NFL Power Rankings: Projecting Which Teams Will Reign Supreme After Sunday

The top two teams in my power rankings all have favorable matchups this weekend. The Green Bay Packers and Pittsburgh Steelers should both retain their spots at the top.

The Packers are 7-0, fresh off a bye week and will be traveling to San Diego to take on a struggling Chargers team. San Diego inexplicably lost to the Kansas City Chiefs 23-20 in overtime on Monday Night Football in Week 8.

Philip Rivers and his team are struggling mightily right now and have dropped two straight win-able games to fall to 4-3. Meanwhile the Packers are rolling right along, led by quarterback Aaron Rodgers and his league-high 125.7 quarterback rating. 

While the Chargers are incredibly talented, they are missing the one thing the Packers have in spades, which is a drive and will to win. San Diego has shown absolutely no fire this season and has almost just been going through the motions on the field. The Packers will exploit that on Sunday and rip Norv Turner's team.

I think the Chargers will grab a late score or two and make the score look closer than the game actually is, but the Packers will leave San Diego with an 8-0 record and will stay at No. 1 in my rankings.

The Steelers got smacked 35-7 by the Baltimore Ravens in Week 1 and after stumbling to a 2-2 start, have finally righted the ship. Pittsburgh has reeled off four wins in a row to improve to 6-2 and is coming off an impressive 25-17 win over the New England Patriots in Week 8.

The Ravens, meanwhile, are struggling as starting quarterback Joe Flacco is completing a dismal 53.8 percent of his passes this season. The Steelers are almost certainly going to exploit Baltimore's weakness on offense and Pittsburgh's No. 2-ranked defense (allowing just 270.8 total yards per game) has been getting better every week.

The Steelers will get revenge for that Week 1 beating and continue to look like the best the AFC currently has to offer.

NFL Power Rankings, Week 9

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