Neil Reynolds' Week 9 Power Rankings

Undefeated is undefeated. It’s time to give the Philadelphia Eagles the respect they deserve. They are two games better than every other team in the league and while it starts in the trenches, the Eagles have built a true contender by having talent all over the field and a franchise QB in Jalen Hurts.

I’m hoping Sunday was just a blip against a very good defense. I tend to think the Bills will be just fine and the AFC will still come down to them and the Kansas City Chiefs, but let’s just keep an eye on the elbow injury suffered by quarterback Josh Allen. If his throwing arm is hampered, that’s a worry.

Not for the first time in his already-glittering career, Patrick Mahomes put the Chiefs on his back in their overtime win against Tennessee. He not only threw the ball 68 times for 446 yards, he also rushed for 63 yards and a touchdown. With Mahomes leading the way, KC can go all the way.

The Cowboys are coming off their bye week in great shape at 6-2. Now, Dallas head coach Mike McCarthy returns to Green Bay where he and quarterback Aaron Rodgers were reportedly not the best of friends. McCarthy will unleash his excellent defense on number 12 at Lambeau Field.

The Ravens have won three in a row after a 3-3 start and their latest victory over New Orleans was classic Baltimore. The Ravens rushed for 188 yards in the one-sided win and are eyeing the playoffs. Only one of their remaining eight games (vs Cincinnati) comes against a team with a winning record.

If the Vikings keep winning and Kirk Cousins keeps upping the plane-ride celebrations after each victory, he’s going to be doing The Griddy up and down the aisle in his underpants by Christmas. This team is having some fun under new head coach Kevin O’Connell and the NFC North is almost theirs.

The 49ers are coming off their bye week. Expect to see more Christian McCaffrey brilliance when they take on the Los Angeles Chargers on Sunday Night Football. I cannot wait to see what this offense looks like once Deebo Samuel is fit again and he teams with McCaffrey. That will be a problem.

After decades of shoddy quarterback play and bogged-down offenses, the 2022 Dolphins are not only fun to watch; their attack is historic. Tua Tagovailoa is the highest-rated quarterback in the league and Tyreek Hill is already over 1,100 receiving yards in nine games. He is on pace for more than 2,000!

Pete Carroll loves this team. It’s everything he could have hoped for and more. Geno Smith is playing very well at quarterback, he has two high-end receivers in Tyler Lockett and D.K. Metcalf, Kenneth Walker is the real deal at running back and the defense seems to be going from strength to strength.

For the third time this season, the Jets trailed by at least 10 points and found a way to win. That speaks volumes about Robert Saleh’s men. The defense is ferocious, the ground attack productive and now it becomes about getting consistent performances from quarterback Zach Wilson like on Sunday.

The Titans are a very fierce proposition in the AFC, as they showed by taking Kansas City to overtime on Sunday. But physicality will only get you so far. Malik Willis has completed 11 passes in his last two starts. Even when Ryan Tannehill returns from injury, who is going to catch his throws?

Featuring Joe Mixon (211 scrimmage yards and five touchdowns in Week 9) makes total sense for the Bengals, especially with superstar wide receiver Ja’Marr Chase out injured. When the Bengals went on their Super Bowl run a year ago, Mixon was very much a featured piece of the attack.

The Giants are coming off their bye and they have a good chance to get back on the winning horse having lost to Seattle just before their in-season break. New York are playing Houston this weekend and they have real trouble stopping the run. A great Saquon Barkley game is very likely on Sunday.

The Chargers keep scratching out wins and so much of that comes down to Justin Herbert at quarterback, who is working with the likes of Josh Palmer and DeAndre Carter at WR instead of Mike Williams and Keenan Allen. Austin Ekeler is also a stud with 10 touchdowns in the last five games.

The Bucs are struggling for consistency on offense and do look quite out of sorts. But Tom Brady can still sling it, they still have Mike Evans and Chris Godwin and an emerging tight end in Cade Otton. The defense can still be good. Let’s see if last week’s win provides a boost that can send Tampa on a run.

New England’s wins this season have primarily come against lesser opposition or younger quarterbacks who cannot keep up with Bill Belichick’s scheming. But I’m not convinced they will be a playoff team. The offense is too bland and there are just not enough decision-makers on that unit.

The Falcons won a game against Carolina in Week 8 that they probably should have lost. And last weekend, they lost a game against the Chargers that they very easily could have won. And that’s about where this team is right now – they are more competitive than we thought, but not there yet.

The Browns are coming off their bye and only rise because so many fell around them. Which Cleveland team will we see against Miami in Week 10? The one that lost four in a row or the one that hammered the Bengals last time out. Nick Chubb and Myles Garrett lead the way on either side of the ball.

The Saints are starting to feel the pinch of long-term wide receiver issues. They rise up every now and then and remain in contention in the NFC South, but there is not much too their offense outside of occasional glimpses of Alvin Kamara and Taysom Hill. Is it worth giving Jameis Winston another go?

Don’t get me wrong with the four-place rise. I don’t really have any great belief in the Commanders. There are just a lot of bad teams or teams with question marks by the time we get to this portion of the rankings. I do think the defense has played well recently and Chase Young is back soon.

The defending Super Bowl champions look broken. I mean, how can it get fixed in season with the trade deadline now passed? The problems are the same week in and week out. Too much pressure on Matthew Stafford, not enough offensive playmakers and too many fourth quarter collapses.

The Cards have a chance to heap more misery on the Rams on Sunday, but this team cannot be trusted, either. Arizona have lost four of their last five and their 3-6 start is the worst since 2018. Kyler Murray gives us amazing occasional highlights but, for the most part, he is a struggling quarterback.

The winning feeling for the Jags might quickly screech to a halt in Week 10 as they visit Kansas City, but this team is on the right track. Trevor Lawrence is outstanding when he plays a clean game, Christian Kirk is a reliable target and Travis Etienne has genuine superstar skills at running back.

I’m loving watching Justin Fields at the moment and the exciting second-year quarterback has led the Bears to 94 points in the past three games. Fields frustrated Miami defenders time and again last week as he rushed for an NFL record 178 yards. Everything is about letting Fields play free now.

Aaron Rodgers and the Green Bay Packers had a rough day at the office during Sunday’s loss to Detroit. The back-to-back league MVP threw three red zone interceptions, meaning he was just as culpable for the loss as some of his younger teammates. Green Bay’s injuries are also mounting in a lost season.

The Broncos are coming off their bye and that means the recent memory of winning in London has faded. And Denver are left at a crossroads in their season. They have lost four of their last five. Will the league’s 30th-ranked scoring offense wake up or will the struggles continue for Russell Wilson?

Dan Campbell makes it easy to root for the Lions. He is so emotionally invested in his players that it must kill him when they lose, especially some of the close ones they have dropped this season. But with a tough run of games coming up, you have to wonder how safe he is in this job. I hope he lasts.

One week after playing very well against Atlanta and having led Carolina to victory over Tampa Bay the previous weekend, P.J. Walker threw for just nine yards and two interceptions in Week 9’s blowout loss to Cincinnati. There was just no resistance from the disappointing Panthers in that one.

The Steelers are 2-6 and need a strong finish to a) put themselves back in the AFC playoff picture and b) to avoid a first losing season with Mike Tomlin as head coach. The good news is that pass-rush sensation T.J. Watt is expected back to face New Orleans. He can’t play offense as well, though.

The Raiders have now lost three games this season in which they have led by at least 17 points. That is shocking and virtually unforgivable. I have to believe that Josh McDaniels is under severe internal pressure and his second act as an NFL head coach could prove to be very short-lived indeed.

Dysfunction reigns in Indy. Frank Reich was fired and owner Jim Irsay hired former Colts center Jeff Saturday as his replacement, even though he has never coached at the college or the NFL level. That’s a slap in the face to ex-NFL head coaches on the staff in Gus Bradley and John Fox.

The only player who interests me on the Houston Texans right now is running back Dameon Pierce, who has gained 637 of his 678 rushing yards after first contact. He is a beast. And he needs the ball because Davis Mills is not the answer at QB and WR Brandin Cooks is sulking after not being traded.