NFL Top 10 Power Ranking (After Week 9)

Cincinnati Enquirer

Things are starting to really settle in for teams inside of the Top 10. Not a lot of movement and a lot of the matchups in Week 9 didn’t change the standings. There really isn’t much to say about this week’s rankings heading into Week 10. The Bills fell out of the 10 spot after dropping a crucial game to the Bengals in Week 9. Joining the Bills are the Seahawks, who got absolutely destroyed by the Ravens. Not that I didn’t anticipate a Ravens win, but wow. Not quite like that. There are a couple new entries inside of the Top 10 and you will see those if you keep reading.

10: San Francisco 49ers (5-3)

The Niners are back inside of the Top 10 and yes, it doesn’t feel right to but them back here, but like the Bills in the couple of week prior, I will give them a shot to maintain their relevancy. San Fran is coming off of 3 straight losses in which they scored 17 points in each of those. Sometimes, all a team needs is to take a breather and I think that is just what this team needs. They have Jacksonville coming up in Week 10, so things aren’t going to be easy for them, but I think it is a winnable game. We’ll see if they continue to tumble or get back to their old form.

9: Dallas Cowboys (5-3)

The Cowboys stay inside the Top 10 after a painful loss to the Eagles. They could have easily won in Week 9, but it just wasn’t meant to be. It would have been a great win for them moving forward, but for now, they stick around the back end of the Top 10. They should stay within the Top 10 in the upcoming week as well. They are facing the Giants, who just officially lost Daniel Jones for the season, not that he was really a factor anyway, but still. It should be a big win for Dallas.

8: Cleveland Browns (5-3)

The Browns won their 3rd contest in which they held their opponent under 1 TD. They beat the Cardinals in a 27-0 shutout. Cleveland moves up a spot from last week even if they did get an easy win. The Ravens on the road are next for the Dawg Pound, so how they show up may affect their status in the Top 10 next week. The defense has showed up this year though, so I don’t think they will get blown out by any means.

7: Cincinnati Bengals (5-3)

The Bengals are red hot. I debated on putting them in last week’s rankings, but decided to wait another week to see how they paired up with the Bills. They looked really good against Buffalo and it appears that they’re back for good. The downside is that JaMarr Chase could be out for a little while. It will be a blow to the offense, but they’re killing it right now, so I wouldn’t be too worried. They have the Texans next and while it should be a win, it isn’t a gimme. CJ Stroud appears to be the real deal.

6: Detroit Lions (6-2)

Like with most teams, I expect the Lions to take a dip in the Power Rankings due to the fact of their bye week, but they stay put. Teams that could have moved up lost or weren’t convincing enough to jump Detroit, so at 6 they stay. They have the Chargers up next and they looked good last night against the Jets. This is a game that they can win, but the Charger are weird and can’t really count them out of any game. I think the Lions will win and get a nice win on the road, if not, they probably won’t fall too far, unless they just get obliterated.

5: Jacksonville Jaguars (6-2)

Another bye week, another team staying put. The Jags had a bye week, just like the Lions and nothing changed. I feel weird keeping the Jags at 5, but they have played really well this year. They’re riding high after a 5-game win streak and a week of rest, but Week 10 will not be easy. They have the Niners coming up, but the good thing is that they will play in Jacksonville. It should be a good game.

4: Miami Dolphins (6-3)

The Dolphins traveled to Germany this week to face the Chiefs and it was a tale of two halves. In the first half, they were getting it handed to them, but they tried to mount a comeback in the second. they fell just short, but had a shot to win. I can’t let them fall too far and the Jags and Lions didn’t really deserve to jump up any spots, too the Dolphins are at 4 this week. They may fall a little bit next week due to the bye week coming up, but I guess we shall see about that. After the bye, they have the Raiders, Jets, and Commanders coming up, so they’re likely not budging too much.

3: Baltimore Ravens (7-2)

The Ravens may be the most complete team in the NFL. They have a lockdown defense and their offense has been stellar in the first 9 games. They will face tougher challenges in the next half of games this season, but I wouldn’t call their first half a cake walk by any means. Gus Edwards is finding his groove with 6 TDs in the last 3 weeks. They also had a breakout performance by Keaton Mitchell. 138 yards on 9 carries. I think we’ll see him more involved in the gameplan this week. The Browns are up next, so I think we are all expecting a defensive showdown between the two teams.

2: Kansas City Chiefs (7-2)

Die Chiefs besiegten die Dolphins in woche neun. Nach einer peinlichen Niederlage gegen die Broncos in Woche acht sind die Chiefs wieder im Geschäft.

Sorry, I had a glitch there. The Chiefs defeated the Dolphins in a big-time matchup and move up to the number 2 spot. Their defense has kept them relevant this season and while at times their offense hasn’t clicked, I have no doubt that they will find their groove in the second half of the season. They have a decisive game with the Eagles in the upcoming week and this will be the battle for the Number 1 after Week 11.

1: Philadelphia Eagles (8-1)

The Eagles remain at the top of the rankings and even though they don’t win in the most decisive ways, they still find a way to win. It is one of those things, I don’t think they have played like the best team this year, but it is difficult to argue agains them with only 1 loss on the season. The next 5 weeks will be tough for Philly and I fully expect them to drop at least 2 games coming up. Like I just said, they have the Chiefs up next on next Monday night, so we’ll see how they perform in Week 11 and beyond, but I just don’t think they’re quite the squad that they were last year.

Yacs