NFL Power Rankings Week 9: 3 Stars Most Responsible for Top Teams' Success

They say the NFL is a team game—11 guys coming together for one common goal. 

Yeah, well, superstars are the guys that make the biggest difference for the top teams, and there's a group of them that are most responsible for their team's success this season. 

Think Most Valuable Player. 

Aaron Rodgers

After the start Tom Brady got off to this season, it seemed like he was well on his way to a consecutive MVP award and had fully cemented himself as the league's best quarterback with Peyton Manning on the sideline. 

Aaron Rodgers had other ideas. 

All he's done is won his first seven games of the year and post a quarterback rating higher than 110.0 in all of them. 

He's completing nearly 72 percent of his passes and has 20 touchdowns to only three interceptions. 

Take him off the Packers and they're still a decent team, but with him behind center, they're the clear cut Super Bowl favorites with the most entertaining offense in the NFL. 

Tom Brady

Rodgers has been incredible this season, but Brady hasn't been far behind. Although we've seen him face some confusing defensive schemes against the Cowboys and Steelers, he's having another All-Pro-type year. 

He has a 104.4 quarterback rating so far and has tossed 18 touchdown to only eight picks. We have seen how horrible New England's secondary has been, so without Brady, I'd say New England is a 3-3 team right now, if not worse. 

Fred Jackson

Ryan Fitzpatrick got the big, $59 million pay day last week, but Fred Jackson has been both the heart and the soul of the Buffalo Bills this season. 

He trails only Matt Forte in total yards from scrimmage (1,091 to 1,074) and has six touchdowns. He's eclipsed 168 total yards the last three games and averages 5.5 yards per carry.

Jackson blocks, spreads out wide, catches screen passes–he does it all.

With Buffalo's below average defense, they've had to lean on Jackson through seven games, and he's produced in every game. 

Week 9 Power Rankings

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