NFL Power Rankings Week 9: Midseason Grades for All 32 Teams

Eight weeks of the NFL season are now in the books. The Steelers shot up the charts in this week's rankings after their impressive win over the Patriots on Sunday. It is amazing that a month ago most people left them for dead.

This edition of the power rankings includes midseason grades for each team. Keep in mind that the grades take into account not only performance but also how teams have performed based on expectations before the season started.

1. The Green Bay Packers

The Packers are clearly the best team in the NFL right now. While almost every team has had a letdown game, the Packers, behind Aaron Rodgers, show up each and every week.

They have a tough game next week at San Diego, but it is hard to see many places on the schedule where they will slip up.

Grade: A

2. The Pittsburgh Steelers

The Steelers got off to a slow start, but they are playing really good football right now. They got a huge win over the Patriots on Sunday.

They will get a chance this week to avenge their worst loss of the season when the Ravens come to town.

Grade: A

3. The San Francisco 49ers

The 49ers just keep winning football games. 

November is a tough month with games against the New York Giants (home) and Baltimore (road). After that, they have four games against NFC West opponents in their last five.

Grade: A

4. The Buffalo Bills

Most people thought the Bills would be better this year, but it was hard to see them being this good.

They are currently atop the AFC East but still have two games against the Jets and one against the Patriots. They probably need to go 2-1 in those to win the division. They sure look like they can do that right now.

Grade: A

5. New York Giants

The Giants are quietly putting together a really good year. While most of the stories from the NFC East are about teams underperforming, the Giants are 5-2.

They have a brutal five-game stretch coming up, but at this point it is hard to see anyone else winning that division.

Grade: A

6. The New England Patriots

The Patriots are going to be up near the top as long as Tom Brady is their quarterback, but the Steelers exposed some serious weaknesses of their 2011 team on Sunday. They have a lot of problems on defense right now.

It does not get any easier for them in the next two weeks with games against the Giants and Jets.

Grade: B

7. The New Orleans Saints

I took a lot of heat last week for having the Saints ranked lower than the Patriots. Both teams lost in Week 8, but the Saints lost to a Rams team that has not been competitive for most of the season.

The next four are tough for the Saints with games against the Buccaneers, Falcons, Giants and Lions. A good stretch in those games and they will be right back in the top five.

Grade: B

8. The San Diego Chargers

The Chargers took a tough loss on the road at Arrowhead this week. They are still the favorite to win the AFC West, but they could have really put some distance between themselves and the rest of the division with a win in that one.

They are going to need more from Philip Rivers down the stretch if they are going to be a legitimate contender in the AFC.

Grade: B-

9. The Baltimore Ravens

The Ravens looked like they were about to go in full meltdown mode on Sunday before storming back to win against the Cardinals.

They face a tough test in Week 9 when they travel to Pittsburgh to take on a Steelers team that will have revenge on its mind. It should be one of the best games of the week.

Grade: B

10. The Atlanta Falcons

The Falcons look to be back on track after a slow start to their season. 

Their schedule gets a little bit softer after the bye with games against Indianapolis, Tennessee and Minnesota in November.

Look for them to be right there with the Saints when the season is over.

Grade: B

11. The Detroit Lions

The Lions went to Denver and blew up the Tim Tebow hype.

They get an off week before a tough November that includes games against the Bears and Saints and a Thanksgiving matchup with the Packers. A winning November will make the terrible Lions a distant memory.

Grade: B

12. The Houston Texans

The Texans have weathered the storm without Andre Johnson in the lineup. They went 2-2 with both wins coming against division opponents.

AJ should be back this week, and the Texans should be able to separate themselves from the AFC South field.

They finally have a defense that makes them a legitimate contender.

Grade: B

13. The Cincinnati Bengals

The Bengals are another team that is quietly having a really good year.

The question with them is are they 5-2 because of their schedule or because they are a good football team? Time will tell because the schedule gets a lot tougher in the second half of the season. They have two games against Pittsburgh, two games against Baltimore and a game against Houston in their last nine.

Grade: B

14. The New York Jets

The Jets had the week off after winning two in a row. It looks like they are starting to get back on track after their three-game losing streak earlier in the season.

They have an easier schedule the rest of the way outside of their two games against the Bills. They will be in the mix.

The reason the Jets have a low grade is because they have not lived up to preseason expectations.

Grade: C

15. The Chicago Bears

November is a big month for the Bears. Right now they look to be a cut below the Packers and Lions in the NFC North, but they will have the chance to change that perception if they can win games against the Eagles, Lions and Chargers in the next three. Their schedule gets much easier after that.

It does look like Mike Martz has figured out that his offense is much better with the ball in Matt Forte's hands. That will bode well for them down the stretch.

Grade: B-

16. The Philadelphia Eagles

Can the Eagles salvage their season? That is going to be the big question in the second half.

There is no doubt they have not lived up to the preseason hype, but they have won their last two.

They, like the Jets, get graded down more than the teams around them because of the preseason hype. The Dream Team was not supposed to be 3-4 after seven games.

Grade: C-

17. The Tampa Bay Buccaneers

The Buccaneers have been up and down all season long. They are going to need to find some consistency in November with games against New Orleans, Houston and Green Bay.

Tampa Bay is a good team, but it looks like it is only good enough for third in the NFC South. That will not be good enough to earn the Bucs a spot in the playoffs.

Grade: B-

18. The Kansas City Chiefs

The Chiefs have been a lot better than anyone expected they would after Jamaal Charles went down for the season with a torn ACL. Their win over the Chargers this week moved them into a tie with San Diego atop the AFC West.

Their schedule softens up over the next two weeks with games against the Dolphins and Broncos before they head to New England in Week 11.

Grade: B

19. The Tennessee Titans

The Titans followed up two terrible games with a win over the Colts. That is not exactly a victory to hang your hat on.

They have an interesting game against the Bengals this Sunday. A win is crucial if they are going to keep pace with the Houston Texans.

It sure would help if they could get Chris Johnson going, but it does not look like that will happen anytime in 2011.

Grade: C

20. The Dallas Cowboys

Just when you think the Dallas Cowboys are about to get their season back on track, they turn in a performance like the one against the Eagles on Sunday night.

The Cowboys have got to be discussing internally if it is time to move on from Tony Romo. He puts up good numbers most of the time, but he does not seem to be the guy that is going to lead them back to the promised land.

Grade: C-

21. The Oakland Raiders

The rest of the Oakland season rests solely on the shoulders of Carson Palmer. He will have some help from Darren McFadden and Michael Bush, but if they are going to make a run at an AFC West crown, Palmer is going to have to play well.

It is obvious that they believe in Palmer based on the price they paid for him. He will get the chance to show that he was worth the price.

Grade: C

22. The Cleveland Browns

The Browns have not lived up to expectations this season. A lot of people thought the Browns were going to compete this year. They started off 2-1, but those wins were against two of the worst teams in the league.

It is obvious that they are still at least a year away from actually being a contender. 

Grade: C-

23. The Minnesota Vikings

The Vikings have to be excited about the way Christian Ponder has played the last couple of weeks. His development will be helped along by playing with the best running back in the NFL.

Ponder and his team went to Carolina this past week and knocked off fellow rookie Cam Newton's Panthers.

Wins will be hard to come by for the Vikings down the stretch, but they have a lot to be excited about in the future.

Grade: C+

24. The Carolina Panthers

Cam Newton is just one man, and try as he may, he cannot win games by himself.

The Panthers need some help on the defensive side of the ball, but do not be surprised to see them win a couple of games in the second half that people are not expecting them to win. No team wants to see Newton and that offense on its schedule.

Grade: B

25. The Jacksonville Jaguars

Blaine Gabbert has played the worst of any of the rookie quarterbacks so far this season. He was the quarterback for the win over the Ravens, but that game was won by the defense.

Jacksonville still has two games against Indianapolis, which it will win, but those might be the only two wins it picks up the rest of the season.

Grade: C-

26. The Washington Redskins

The Redskins fell a long way in a hurry. At one point this season they were 3-1.  

Now you look at their remaining schedule, and it is hard to see three games in the remaining nine that they even have a chance to win.

Mike Shanahan should have added a quarterback in the offseason. I bet he realizes that now.

Grade: D

27. The Denver Broncos

Tim Tebow is not a good NFL quarterback. He showed that Sunday against the Lions. His will and desire can only get him so far.

There is a pretty good chance the Broncos do not win a game the rest of the season. Their only real chance is Week 13 in Minnesota.

Grade: D

28. The Arizona Cardinals

The Kevin Kolb experiment has been a disaster through seven games in Arizona.

The thing about the Cardinals is that they have a lot of talent on their roster, especially on offense, but they just cannot seem to put it all together. The main reason for that is Kolb.

They still have two against St. Louis and one against Seattle, so there are some games the Cardinals can win, but it is hard to see them ending the season with more than four wins.

Grade: D

29. The Seattle Seahawks

The Seahawks are a team without an identity. They beat the Giants in New York yet lost to the Browns 6-3 in the next game. The way they've been playing so far this season, no games on their schedule seem winnable.

Grade: C

30. The St. Louis Rams

The Rams finally got their first win of the season against the Saints. They have some weapons on offense with Steven Jackson and Brandon Lloyd, but their defense cannot stop anyone.

Sam Bradford will be better with the addition of Lloyd. The Rams will score some points, but it will not be enough most Sundays to keep up with how many their defense gives up.

Grade: D

31. The Miami Dolphins

The Dolphins had a lead on Sunday. That might be as good as it gets for the 2011 team.

Their fans should be pretty excited, though, after watching the Stanford vs. USC game from Saturday night. It sure looks like either one of those quarterbacks will be pretty good.

Grade: F

32. The Indianapolis Colts

There is not much left to say about the Colts at this point. They are learning each week that Peyton Manning has spent the last decade covering up numerous personnel mistakes.

They remain in the 32nd spot because they did not even look competitive on Sunday against a Titans team that is not very good.

Grade: F