NFL Power Rankings: Which Teams Have Clawed Their Way Out of the Basement?

These three NFL teams have pulled themselves out of the basement of our Power Rankings in recent weeks: 

Philadelphia Eagles (3-4)

Expecting the Eagles to come out of the gates as a well-oiled machine was probably wishful thinking. Adding that many new faces to a 53-man roster is a tough transition regardless of the talent acquired. Football is obviously much different than basketball, but the Miami Heat had the same kind of early struggles that we saw in Philadelphia. Once that dream team started to gel, they went on to play in the NBA Finals. I'm not saying the Eagles are destined to play in Super Bowl XLVI, but we've now seen what they are capable of when they put it all together.

Kansas City Chiefs (3-3)

Maybe we wrote off the Kansas City Chiefs prematurely, too. They fell to No. 32 in my power rankings after Week 2. But after seeing the way they started 0-3, there was no reason to think that they would turn it around as quickly as they have. Quarterback Matt Cassel is at the center of the revival, as he's been fantastic in his past three games. And don't forget about running back Jackie Battle. He's been a revelation over the past two games filling in as the lead horse. He could have a big say in whether the Chiefs continue their three-game winning streak.

Minnesota Vikings (2-6)

I think the writing was on the wall for the Vikings to pull themselves out of the basement. They weren't getting blown out at the beginning of the season. In fact, they held big leads in each of their first three games and should probably have three or four wins. Inserting rookie quarterback Christian Ponder into the starting lineup has been the spark. He's shown poise and is making plays on third downs. That Adrian Peterson guy is pretty good, too. 

Week 9 Power Rankings

1. Green Bay Packers (7-0)	17. Oakland Raiders (4-3)
2. San Francisco 49ers (6-1)	18. Tampa Bay Buccaneers (4-3)
3. Pittsburgh Steelers (6-2)	19. Tennessee Titans (4-3)
4. New England Patriots (5-2)	20. Dallas Cowboys (3-4)
5. Detroit Lions (6-2)	21. Kansas City Chiefs (3-3)*
6. Baltimore Ravens (5-2)	22. Washington Redskins (3-4)
7. Buffalo Bills (5-2)	23. Cleveland Browns (3-4)
8. San Diego Chargers (4-2)*	24. Minnesota Vikings (2-6)
9. New York Giants (5-2)	25. Carolina Panthers (2-6)
10. New Orleans Saints (5-3)	26. Jacksonville Jaguars (2-6)
11. Houston Texans (5-3)	27. Seattle Seahawks (2-5)
12. Cincinnati Bengals (5-2)	28. Denver Broncos (2-6)
13. Chicago Bears (4-3)	29. Arizona Cardinals (1-6)
14. Atlanta Falcons (4-3)	30. St. Louis Rams (1-6)
15. New York Jets (4-3)	31. Miami Dolphins (0-7)
16. Philadelphia Eagles (3-4)	32. Indianapolis Colts (0-8)

* Plays Monday night