NFL Power Rankings Week 9: Labeling the League's Contenders & Pretenders

With eight weeks in the books, it's that time of year in the NFL where contenders start to distance themselves from the pretenders. We take a look at some of both in our Week 9 NFL Power Rankings.

(Note: The Packers, Patriots, Steelers, Ravens, Bills, Saints and Giants are all considered "contenders.") 

Contenders

San Francisco 49ers (6-1): With a head coach in Jim Harbaugh that has finally helped Alex Smith see the light and a defense that has played lights out, the 49ers are a team that can win 11 or 12 games with the schedule they have in front of them.  

Detroit Lions (5-2): What do you need in the NFL these days to win? A suffocating pass rush and a vertical passing game. The Lions have check marks by each through eight games in 2011.

Houston Texans (5-3): Losing Mario Williams for the season hurts, but they've gotten by without their top player on defense and Andre Johnson, their top offensive player. Johnson returns soon, which will give this offense a big boost.

Philadelphia Eagles (3-4): Has the sleeping giant finally awoken? It sure seems like it. We got a scary taste of what the Eagles can be in 2011 when they dismantled the Cowboys on Sunday night.

Pretenders

Kansas City Chiefs (4-3): Wins over Minnesota (with Donovan McNabb), Indianapolis (coming back), Oakland (with Kyle Boller/Carson Palmer) and now San Diego (a game they should have lost) aren't enough to tell me this team is anything but a pretender at this point. 

Oakland Raiders (4-3): We really don't know anything about this team right now. Can Carson Palmer play? That answer will ultimately decide their season. I'm not sure I trust Palmer to be someone who can play as efficiently as Jason Campbell was for the Raiders early on.  

Cincinnati Bengals (5-2): This isn't a knock on the Bengals, because any time you get five wins in seven tries in the NFL, you're doing something right. Still, Cincinnati has yet to face either the Ravens or Steelers in 2011. We'll know a lot more about this team after they play those two division rivals.

Tampa Bay Buccaneers (4-3): The Buccaneers are a slow team on offense, and they struggle to score points against good defenses. Where are the playmakers? On defense, not many names scare you. This is an average team that overachieved under Raheem Morris in Year 2. They've fallen back to Earth in Year 3. 

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. Kansas City Chiefs (4-3)
5. Detroit Lions (6-2)	21. Dallas Cowboys (3-4)
6. Baltimore Ravens (5-2)	22. Washington Redskins (3-4)
7. Buffalo Bills (5-2)	23. Cleveland Browns (3-4)
8. New York Giants (5-2)	24. Minnesota Vikings (2-6)
9. New Orleans Saints (5-3)	25. Carolina Panthers (2-6)
10. Houston Texans (5-3)	26. Jacksonville Jaguars (2-6)
11. Cincinnati Bengals (5-2)	27. Seattle Seahawks (2-5)
12. Chicago Bears (4-3)	28. Denver Broncos (2-6)
13. San Diego Chargers (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)