NFL Power Rankings: Slumping Teams Ready to Breakout

We all tend to overact from game to game in the NFL.

With only 16 games on the regular season slate, your team can go from Super Bowl contender to Andrew Luck contender in the matter of just a few weeks.

Luckily, the opposite can be said as well. Remember, nobody could foresee an injured and underwhelming Packers team could do what they did a year ago.

Here are three teams that are off to a sluggish start, but shouldn’t be hitting the panic button just yet.

No. 17 Oakland Raiders

The Raiders are in decent shape in the AFC West for one singular reason: a cupcake schedule.

I’m not sold on Carson Palmer; in fact I think the Raiders win despite of him. They have the second-best running game in the NFL and their young defense is quietly improving by the week.

When you still have Denver, Minnesota, Miami and two games against the suddenly awful Chargers on the schedule—the Raiders are in excellent shape.  

No. 21 Dallas Cowboys

They have played some ugly football recently, yet they have the sort of talent that can still win a mediocre NFC East.

With five games against playoff contenders already in the books, now is the time for the Cowboys to start feasting on lesser opponents. They have Seattle on deck, with the Bills, Redskins, Dolphins and Cardinals to follow.

Those are six winnable games that can right the ship rather quickly. A 5-1 or 4-2 stretch puts them right back in the midst of the hunt for a playoff spot.

Expect them to get back on the right track in a big way on Sunday against the Seahawks.

No. 27 St. Louis Rams

OK, so I’m not predicting playoffs for the Rams, but they finally will begin to reap the benefits of playing in the NFC West after a ridiculously tough slate to start the season.

I can envision them beating Arizona, Cleveland and Seattle in successive weeks, which would equal a four-game winning streak after beating the Saints this past Sunday.

With Sam Bradford scheduled to return from a high ankle sprain, the Rams are going to end up with seven or eight wins by season's end.

Not bad considering they started the season with six straight losses. 

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