LBS NFL Power Rankings Week 9

1. New England Patriots (6-1, +2)

I don’t think many people expected the Patriots to be 6-1 after their first seven games when the schedules came out. They definitely didn’t think they’d have the best record in the NFL three games after trading Randy Moss. They’re set up nicely for a first round playoff bye as the schedule gets easier from here.

2. Pittsburgh Steelers (5-2, –)

Pittsburgh ran into a fired up Saints team at the Louisiana Dome. I still think they’re the most dangerous team in football, and they’ll only get better as Roethlisberger gets more comfortable without having Santonio Holmes to throw to. Their defense is equally as good as the Jets’ but their offense is a lot better.

3. New York Jets (5-2, -2)

With a 9-0 loss to Green Bay, the Jets proved there’s only so much a great defense can do. We know the Jets can stop teams from scoring, but if they’re going to make a deep run again this year they’ll have to find ways to score points. Santonio Holmes should help as he gets more comfortable with the offense.

4. Baltimore Ravens (5-2, –)

The Ravens had an extra week off to think about how they almost lost to the lowly Bills. They have a big one at home against the Dolphins this Sunday. Baltimore will be well rested but Miami will be bringing plenty of confidence after their win in Cincinnati

5. Indianapolis Colts (5-2, +1)

The Colts returned the favor against the Texans, who beat them week one. As usual, Peyton Manning was able to incorporate new pieces into the offense with several key players missing. Their passing game didn’t miss a beat, but they also went against the worst pass defense in the NFL.

6. Green Bay Packers (5-3, +1)

I feel like I’m still part of the minority in thinking the Packers are the best team in the NFC, but it’s tough to argue with a shutout victory on the road against one of the best teams in football. They’ve lost three games by a combined total of nine points, and they were extremely banged up for two of them.

7. New York Giants (5-2, +1)

The Giants were the hottest team in football headed into their bye week. I hope they were piping plenty of noise into their practice field the past two weeks, because they’ll be hearing plenty of it at Qwest Field this Sunday. A game in Seattle will be a good indicator of this team’s toughness.

8. Atlanta Falcons (5-2, +1)

Coming off the bye week, the Falcons have a tough task in taking on the Tampa Bay Bucs. No one really knows what to make of Tampa except that Josh Freeman is good in the clutch. With the way things are going, the Falcons would be smart to try and put them away early.

9. New Orleans Saints (5-3, +2)

Like we said last week, the Saints are the definition of inconsistency so far in 2010. They lose to the Browns one week and come back and beat the Steelers the next. New Orleans’ passing game was able to get to Pittsburgh when it needed to and their defense stepped up immensely at home.

10. Kansas City Chiefs (5-2, +4)

Kansas City needed overtime to beat Buffalo, but the Ravens needed a huge comeback to do the same thing last week. The Chiefs are 5-2 in a weak division. If they can find some consistency on offense, there’s no reason they can’t maintain their early-season success.

11. Tennessee Titans (5-3, -6)

The Titans ran into a Chargers team that was desperate for a win and couldn’t afford to lose two straight home games. They have a bye this weekend before hitting the road to take on the Dolphins. Kenny Britt’s hamstring injury will cost them quite a bit.

12. Tampa Bay Buccaneers (5-2, +4)

Time to start giving the Bucs some credit. They don’t exactly have a difficult schedule going forward and Josh Freeman is very good in the clutch. If they can win a few more close games and beat their bad opponents, could they be playoff bound? Naaa…

13. Miami Dolphins (4-3, -1)

The Dolphins didn’t let last week’s blown call against Pittsburgh affect them on the road in Cincinnati. They beat a struggling Bengals team and Chad Henne led the game-winning drive Miami has been waiting to see from him. They need to get Ricky Williams and Ronnie Brown going more consistently.

14. Philadelphia Eagles (4-3, -2)

The return of Michael Vick after the bye week should provide the Eagles with a spark yet again. Their defense will face a tough task having to contain Peyton Manning and company, who looked as good as ever against the Texans, even without Dallas Clark and Austin Collie.

15. Oakland Raiders (4-4, +5)

The Raiders — that’s right the Raiders — are one of the hotter teams in football right now. After back-to-back blowout victories they face the Chiefs at home with a chance to enter the bye week at 5-4. No one expected them to be in contention after eight games.

16. Houston Texans (4-3, -3)

The Texans aren’t going to win games if they don’t score a lot of points. It’s that simple. With Andre Johnson appearing to tweak his ankle again on Monday night, that will be no easy task. If their defense wasn’t horrible, they’d be a playoff contender.

17. Chicago Bears (4-3, +1)

The bye week should help the Bears, as they had plenty of issues to address and are lucky to be sitting at 4-3. Hopefully they figured out some new protection schemes so Jay Cutler can stop taking a beating and turning the ball over. Fortunately for Chicago, they play the Bills this weekend.

18. Jacksonville Jaguars (4-4, +7)

It’s no surprise the Jaguars defeated the reeling Cowboys. It’s kind of a surprise that they beat them by 18 in Dallas. David Garrard looked great for a change and Jacksonville dominated from start to finish. The win should be a good confidence booster heading into the bye week.

19. St.Louis Rams (4-4, –)

The Rams did exactly what they needed to do before the bye week: took care of business against a bad team and ran their record to 4-4. I know it’s not saying much, but I think St. Louis has the best shot at winning the NFC West if they can stay healthy.

20. Seattle Seahawks (4-3, -3)

The Raiders beat up on the Seahawks in Oakland. Are the Raiders actually good or are the Seahawks bad? We’ll certainly know more after Seattle’s home match-up with the smoking hot G-Men on Sunday. Yikes, that came out wrong.

21. Washington Redskins (4-4, -6)

The Redskins just lost to the Lions and it looks like Donovan McNabb’s relationship with the coaching staff is on the rocks. It’s safe to say they’ve hit the low point in their season. They’ll have a week off to let the dust settle.

22. San Diego Chargers (3-5, +2)

San Deigo desperately needed a win against the Titans and was able to get it. Had they lost two straight home games and ended up 2-6, their season would probably be over. When Vincent Jackson is eligible to play their passing game should get an enormous boost. The AFC West is still very winnable.

23. Arizona Cardinals (3-4, -2)

The Cardinals fell victim to the Josh Freeman comeback and lost a home game that they really should have won. I don’t know if there’s another team in the NFL with a bigger void at quarterback than Arizona. Their defense isn’t good enough to compensate for their lack of a signal-caller.

24. Minnesota Vikings (2-5, -2)

The Vikings lost to the Patriots and it almost seems as though Randy Moss is happy about it.  That’s probably why they cut him. Brad Childress has lost control of his team and Brett Favre is the walking dead. A couple more losses and Chilly is on his way out the door, if not sooner.

25. Cincinnati Bengals (2-5, -2)

This is not where the Bengals expected to be seven games into the season. Their defense has been a letdown and Carson Palmer no longer looks like the dominant quarterback he once was. With the Steelers and Ravens in the same division, their playoff hopes are over.

26. Detroit Lions (2-5, +3)

Fortunately for Detroit, Mike Shanahan handed the ball to Rex Grossman to seal a Lions victory. The Lions are 2-5, but this team doesn’t have the feel of teams past. They seem confident and ready to take the right steps toward rebuilding.

27. Cleveland Browns (2-5, –)

The Browns face the Patriots at home coming off their bye week. Bill Belichick is known for giving young quarterbacks a fit, so we’ll see if he can continue that with his improving defense. As usual, it will be interesting to watch the postgame handshake — or lack thereof — in this one.

28. Denver Broncos (2-6, –)

We thought for sure the Broncos would be able to beat the lowly Niners after the Raiders embarrassed them in Denver. They couldn’t get it done, and as a result have quickly emerged as one of the worst teams in football.

29. San Francisco 49ers (2-6, +2)

The poor fans in London had to watch the 49ers take on the Broncos. I feel like I should apologize on behalf of the NFL. The Niners came out on top, but still aren’t good. Mike Singletary will use the bye week in an attempt to keep his job.

30. Dallas Cowboys (1-6, -4)

Imagine the Dallas Cowboys ranked 30th in an NFL power poll? Believe it. The Jaguars dominated Dallas and Romo ain’t coming back anytime soon. Jon Kitna’s first game as a starter for the Cowboys was a disappointment, but who can blame him?

31. Carolina Panthers (1-6, -1)

If the Panthers can’t win the games they have a chance at winning, such as the one against the Rams, they’ll be in for a long season.  Who am I kidding?  They’re definitely in for a long season.

32. Buffalo Bills (0-7, –)

I don’t really feel the need to explain this one anymore.  Get used to it.  I highly doubt the Bills are going anywhere in the Power Rankings for the remainder of the 2010 season.