NFL Power Rankings, Week 9

As the playoff pictures begin to start taking shape, we are looking at a vastly different postseason landscape than we have become accustomed to. We already know there will be no Brady, but as the weeks play out it looks as their we may not see Favre or Manning throwing passes, or LT and the Jags two-headed tandem rushing for touchdowns.

So here's my take:

TEAM
1. Tennessee Titans (7-0)	Another huge win and this one coming in primetime against a division opponent. The last unbeaten in the NFL is looking very strong.
2. NY Giants (6-1)	Eli Manning looked flustered and jumpy and the offense couldn’t put the ball into the end zone…until it mattered late in the 4^th quarter. Good teams win those games.
3. Pittsburgh Steelers (5-2)	Had the Giants on the ropes, but a bad snap and a porous offensive line prevented any significant offensive performances from the Steeler starters.
4. Washington Redskins (6-2)	Looked at some points like they were going to be the team to give the Rams and Lions their first wins, but they pulled their head out with enough time to rally and beat the Lions.
5. Carolina Panthers (6-2)	Climbed aboard Steve Smith’s shoulders and rallied to beat the Cardinals and make a claim among the NFC elite. Now if they can get consistent efforts from the RBs, who appear to both be hit and miss.
6. Philadelphia Eagles (4-3)	Westbrook was all over the field, running and catching the Eagles to an important victory. McNabb is going to have to be a little more effective throwing the ball if they are going to beat the better teams.
7. Tampa Bay Bucs (5-3)	The Bucs showed what happens when you let a team hang around by never putting the ball into the end zone with multiple opportunities.
8. Dallas Cowboys (5-3)	A week after losing Roy Williams and Pacman Jones, the defense rebounded with a solid performance that led to a Cowboy win. But this is not 2003 and they will not win games with Brad Johnson.
9. Arizona Cardinals (4-3)	They had the Panthers down early, but some crucial turnovers really hurt their chances. On the positive side, the return of Boldin gives them three legitimate WR threats again now that Breaston has emerged.
10. Buffalo Bills (5-2)	Played a very sloppy game coming off of a big win. Edwards looked uncharacteristically shaky and the offensive line failed to block well all game. Now the East is all tied up.
11. New England Patriots (5-2)	Reclaimed a tie for first place in the division with a comeback win against the rejuvenated Rams. They just keep rotating in those RBs and seem to still find a combination that works.
12. GB Packers (4-3)	They can use the bye week to rest some of their injured defenders and try to figure out how to get more long runs from Grant again, who has really seen his YPC plummet.
13. Baltimore Ravens (4-3)	Ray Rice played the best game of his rookie season and McGahee scored another TD as the Raven controlled the clock and dominated the Raiders. They are going to need to pound the ball to win.
14. New Orleans Saints (4-4)	Proved that they can still put up big offensive numbers even without Reggie Bush. Deuce proved that he can be a #1 RB again and Colston proved that he is back from his injury. A good week.
15. Atlanta Falcons (4-3)	Hung tough with one of the best teams in the NFC for much of the game, which is a testament to this young team. They have the pieces and are certainly going in the right direction.
16. Jacksonville Jaguars (3-4)	Had the bye week to prepare and still looked overmatched against the rebounding Browns. The passing attack was solid, but how could Drew and Taylor get nothing done against that defense?
17. Indianapolis Colts (3-4)	Is it possible that we are going to see a postseason without Brady and Manning throwing passes in the AFC? It’s slowly beginning to look that way.
18. Houston Texans (3-4)	For the third week in a row Matt Shaub has put on a clinic under center. Last week he won a game with the legs and this week, he throws for over 300 yards and 3 TDs. Something might be brewing.
19. Denver Broncos (4-3)	A great time for a week off in Denver. They really need to figure out what is going on with that offense and how they can get back to the performances they put up early in the season.
20. Chicago Bears (4-3)	Welcomed the bye week with open arms. If they can get a healthy secondary to join this newly potent offense they could still sneak into the postseason.
21. Cleveland Browns (3-4)	A gigantic win against the Jaguars has the Browns back in position to make some noise in the AFC. They are starting to regain the form that made them a popular sleeper pick.
22. Minnesota Vikings (3-4)	The two Williams’ on the defensive line both tested positive for banned substances. For a defense that is built on stopping the run, that might be the worst news you can get.
23. NY Jets (4-3)	Thanks to Brady’s injury, the wide open AFC East and the Chiefs, the Jets are only one game out of first place. Against a better team Favre wouldn’t have gotten away with all those picks.
24. SD Chargers (3-5)	They are searching for answers, but just aren’t able to put their finger on anything. A normally solid defense lets up 37 points and leads to their coordinator getting fired. Might take more than that.
25. Miami Dolphins (3-4)	Welcome to the NFL Tedd Ginn. After 18 months of trash from Ginn and a week after I called out Pennington for his poor performance, they torched the Bills secondary and led Miami to a win.
26. St. Louis Rams (2-5)	Put up a good fight and were a few plays away from coming up with their third straight win. Donnie Avery has been a great find at WR, but where has Torry Holt gone?
27. Oakland Raiders (2-5)	Went back to their dismal ways after pulling the upset over the Jets. Fargas was unable to move the ball on the ground and with the exception of Miller, they don’t have a consistent receiving threat.
28. Seattle Seahawks (2-5)	Seneca Wallace threw for 200 plus yards and 2 TDs and FB Leonard Weaver was the leading receiver and the Seahawks dominated the 49ers. Strange days.
29. SF 49ers (2-6)	After last week I didn’t think it was possible that any team could look worse than Seattle. But then the 49ers got blown out at home by the Seahawks, so…
30. KC Chiefs (1-6)	Had their chances against the Jets, but couldn’t capitalize on Favre’s mistakes. Without LJ, Jamal Charles might be the RB to watch going forward.
31. Cincinnati Bengals (0-8)	It might not be a stretch to say that the Bengals are the worst team in football. Why rush Palmer back when none of the games he is going to play will mean anything?
32. Detroit Lions (0-7)	Another game, another zero in the win column. They need more than Calvin Johnson on offense or they are never going to do anything but threaten to win.

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Sports by Big Tuna

NFL Power Rankings, Week 9