saints were tied at 20-20 after the third quarter, and by the end, the Saints took over the game and proved why they are the best team in the NFC.

Drew Brees went 24-for-35 and threw for 330 yards and a touchdown pass. Brees' 54-yard touchdown pass to Robert Meachem is what tied the game at 20-20 in the third quarter, and got the Saints rallying.

DeAngelo Williams had a strong game, rushing the ball for 149 yards on 20 carries and two touchdowns, but he fumbled the ball on the one-yard line, which was picked up by Saints defender Anthony Hargrove for the game-winning touchdown with two minutes to go.

Not only are the Saints winning the blowout games, but they are also winning the close games and the come-from-behind games as well.

Next week, the Saints travel to play the Rams. The Saints should have no problem getting to 9-0 next week.

1. Indianapolis Colts (1) (8-0, Won 20-17 over the Houston Texans)

The Texans had a chance to send this game into overtime and continue to fight the Colts in the extra period. But Kris Brown missed a 42-yard shot as time expired to keep the Colts at 8-0 and the best team in the NFL.

Peyton Manning had another solid performance, going 34-for-50 with 318 yards and a touchdown pass.

Dallas Clark caught 14 passes for 119 yards, Reggie Wayne caught eight passes for 64 yards, and Joseph Addie caught five passes for 49 yards and a touchdown.

Matt Schaub had a nice game, throwing for 311 yards on 31-for-42 passing, but did throw two costly interceptions.

Divisional games are always the toughest to hold onto, and Houston gave everything Indianapolis could handle, but the Colts found another way to win again.

Next week, the two best quarterbacks will meet in Indianapolis. The Colts and Manning will take on the Patriots and Brady in a heavyweight matchup and a former AFC Championship Game of a couple years ago.

This one should see a lot of points scored in it, but with the Patriots defense losing key players over the last few years, the Colts could take advantage and win this one on Sunday Night Football.

Anytime the Colts and Patriots get together, it's always a fun game to watch.

That does it for the Top 10 Power Rankings after Week Nine of the NFL. With the Buccaneers winning on Sunday, there will be no win-less teams in 2009, which is good news for the league, so whoever gets the first pick in the 2010 NFL Draft won't be a complete failure like the Lions were in 2008.

Next week will be Week 10 of the 2009 NFL schedule, so the season is rapidly going by fast. Pretty soon, Thanksgiving will be here already.

Hope everyone has a good week and gets ready for more NFL football next weekend.