NFL Power Rankings Week 9: Cellar Dwellers That Have No Hope of Rising Up Ranks

We may only be entering the ninth week of the NFL season, but there are already several teams that have essentially no shot at making the playoffs. There is still time to get back to respectability, though, but some teams simply don't have the tools to do it.

Ultimately, while it may not be in their nature, some teams are best off mailing in the season and trying to get the No. 1 overall draft pick to select Stanford quarterback Andrew Luck.

Here are three cellar dwellers that are going nowhere fast.

Arizona Cardinals

Many thought that the revamped Arizona Cardinals would have a shot to win the weak NFC West this season thanks to the addition of quarterback Kevin Kolb, but that seems to be a near-impossibility at this point as they sit with a 1-6 record.

Kolb hasn't lived up to expectations in the least and the defense has been an abomination. The Cards will host the 1-6 St. Louis Rams this week, but the Rams are coming off an inspiring victory over the New Orleans Saints. The Rams got back to basics by running the ball with Steven Jackson and I expect them to carry their momentum into Arizona.

Miami Dolphins

Things certainly haven't gone well for the Miami Dolphins this season as they are one of only two remaining teams without a win. They came close against the New York Giants in Week 8, but ultimately were unable to hang on to a late lead.

Matt Moore has been unimpressive at quarterback in the absence of Chad Henne and the defense has been atrocious—particularly against the pass. Miami will run into a rolling Kansas City Chiefs team that has won four consecutive games. The Dolphins are a bit better than their record shows, but not by much as the talent level simply isn't there.

Indianapolis Colts

Nobody thought things would come easily for the Indianapolis Colts without quarterback Peyton Manning, but I'm not sure anyone predicted that the Colts would be quite this bad. Indianapolis is the worst team in the league by far at 0-8, and there really isn't a light at the end of the tunnel.

The Colts were wiped out 62-7 by the New Orleans Saints two weeks ago and didn't look very good against the Tennessee Titans in Week 8. The defense is worse than it ever has been, and the offense simply can't find a rhythm with Curtis Painter under center. With the surging Atlanta Falcons coming to town, things are likely to go from bad to worse.

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