Pittsburgh remains the sole unbeaten team after defeating former Number One Power Team Baltimore. The Jets were slaughtered by Kansas City and remain the only winless team. Some weaker teams won this week, but there wasn't too much shake-up in the Power Rankings.
Team Power Rankings [Last week's position]
1. Pittsburgh Steelers (7-0) [1] : They hold onto the top and remain unbeaten.
2. Kansas City Chiefs (6-1) [2] : The defending Super Bowl Champs rise to second place, both due to a dominating defeat of the Jets (big deal, everybody does that) and a Ravens defeat.
3. Tampa Bay Bucs (6-2) [4] : The Bucs edge out the Ravens. Both face tough opponents this week, so their respective performances might separate them.
4. Baltimore Ravens (5-2) [2]
5. Indianapolis Colts (5-2) [10] : A strong win after a bye week boosts this team to the Top Five
6. Arizona Cardinals (5-2) [6] : Speaking of byes, the Cards sat out this week
7. Seattle Seahawks (6-1) [9] : The Seahawks rebounded from their first loss to beat the resurging 49ers
8. Miami Dolphins (4-3) [12] : Impressive win over the Rams propelled them into the Top Ten
9. Green Bay Packers (5-2) [5] : Disgusting loss. The injury bug might be starting to wear on the team
10. Los Angeles Rams (5-3) [7] : Too many mistakes in their loss to the Dolphins. They need to sharpen things up.
11. Tennessee Titans (5-2) [8] : They lost to the Bengals! Geez!
12. San Francisco 49ers (4-4) [11] : They hung in with the Seahawks for as long as they could. Not a bad job.
13. New Orleans Saints (5-2) [13] : After dominating the Bears, and confusing their offense, for most of the game, they almost gave them a chance to win in overtime.
14. Chicago Bears (5-3) [14] : They need to fix that offense, although they found something in the fourth quarter.
15. Buffalo Bills (6-2) [15] : Nice win, but their defense kept the floundering Pats in the game too much.
16. Cleveland Browns (5-3) [16] : The Browns remain in the upper half of the Power Rankings despite a loss to the Raiders. That shows the gap between the upper half and the lower half.
Division Power Rankings
1. NFC West [1] : Despite a loss by the 49ers, the division still lacks a team with a losing record.
2. AFC North [2] : Cleveland lost but Cincy won, and having Pittsburgh and Baltimore here always makes the division look strong.
3. AFC West [4] : Both the Raiders and Chargers are knocking on the upper half of the Power Rankings, and Denver won a game this week, too.
4. NFC South [3] : Bucs barely beat the Giants, the Saints barely beat the Bears, and Carolina lost. Not a stellar week.
5. NFC North [4] : Minnesota shocked Green Bay and Chicago held their own against New Orleans (thanks to their defense), but the division is showing cracks.
6. AFC South [6] : Only the Colts showed up well this week
7. AFC East [7] : Miami's win was the nicest performance
8. NFC East [8] : Philly leads after a beat-down against the Cowboys
Week 9 picks
Thursday night
Green Bay Packers at San Francisco 49ers : Minnesota showed that the Packers are starting to suffer from their weak bench, as replacing some injuries caused problems. However, the 49ers, just when they were getting players back from IR, suffered two major injuries last week in QB Jimmy Garrofolo and TE George Kiddle. The Packers offense is a bit weak, but the 49ers have more problems. PACKERS, 26-20
Sunday early games
Baltimore Ravens at Indianapolis Colts : Two Top Five Power teams go at it. The defense of the Ravens is really the major difference between these two, and that will be the game-winning difference. RAVENS, 23-17
Carolina Panthers at Kansas City Chiefs : Do I really need to even publish this pick? Easy. CHIEFS, 31-16
Chicago Bears at Tennessee Titans : The Titans will want redemption for their loss last week. The Bears still need to get their offense straightened out, which will be a great situation for the Titans defense to exploit. TITANS, 27-20
Denver Broncos at Atlanta Falcons : Both of these teams, who had been struggling, pulled out wins last week. Who will make it two in a row? Matt Ryan and company seem to be getting into some rhythm, so I'll give them the edge. FALCONS, 24-20
Detroit Lions at Minnesota Vikings : If Cousins can avoid making too many mistakes, the Vikings should prevail in this one. They are starting to show some offense, which is something lacking on the Lions. VIKINGS, 27-20
Houston Texans at Jacksonville Jaguars : Both teams had a bye last week, and I think the Texans will benefit more from the break, allowing some players to heal up. TEXANS, 20-10
New York Giants at Washington [name deleted] : The Giants just don't have much gas in their tank. Washington can't seem to figure out who should play QB, but their defense is good enough to make it a long day for Daniel Jones. WASHINGTON
Seattle Seahawks at Buffalo Bills : The Bills love to play close games, but few teams win as many of those as Seattle. SEAHAWKS, 30-27
Sunday late games
Las Vegas Raiders at Los Angeles Chargers : The Chargers are floundering right now, which is the perfect time for the Raiders to blow into town and exit with a win. RAIDERS, 24-20
Miami Dolphins at Arizona Cardinals : The Cards had an extra week to prepare for this one, but it'll be more of a defensive battle than an offensive showdown. CARDS, 20-17
Pittsburgh Steelers at Dallas Cowboys : Wither Dallas, and the Steelers continue their winning streak. STEELERS, 31-17
Sunday night
New Orleans Saints at Tampa Bay Bucs : The two top QBs of all time face off, and I don't think the Bucs will need overtime to win this one. The Bucs defense is the deciding factor in this one, especially since Drew Brees is pushing plays a bit too much this season. BUCS, 28-24
Monday Night Football
New England Patriots at New York Jets : The Patriots offense isn't good, but it's better than the Jets. PATS, 17-10
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