NFL Power Rankings Week 9: Division Leaders with Most to Gain

There are five divisional matchups this week in the NFL.

Of those five, three involve the division leader.

There is still a lot of time to turn things around, but several division leaders can take a huge leap forward with a win this week.

Here are a few with the most to gain in Week 9. 

New Orleans Saints

New Orleans is coming off an ugly loss to the St. Louis Rams and has plenty of explaining to do.

This week, they draw a matchup with division rival Tampa Bay—a team that has already beaten them once this year—in a must-win home game.

The Saints have the potential to be an elite, Super Bowl-contending team in the NFC if they can play with some consistency.

A loss to the Bucs would be a huge blow, while a win would be a double-whammy as it would knock Tampa down another game and give the Saints an edge. 

Buffalo Bills

The still surprising 5-2 Bills are ready to be taken seriously. In order to do that, they're going to have to beat the New York Jets this week.

Gang Green is winless on the road this year, but the core of this team is still the same group of players that have been to two AFC championship games in a row.

The win over the Patriots in Week 2 was huge for the Bills, but a win here would solidify their legitimacy at the top of the division. 

Pittsburgh Steelers

At 6-2, the Steelers hold a half-game edge as they have not yet had their bye, but the Ravens upended them in Week 1 and hold the head-to-head advantage.

This week, Pittsburgh gets a chance to change that at home on Sunday Night Football.

Ben Roethlisberger and his offense finally appear to have everything working and this will be as big a test as they'll have all season.

A win here would not only take away Baltimore's advantage, but it will knock them back a game as well. 

San Francisco 49ers

San Francisco doesn't play a division rival this week (they travel to Washington), but every win they earn is one step closer to clinching the woeful NFC West division.

The 49ers have a unique chance to clinch their division early and then focus on earning a top seed in the NFC overall.

It would certainly be an incredible turnaround from coach Jim Harbaugh if the 49ers were able to have the playoffs run through the Bay Area.

NFL Power Rankings	Last Week
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