NFL Power Rankings Week 9: Has AFC Reasserted Itself As The Best Conference?

NFL Power Rankings Week 9 are in and we've got a new number one team!

The NFC made a strong case for being the better conference this week when the defending champions New Orleans Saints surprisingly held the streaking Pittsburgh Steelers to 10 points, on their way to a 20-10 win.  While one of the AFC's best teams, the New York Jets, were shut out at home by the NFC's Green Bay Packers, 9-0. 

Does that mean the NFC is the better conference in the NFL?

Not necessarily.  The AFC still continues to make a case as better conference, even with those top teams falling.

AFC or NFC? Which is the best conference in football?

The answer to that question lies in the power rankings. Here we go!

32-23: The Bottom Ten

32. Buffalo Bills (0-7): Steve Johnson has a five game scoring streak and no one has noticed because the Bills have yet to win a game, wait, who’s Steve Johnson?  (Last Week: 32)

31. Carolina Panthers (1-6): Steve Smith returned and J-Stewart was supposed to show off his skills as the featured back, but the Panthers kept turning the ball over and were losers once again. (Last Week: 30)

30. Dallas Cowboys (1-6): Same story for Dallas; the offense is there, but they once again make plenty of mistakes as Kitna headlines his first since 2008 with four interceptions (Last Week: 29)

29. San Francisco 49ers (2-6): Good call Mike Singletary, Troy Smith now has just as many wins as Alex Smith this season with one; the former Heisman winner threw and ran for a touchdown in London, and he may have just earned himself another start. (Last Week: 31)

28. Denver Broncos (2-6): The Orton-Lloyd pass-catch tandem is the only thing that’s been working for Denver as their backup quarterback (Tim Tebow) just equaled the team lead for rushing touchdowns with his second of the season; yes, their running attack is virtually non-existent. (Last Week: 27)

27. Detroit Lions (2-5): Matthew Stafford returns and he leads the team to victory, throwing for four touchdowns; while Ndamukong Suh gets the first defensive touchdown of his young career.  (Last Week: 28)

26. Minnesota Vikings (2-5): Favre plays on fractured foot but still only looks like a shadow of his former self. It’s one diva too many as the Vikings abruptly cut Randy Moss after four games.  (Last Week: 24)

25. Cincinnati Bengals (2-5): Carson Palmer just could not get anything going this week going 17-for-38 with only 156 passing yards; Chris Benson’s 3.5 YPC for the game didn’t help either.  (Last Week: 23)

24. Cleveland Browns (2-5): Surely the Browns are still thinking about their big win against the Saints from Week 7—that pass rush was impressive; can they do the same against the Patriots? (Last Week: 25)

23. Arizona Cardinals (3-4): Beanie Wells may now be the starter but he couldn’t help their struggling quarterbacks this week as Max Hall and Derek Anderson each threw for a pair of interceptions. (Last Week: 19)

22. San Diego Chargers (3-5)

The statistical anomaly known as the Chargers finally won a game after losing their last three.  Tennessee just couldn’t keep up with their balanced offensive attack.  

Darren Sproles has surfaced as a receiving threat with all the injuries to their receivers.  There may still be hope for this team.  (Last Week: 26)

21. Seattle Seahawks (4-3)

Ezra Shaw/Getty Images

OAKLAND, CA - OCTOBER 31: Matt Hasselbeck #8 of the Seattle Seahawks gets off the ground after he was sacked by the Oakland Raiders at Oakland-Alameda County Coliseum on October 31, 2010 in Oakland, California. (Photo by Ezra Shaw/Getty Images)

The Seahawks’ top ranked run defense could not slow down Darren McFadden and the surging Raiders. 

Their offense also had quite a few issues as Matt Hassellbeck could not complete a pass to save his starting position, completing a woeful 13-for-32 passes with no touchdowns and an interception. (Last Week: 18)

20. Jacksonville Jaguars (4-4)

David Garrard must have been inspired during his week off with a concussion because he came back on fire. 

Garrard went bananas: 17-for-21 for 260 yards and four touchdowns.  To top it off, he also ran one in for a score.  Their defense wasn’t too shabby either as they combined for four interceptions on John Kitna.    (Last Week: 22)

19. St. Louis Rams (4-4)

Steven Jackson wasn’t much of a factor as his injured finger may have affected him more than we all thought it would. 

But they didn’t need his running against the woeful Panthers on Sunday. Bradford made the best of a hurting receiving corps by throwing for two touchdowns.  (Last Week: 20)

18. Chicago Bears (4-3)

A week off gives the team some time to figure out how to fix their horrible passing attack. 

They face the winless Bills on Sunday and need to turn things around. That means they should get plenty of opportunities to utilize their offense.  Otherwise, they won’t have anymore excuses.  (Last Week: 14)

17. Oakland Raiders (4-4)

They shocked us last week when they ran all over the Broncos.  This week they surprised us again by limiting the Seahawks to one field goal.  

Their defense is looking better and better, and McFadden ran for over 100 yards once again.  (Last Week: 21)

16. Washington Redskins (4-4)

There’s drama unfolding here in Washington as Shanahan decided to bench an out-of-shape Donovan McNabb. 

Either he’s been eating too much CHUNKY soup or age is just getting the best of him.  But his offense has been stagnant and Shanahan isn’t happy; good thing the bye week is here.  Randy Moss anyone? (Last Week: 13)

15. Tampa Bay Buccaneers (5-2)

The Bucs are tied for the best record in the NFC.  And this week they may have just found themselves a running back. 

Rookie LeGarrette Blount ran for 120 yards and two touchdowns as the young Bucs continue to exceed expectations.  (Last Week: 17)

14. Green Bay Packers (5-3)

Driver is still hurting, and the offense failed to score a single touchdown. But the Pack seem to have turned it around and are on the up-and-up once again.  

Their defense came up big by pitching a shutout and putting a lot on pressure Mark Sanchez.  (Last Week: 16)

13. Miami Dolphins (5-3)

This week, the Dolphins get another five field goals from Dan Carpenter.   But unlike last week, they come away with the win. 

The offense is somewhat limited but Carpenter, a Ricky Williams touchdown and a strong defensive effort are a good enough combination to earn the win (Last Week: 15)

12. Houston Texans (4-3)

Arian Foster loves playing the Colts, as the stud running back scored his fourth rushing touchdown against them on Sunday.  But the Colts learned from their early opening week loss against the Texans and came out ready to play. 

Foster was their best player in the game as Schaub couldn’t get his game going; he gave up a costly interception that was returned for a touchdown by Kelvin Hayden in the second period.   (Last Week: 11)

11. Tennessee Titans (5-3)

Last week’s star Kenny Britt went down with an injury early in the first quarter, while Vince Young, who just came back from an injury, had to leave the game late with a strained hammy. 

To make matters worse, the surging Titans also lost the game and their momentum, ending a three game winning streak. (Last Week: 7)

10. Philadelphia Eagles (4-3)

Look out folks, Michael Vick is back.  Again! 

The Eagles go back to being the super electric team that everyone loves to watch with Vick at quarterback. 

Hopefully, he’ll also have a healthy, recovered-from-concussion DeSean Jackson to throw to as they play against the Colts.  (Last Week: 10)

9. Kansas City Chiefs (5-2)

The Chiefs showed a vicious, two-headed attack as Jamaal Charles and Thomas Jones combined for 254 rushing yards. 

They ran at will against the weak Bills run D, but the game was definitely too close for comfort.  Cassel needs to step up and take over this offense as their leader. (Last Week: 12)

8. New Orleans Saints (5-3)

Usually, it’s the Steelers that hold their opponents to 10 points, but this week the Saints defense turned it up against one of the best teams in the league.   

What a great way to bounce back after a deflating loss to the Cleveland Browns last week.  Brees came to life in the second half, but their lack of a running game is a very big reason for concern.  (Last Week: 9)

7. Indianapolis Colts (5-2)

In the battle for the top spot in the AFC South, Peyton and friends were able to avenge their first week loss to the Texans.  Manning made the best of what he had in terms of offensive weapons and made mere mortal Jacob Tamme a possible breakout star by making him one of his top target receivers this week. 

Meanwhile, Mike Hart looked good after getting the start over Donald Brown and Joseph Addai at the running back position.  (Last Week: 8)

6. Baltimore Ravens (5-2)

The Ravens rested this week, but they’re coming off back-to-back OT games.  The first, they lost to the Patriots; the second, they nearly lost to the Bills. 

They’ve shown they can beat some top dogs in the Jets and the Steelers, but they clearly still have some issues to work out. 

Those two wins may make a case for them to be ranked higher, but they’ve been playing with too much fire lately to move them up further in these rankings.  (Last Week: 6)

5. New York Giants (5-2)

The G-Men have been streaking and should continue to do so this coming Sunday.  Rest is always good, so the Seahawks should be ready. 

Eli and his receivers have been the highlight of the season, along with a terrific pass rush that has made opposing quarterbacks make costly errors.   (Last Week: 5)

4. Atlanta Falcons (5-2)

The Saints are always threats in the NFC South and the Bucs have surprised, but the Falcons have been the best team out of this division all season. 

The week off gives them ample time to prepare so they can give the baby Buccaneers a good old spanking at home.  It’s time to step up and show them that the division goes through Atlanta. (Last Week: 4)

3. Pittsburgh Steelers (5-2)

The Saints kept them in check during the game.  The Steelers may have shown a chink in their armor—they have problems against strong defensive teams. 

Roethlisberger was ineffective and the Saints kept them out of the end zone after a 1st-and-goal situation to end the first half.  (Last Week: 2)

2. New York Jets (5-2)

The rolling Jets hit a wall last Sunday.  After streaking to the top of this power ranking for the last couple of weeks, they’re losing ground.   

There were plenty of mistakes as Sanchez threw for a pair of picks. The rest of the team fumbled three times—only losing one.  (Last Week: 1)

1. New England Patriots (6-1)

Although Tom Brady is no longer an automatic for three passing touchdowns a week, this team of workhorses with plenty to prove continues to grind it out and win. 

This week BenJarvis Green-Ellis led the charge with two rushing touchdowns.  One more thing—is there still room for Randy Moss who desperately wants back in? Doubt it.  (Last Week: 3)

Who's The Best: AFC or NFC?

Jim Rogash/Getty Images

FOXBORO, MA - OCTOBER 31: Tom Brady #12 of New England Patriots reacts after a touchdown against the Minnesota Vikings at Gillette Stadium on October 31, 2010 in Foxboro, Massachusetts. (Photo by Jim Rogash/Getty Images)

Three of the top five teams in this week's power rankings are from the AFC.

Clearly, the AFC is the better conference.

With Atlanta and NY Giants taking a bye and the Steelers and NY Jets losing this week, there was some shuffling around in the Top 5.

The best team on top, however, was still an AFC team—the New England Patriots.

Also in the AFC, the Colts are starting to pick up steam, while the Kansas City Chiefs continue to surprise with a 5-2 record. 

And don't forget about the Baltimore Ravens, which has beaten both the NY Jets and the Steelers. Give them another week, and they could make a strong case to be one of the top two teams in the power rankings.

In the NFC, the Saints recovered well from their loss to the Browns by taking down the Steelers, and the Green Bay Packers put together an impressive shutout of the NY Jets. 

Both teams are on the up-and-up, including the young upstart Bucs, but they're still struggling with consistency and just can't be considered as strong as the AFC's best.

The rankings have spoken and the AFC has dominated. 

Will that run continue next week? We'll see.