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NFL Week 9 Power Rankings: Packers move to the top, Saints surge and Falcons fall back a bit

Cardinals don't drop far afterthe NFL's last unbeaten team goes down

Nov 02, 2021 at 12:15 AM
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Scott Bair

Falcons Digital Managing Editor

power.rankings.w9

We have a change at the top.

That was put in motion on Thursday night, when the Packers beat Arizona in an epic showdown that came down to the last minute. The 1976 Miami Dolphins popped some champagne after the last unbeaten team went down.

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There's still a chance at a winless season, though, with Detroit's losing streak going strong. We also saw a number of wins from backup quarterbacks in Seattle, Dallas and New York.

And we saw Derrick Henry go down with a foot injury. Heartbreaker for one of the most entertaining players in football.

The Falcons dropped a bit after losing to Carolina, and the rival Saints surged after beating Tampa Bay. Let's take a look at how the league stacks up in our Week 9 NFL power rankings:

(6-1)
1
1
Packers_table
Green Bay Packers
Just like his Halloween costume, Aaron Rodgers is playing like John Wick after someone messed with his dog.
(7-1)
2
1
Cardinals_Table
Arizona Cardinals
Cardinals lose a heartbreaker to Green Bay. That doesn’t mean they’re going away.
(7-1)
3
Rams_table
Los Angeles Rams
Rams trade for Von Miller. They’re going all-in, so they’d better win.
(6-1)
4
1
Cowboys_table
Dallas Cowboys
Cowboys get a victory without Dak, who took some time to get healthy. That’s a win-win.
(6-2)
5
3
Bucs_table
Tampa Bay Buccaneers
Bucs get a wakeup call from the Saints in a suddenly competitive NFC South. Still smart to bet on Brady.
(5-2)
6
1
Bills_table
Buffalo Bills
Bills get right against Miami, which isn’t hard to do.
(5-2)
7
1
Raiders_table
Las Vegas Raiders
The Silver and Black have been in this position before, only to watch a season spiral. Will this season be different? Yes, because they have a defense.
(6-2)
8
5
Saints_table
New Orleans Saints
Saints play great defense and use their running backs well. Quarterback play is important, and New Orleans must work in a new one after Jameis Winston was lost for the year.


(6-2)
9
3
Titans_table
Tennessee Titans
Losing Derrick Henry for the season is bad for football. What a great player. So fun to watch. Injuries stink.
(5-2)
10
Ravens_table
Baltimore Ravens
Ravens have a chance to get back on track after a bye.
(5-3)
11
2
Bengals_table
Cincinnati Bengals
Was the Jets loss the Bengals’ welcome-back-to-Earth moment? Nah. This team's gonna stick around.
(4-3)
12
4
Steelers_table
Pittsburgh Steelers
When asked about the USC gig, Mike Tomlin said, ‘Never say never but, never.” Use that same response when asked if you should count the Steelers out.
(4-3)
13
2
Chargers_table
Los Angeles Chargers
Remember when the Chargers seemed like a real AFC contender? Young team with a young coach and young quarterback has hit a lull, not a drought.
(4-4)
14
3
Patriots_table
New England Patriots
That Patriots defense is tough. Mac Jones is getting better.
(4-4)
15
3
Browns_table
Cleveland Browns
Wasn’t this supposed to be Cleveland’s year?
(4-4)
16
2
Chiefs_table
Kansas City Chiefs
Saw a stat on Monday Night Football that the Chiefs turn the ball over on nearly a quarter of their drives. That’s unreal. And explains why K.C. is struggling.
(3-4)
17
2
Vikings_table
Minnesota Vikings
Feels like we’re at the end of a successful Vikings era, with nothing much to show for it. Seems like they’re gonna hover around .500 all year.
(4-4)
18
7
Panthers_table
Carolina Panthers
That defense looks a lot different with Stephon Gilmore and Shaq Thompson in the lineup.
(3-4)
19
3
49ers_table
San Francisco 49ers
Kyle Shanahan is going to get asked about his quarterbacks until kingdom come, or at least until he just starts Trey Lance already.
(3-5)
20
2
Colts_table
Indianapolis Colts
Carson Wentz threw an interception in overtime that cost his team. The honeymoon may be over in Indy.
(3-5)
21
2
Seahawks_table
Seattle Seahawks
Any win you get with Russell Wilson out is huge. Might not matter in a brutal NFC West.
(3-4)
22
3
FALCONS
Arthur Smith is right: if you lose on both lines of scrimmage, odds are great you’re going to lose the game. They did. To the Panthers. Bad day at the home office.
(3-5)
23
2
Bears_table
Chicago Bears
Justin Fields can really run. Let him do it. Maybe with a new head coach and play caller.
(2-6)
24
Giants_table
New York Giants
Gave the Chiefs a run, but close only counts with horseshoes and hand grenades.
(3-5)
25
2
Eagles.png
Philadelphia Eagles
Throttling Detroit doesn’t get you much. Eagles are a long ways from good.
(3-5)
26
7
Broncos_table
Denver Broncos
Broncos trade Von Miller. They’re tapping the mat already.
(2-5)
27
3
Jets_table
New York Jets
Maybe Mike White should’ve been the No. 2 overall pick. I kid, I kid. Sorta.
(2-6)
28
2
Washington_table
Washington Football Team
With a kicker named Chris Blewitt (true story), what did you expect was going to happen?
(1-7)
29
1
Dolphins_table
Miami Dolphins
Every time Brian Flores says Tua is the Dolphins QB, his nose gets just a little longer.
(1-6)
30
1
Jaguars_table
Jacksonville Jaguars
You’d think getting beat by Geno Smith would mark a new low, but this is the Jags we’re talking about.
(1-7)
31
Texans_table
Houston Texans
One more day til we don’t have to hear about Deshaun Watson trade talk anymore, whether he gets dealt or not. Thank goodness.
(0-8)
32
Lions_table
Detroit Lions
Dan Campbell took the Lions’ share (Get it?!? Get it?!?) of the blame for getting blown out by the hapless Eagles. It ain’t you, Dan. It’s the talent level.
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