NFL Power Rankings, Week 9: Setting the stage for one of the biggest weekends of the year

Only one big mover this week — the Panthers jump into our top five — but in truth, most of the action this past weekend will set up what promises to be a huge weekend in a few days. Rams-Saints. Packers-Patriots. Steelers-Ravens. It's all going to have a sizable impact on how the rest of the year is going to play out. Read on to see where you favorite team ended up in this week’s edition of the BSJ NFL Power Rankings.

1. Rams (8-0 — last week, No. 1): The march to 16-0 continues. Things got a little dicey this past week against the Packers, but Los Angeles was still able to make plays at the right time. This week: at Saints.


2. Patriots (6-2 — last week, No. 2): Not a very impressive win, but as we said last week, a win is a win is a win. Sets up a top 10 matchup against Green Bay. This week: vs. Packers.

3. Saints (6-1 — last week, No. 3): Tempted to call New England and New Orleans basically 2 and 2A. If the Saints find a way to beat Los Angeles, that could really shake up the upper reaches of our big board. This week: vs. Rams.

4. Chiefs (8-1 — last week, No. 4): On Sunday, Pat Mahomes became the fourth quarterback in NFL history with 25-plus passing TDs in the first eight games of season, joining Peyton Manning (2013; 29 TDs), Tom Brady (2007; 30 TDs) and Manning (2004; 26 TDs). All three need up winning the MVP. This week: at Browns.

5. Panthers (5-2 — last week, No. 11): On Sunday against the league’s top-rated defense, Cam Newton went 21-for-29 for 219 yards with a pair of scores and a 116.9 passer rating. He was also the game’s leading rusher, totaling 52 yards and a touchdown on 10 carries. This week: vs. Bucs.

6. Chargers (5-2 — last week, No. 6): Melvin Gordon and Austin Ekeler have a combined 1,283 combined yards from scrimmage, the most in the NFL by a running back duo. This week: at Seahawks.

7. Vikings (4-3-1 — last week, No. 5): Per Pro Football Focus, the Minnesota offensive line is on pace to allow a record numbers of pressures on Kirk Cousins over the course of the season. #fatalflaw. This week: vs. Lions

8. Eagles (4-4 — last week, No. 8): Philly is going to have to earn it the rest of the way, with five division games and a road contest in Los Angeles. This week: Bye.

9. Steelers (4-2-1 — last week, No. 10): Three straight wins sets the stage for a rockfight with Baltimore. If Pittsburgh wins this week, it might officially be back, regardless of what Le’Veon Bell is gong to do. This week: at Ravens.

10. Packers (3-3-1 — last week, No. 9): We’ll get our first regular-season Brady-Aaron Rodgers matchup ever in New England this weekend. This week: at Patriots.

11. Jaguars (3-5 — last week, No. 7): This is not a good sign. At all. This week: Bye.

12. Texans (5-3 — last week, No. 12): At five straight, Houston is tied with the Patriots for longest current win streak in the AFC. This week: at Broncos.

13. Bears (4-3 — last week, No. 13): Chicago is the only team in the NFL to not allow a rushing touchdown this season. This week: at Bills.

14. Bengals (5-3 — last week, No. 17): In a rough-and-tumble division, Cincy finds itself in good position at the halfway point. This week: Bye.

15. Falcons (3-4 — last week, No. 15): At 3-4, Atlanta is on the precipice of falling out of the divisional race. The good news? After this weekend, they have a relatively weak schedule the rest of the way. This week: at Redskins.

16. Titans (3-4 — last week, No. 16): Have to get more out of that offense over the second half of the season if they want to get back to the postseason. This week: at Cowboys.

17. Redskins (5-2 — last week, 21): Adrian Peterson is on pace for more than 1,300 rushing yards. This week: vs. Falcons.

18. Ravens (4-4 — last week, No. 14): Like I said Sunday, I’m really trying to get on board with the idea of Baltimore as a challenger to New England and the rest of the AFC elite. And that defense has had its moments. But the Ravens are still far too inconsistent to be taken seriously, at least at this point. This week: vs. Steelers.

19. Seahawks (4-3 — last week, No. 19): Seattle has done some nice things, but this weekend will really be a referendum on whether or not they should be taken seriously. This week: vs. Chargers.

20. Lions (3-4 — last week, No. 18): A really impressive run game only picked up 34 yards on Sunday. This week: at Vikings.

21. Buccaneers (3-4 — last week, 20): So is this it for Jameis Winston in Tampa Bay? This week: at Panthers.

22. Dolphins (4-4 — last week, No. 22): Four losses in their last five — after a 3-0 start — has Miami pointed in the wrong direction. This week: vs. Jets.

23. Broncos (3-5 — last week, No. 23): The whole Bill O’Brien vs. Case Keenum subplot — when he cut him, O’Brien told him he’d never be anything more than a third-string quarterback — could add some spice to the week. This week: vs. Texans.

24. Jets (3-5 — last week, No. 24): New York has now gone 3-5 over the first eight games in all three years of the Todd Bowles era. This week: at Dolphins

25. Cowboys (3-4 — last week, No. 25): Just zero faith in this group right now. This week: vs. Titans.

26. Colts (2-5 — last week, No. 27): They’re not going to make the playoffs yet, but there are signs of life in Indy, which has now won two straight and is two games out of first place. This week: Bye.

27. Browns (2-5-1 — last week, No. 26): Not sure about the wisdom of changing the head coach and offensive coordinator for a rookie quarterback at this stage of his development. This week: vs. Chiefs.

28. Cardinals (2-6 — last week, No. 29): Josh Rosen, at 21 years, 260 days, became the youngest quarterback in the Super Bowl era to lead his team to victory from a double-digit fourth-quarter deficit. This week: Bye.

29. Bills (2-6 — last week, No. 28): One of the least effective offenses I ever saw was Monday night against the Patriots. No rhythm, no consistency. Just miserable right now. This week: vs. Bears.

30. 49ers (1-7 — last week, No. 30): This week’s Thursday Night game could be the worst prime-time game in NFL history. This week: vs. Raiders.

31. Giants (1-7 — last week, No. 31): New York’s losing streak reached five games this past weekend. This week: Bye.

32. Raiders (1-6 — last week, 32): Derek Carr was available on Craigslist this week. This week: at Niners.