Week 9 Power Rankings: the Top 9 from each conference

[gettlemanjack]

Broncos unanimous #1 in NFL for Brady vs. Manning week

No NFC South teams ranked in the top 7 of the NFC. NFL.com writes: "Can we take away the NFC South's automatic playoff spot and give it to another division?"

however, Sport Illustrated writes: "There's about a 15-spot jumble of teams who could emerge -- or implode -- over the season's second half. Realistically, what is the gap between, say, Philadelphia and New Orleans? They're 14 spots apart in this week's rankings but a matchup between the two might be a toss-up. You could say the same for most head-to-head comparisons this season."

-Sports Illustrated (Broncos #1)

-NBC Sports (Broncos #1)

-FOX Sports (Broncos #1)

-CBS-Kirwan (Broncos #1)

-CBS-Prisco (Broncos #1)

-The AP Pro32 (Broncos #1)

-NFL.com (Broncos #1)

-ESPN (Broncos #1)

-Yahoo Shutdown Corner (Broncos #1)

NFC

1/1/1/1/1/1/1/1/1 Cardinals - #1

2/2/2/2/2/3/3/3/4 Cowboys - #1

2/2/2/2/3/3/3/3/6 Eagles - WC

3/4/4/4/4/5/5/5/6 Lions - #1

3/4/4/5/6/6/6/6/6 Seahawks - WC?

4/5/5/5/5/5/6/7/7 Packers - WC?

4/6/7/7/7/7/7/7/7 49ers - WC?

8/8/8/8/8/8/8/9 Saints - #1?

8/9/9/9/9/9/9 Panthers - #1?

8/9/9 Giants

AFC

1/1/1/1/1/1/1/1/1 Broncos - #1

2/2/2/2/2/2/2/2/2 Patriots - #1

3/3/3/3/3/4/4/5/5 Chargers - WC

3/3/3/4/4/4/4/4/5 Colts - #1

4/4/5/5/5/6/6/7/9 Bengals - #1

3/5/5/6/7/7/8/8/9 Chiefs - WC?

5/6/6/6/6/7/7/7/8 Ravens - WC?

6/6/7/8/8/8/9 Steelers - WC?

7/8/8/8/9/9/9/9 Bills - WC?

7/9/9 Dolphins

[gettlemanjack]

NFL.com

"Next up: Saints at Panthers. These two played a whale of a ballgame in Charlotte last December"

CBS Sports

"The Saints have a big game on the road this week against Carolina and, so far, no road wins for the Saints. ... the Panthers have a good chance of getting to the playoffs."

Yahoo Sports

"Sunday reaction after the win against the Packers: "Wow, the Saints are back!" The real answer: Nope, they just played a home game."

[gettlemanjack]

NFL.com:

"Peyton Manning and these Broncos are akin to the Miami Heat during LeBron James' stay in South Beach. ... LeBron made the NBA Finals in each of his four years with the Heat, snagging a pair of rings. ... (For the Broncos,) it's Super Bowl or bust. And this time around, Peyton should finish the job. ... This version of the Broncos is loaded, thanks to a brilliant offseason by John Elway. ... he slammed it out of the park. He pilfered Aqib Talib from the rival Patriots, and Talib has been splendid as Denver's No. 1 corner. T.J. Ward , a needed pickup at safety, has lived up to the billing. DeMarcus Ware was signed to help the pass rush, and whaddya know: The Broncos are averaging over three sacks a game. Of course, Von Miller 's re-emergence has a lot to do with this, too. The playmaking linebacker is terrorizing opposing quarterbacks every Sunday, playing at a first-team All-Pro clip.

...

The Broncos boast the best defense in the NFL. This unit's better than the usual suspects from Seattle, San Francisco and Cincinnati. It's better than the Lions ' upstart D and the resilient outfit in Arizona. The Broncos stop the run. They defend the pass. They get to the quarterback and create turnovers. It's a dominant bunch, plain and simple.

...

And here's a scary thought: Denver's offense, which set an NFL record for points in a season last season, is even more complete around Manning in 2014. ... After Eric Decker's departure via free agency, Denver signed a better player in Emmanuel Sanders ... Ronnie Hillman upgrades the RB position. And one thing that helps everyone in this offense: Ryan Clady is back and healthy at left tackle

...

Barring injury, this team cannot -- and will not -- lose in January or February. Denver has Peyton Manning. Denver has the best all-around squad. Manning needs a second title to cement his legacy. It's championship or bust. And right now, bust is hard to fathom."

NFL.com:

"The Broncos and Patriots are the class of the AFC, and a trip to the Super Bowl likely goes through them. ... Right now, the Broncos appear slightly -- slightly -- better. "

CBS Sports:

"The Broncos may not be able to handle the Patriots."

Yahoo Sports:

"The Patriots look like a legit Super Bowl contender again. It makes next Sunday's game with the Broncos much more entertaining."

Sunday Nov 2 - Denver at New England 4:25 PM (ET) - CBS

[gettlemanjack]

NFC

1/1/1/1/1/1/1/1/1 Cardinals - #1

2/2/2/2/2/3/3/3/4 Cowboys - #1

Sunday November 2 -- Arizona at Dallas 1:00 PM (ET) -- FOX

ESPN:

"Dating back to Week 8 of last season, the Cardinals are 13-3, which is tied with the Denver Broncos for the best record in the NFL during that span. In fact, the Cardinals only loss this season came in Denver (Wk 5), who are currently No. 1

...

Andre Ellington gives the Cardinals something they have not had in a long time. Ellington has accounted for 31 percent of the Cardinals’ yards from scrimmage this season, fifth-highest in the NFL. The last Cardinals running back to even account for at least 25 percent of the offense was Edgerrin James in 2006 (26 percent)

...

Rush defense: The Cardinals rank third in the NFL this season in both rush yards per game allowed and yards per rush allowed. The Cardinals have only allowed one team to record 100 rush yards against them this season. Since Todd Bowles took over as the Cardinals defensive coordinator in 2013, the team ranks first in rush yards per game allowed and second in yards per rush allowed."

(up next DeMarco Murray)

NFL.com:

"The Cards are now 13-3 over their past 16 games -- a full season's worth of proof that this is no fluke"

CBS Sports:

"Some coaches' talk ‘next man up' but the Cardinals live it."

Yahoo Sports:

"One of these years, a team will make the Super Bowl when it's being held in its home stadium. And we're starting to reach a point where we should start wondering if this is the year. This season's Super Bowl will be held at University of Phoenix Stadium on Feb. 1, and the Arizona Cardinals are looking like a real candidate to be playing in it

...

Carson Palmer is having an excellent year. He has 1,136 yards, eight touchdowns and one interception in four games. Aside from an excellent coaching staff, Palmer's the biggest reason the Cardinals are this high."

[gettlemanjack]

3/4/4/5/6/6/6/6/6 Seahawks - WC?

4/5/5/5/5/5/6/7/7 Packers - WC?

4/6/7/7/7/7/7/7/7 49ers - WC?

CBS Sports:

"With five home games still on the schedule, the Seahawks are still on track to return to the playoffs."

Seahawks remaining games

-Raiders

-Giants

@Chiefs

-Cardinals

@49ers - TNF

@Eagles

-49ers

@Cardinals - SNF

-Rams

CBS Sports:

"When you look at the rest of the league it is hard to imagine many teams being able to beat the 49ers"

49ers remaining games:

-Rams

@Saints

@Giants

-Redskins

-Seahawks - TNF

@Raiders

@Seahawks

-Chargers

-Cardinals

NFL.com:

"the Packers play four of their next five at home -- and the three toughest offenses remaining on their schedule (Philadelphia, New England and Detroit) all must visit Lambeau Field. That should give Green Bay a significant edge in the playoff race."

Sports Illustrated:

"after their bye, the Packers play just three of their final eight away from home: at Minnesota, Buffalo and Tampa Bay. They might be favored in every remaining game."

Packers remaining schedule:

-bye-

-Bears - SNF

-Eagles

@Vikings

-Patriots

-Falcons - MNF

@Bills

@Bucs

-Lions

[gettlemanjack]

5/6/6/6/6/7/7/7/8 Ravens - WC?

6/6/7/8/8/8/9 Steelers - WC?

Sunday Night Football, Nov 2 -- Baltimore at Pittsburgh, 8:30 PM (ET) -- NBC

CBS Sports:

For the Ravens, consecutive road games in the division is tough, and they must go to Pittsburgh after losing to the Bengals. That won't be easy.

Sports Illustrated:

The Ravens permitted 100-plus yards rushing in a whopping 10 games last season. They've allowed it just twice so far in 2014, against Indianapolis and Cincinnati, but both games resulted in losses.

CBS Sports:

the Steelers now face a key division game against the Ravens. They can't afford to lose to the Ravens a second time this season.

Yahoo Sports:

The Steelers final four road games are at Jets, Titans, Bengals and Falcons. Three very winnable games in there.

[gettlemanjack]

3/3/3/3/3/4/4/5/5 Chargers - WC

7/9/9 Dolphins

Sun Nov 2 - San Diego at Miami - 1:00 PM CBS

CBS Sports:

Miami Dolphins (4-3): The next four games (Chargers, Lions, Bills, Broncos) will go a long way toward shaping the fate of the team and its coach.

[gettlemanjack]

7/8/8/8/9/9/9/9 Bills - WC?

Yahoo Sports:

Kyle Orton's production is huge for the Bills, and it really shows how bad E.J. Manuel was before he was benched.

CBS Sports:

Kyle Orton has really helped this team. Can he keep it up?

Sports Illustrated:

This is a legitimate wild-card contender at this point, thanks in large part to the move from EJ Manuel to Kyle Orton at quarterback. Orton is completing more than 67 percent of his passes and has helped Sammy Watkins make the quick jump to stardom

Bills blog:

Kyle Orton is in the midst of the strongest stretch of quarterback play that the Buffalo Bills have seen since the first seven weeks of the 2011 season. In his four games as the starter since taking over for EJ Manuel in Week 5, Orton and the Bills have a 3-1 record. The veteran is 95 of 141 (67 4%) for 1,128 yards, 9 TD, 3 INT, and a quarterback rating of 104.0. That rating is the sixth-best in the NFL (behind only Manning, Rodgers, Rivers, Big Ben, and Brady).

[gettlemanjack]

3/3/3/4/4/4/4/4/5 Colts - #1

8/9/9 Giants

Monday Night Football, Nov 3: Indianapolis at NY Giants - 8:30 PM (ET) - ESPN

CBS Sports:

It's a good thing Indianapolis has scored more points than any team in the NFL because it is starting to look like they will have to outscore opponents the rest of the way. ... maybe the surviving members of the ’58 Colts would do a better job of playing defense.

CBS Sports:

The Giants (3-4) come off their bye with a brutal stretch of games. It's time to get it going -- or else. ... The next four games are Indianapolis, Seattle, San Francisco and Dallas. The whole season is now on the line.

NFL.com:

The Giants, coming off a bye week, are 3-4, having lost its last two, but all is not lost. Certainly not with the level that Eli Manning has played at for most of the season.

Eli is 146 of 225 (64.9%) for 1,573 yds, 14 TD, 5 INT, 96.8 rating

[gettlemanjack]

3/5/5/6/7/7/8/8/9 Chiefs - WC?

The Chiefs are now #4 in the NFL in sacks after they sacked Rams QB Austin Davis seven times. Michael Strahan holds the NFL's all-time mark at 22.5, set in 2001. Justin Houston, now at 10 sacks through seven games, is on pace to break it (22.9)

The Chiefs defense is only giving up 18 points a game (the #3 scoring D in the NFL). Chiefs also have the #3 total D in the NFL.

The Jets , Bills and Raiders are three of the Chiefs' next four games. Then the Chiefs host Peyton Manning and the Broncos in Arrowhead Stadium on Sunday Night Football

[gettlemanjack]

some notable defenses:

Lions D

#1 scoring D (15.8 ppg)

#1 total D, ypg

#2 total D, yards/play

#1 rush D, ypc

#2 rush D, ypg

#2 pass efficiency D (79.5 rating)

#2 third down conversation pct D

#3 fewest passing TDs allowed

#5 pass D, ypg

#5 in INTs

#5 fewest yards per pass allowed

#5 fewest 1st downs allowed by rushing

#6 in sacks

#7 fewest TDs allowed by rushing

Broncos D

#6 scoring D

#4 total D, ypg

#1 total D, yards/play

#1 rush D, ypg

#1 fewest 1st downs allowed by rushing

#2 fewest yards per pass allowed

#5 rush D, ypc

#6 pass efficiency D

#6 lowest completion pct allowed

#6 in sacks

Chiefs D

#3 scoring D (18.3 ppg)

#3 total D, ypg

#9 total D, yards/play

#1 pass D, ypg

#1 fewest TDs allowed by rushing (0)

#2 fewest 1st downs allowed by passing

#3 third down conversation pct D

#4 in sacks

#5 lowest completion pct allowed

#8 fewest 1st downs allowed by rushing

Bills D

#7 scoring D

#9 total D, ypg

#4 total D, yards/play

#1 in INTs

#1 in sacks

#3 pass efficiency D (79.6 rating)

#3 fewest TDs allowed by rushing

#6 rush D, ypc

#6 fewest yards per pass allowed

#6 third down conversation pct D

#8 in fumble recoveries

#9 rush D, ypg

49ers D

#2 total D, ypg

#8 total D, yards/play

#2 fewest 1st downs allowed by passing

#3 fewest 1st downs allowed by rushing

#3 lowest completion pct allowed (58.7%)

#4 rush D, ypg

#4 fewest yards per pass allowed

#8 pass D, ypg

#9 pass efficiency D

#9 rush D, ypc

Dolphins D

#2 total D, yards/play

#7 total D, ypg

#1 fewest yards per pass allowed

#1 defensive touchdowns

#2 in fumble recoveries

#3 pass D, ypg

#4 lowest completion pct allowed (59.4%)

#7 pass efficiency D

#7 fewest TDs allowed by rushing

#8 fewest 1st downs allowed by passing

#8 fewest 1st downs allowed by rushing

#9 in sacks

#9 in forced fumbles

Cardinals D

#5 scoring D

#1 rush D, ypc

#2 fewest 1st downs allowed by rushing

#3 rush D, ypg

#3 in INTs

#7 fewest TDs allowed by rushing

#10 pass efficiency D

Patriots D

#2 pass D, ypg

#2 in fumble recoveries

#7 fewest TDs allowed by rushing

#7 in forced fumbles

#8 fewest yards per pass allowed

#9 lowest completion pct allowed

#9 in sacks

#10 total D, yards/play

Ravens D

#2 scoring D (16.4 ppg)

#1 fewest passing TDs allowed

#3 forced fumbles

#6 in fumble recoveries

#7 rush D, ypc

#8 rush D, ypg

Seattle D

#1 rush D, ypc

#2 fewest TDs allowed by rushing

#5 total D, ypg

#5 total D, yards/play

#5 fewest 1st downs allowed by rushing

#6 rush D, ypg

Eagles D

#1 lowest completion pct allowed (57.3%)

#1 defensive touchdowns

#2 fewest TDs allowed by rushing

#3 in forced fumbles

#5 third down conversation pct D

#6 in fumble recoveries

#7 fewest 1st downs allowed by rushing

Giants secondary

#2 in INTs

#4 fewest passing TDs allowed

#5 fewest 1st downs allowed by passing

#8 pass efficiency D

Packers secondary

#3 in INTs

#5 pass efficiency D

#9 pass D, ypg

#9 fewest yards per pass allowed

Chargers D

#4 scoring D

#4 fewest 1st downs allowed by passing

#6 pass D, ypg

#9 in forced fumbles

[gettlemanjack]

Lions DT Chris Fairley is out indefinitely with a knee injury he suffered against the Falcons on Sunday, but through 8 games, he only had 1 sack (vs. the Jets), 14 tackles (8 solo, 6 assisted), 0 PDs, 0 INTs, 0 fumble recoveries, 1 FF

He will be replaced by big CJ Mosley (6-2, 312), who through 7 games has 2.5 sacks, 11 tackles (7 solo, 4 assisted), 0 PDs, 0 INTs, 0 fumble recoveries, 1 FF

Rotoworld: "Despite his reserve role, Mosley has quietly been one of the best defensive tackles in football this season."

[gettlemanjack]

Sports Illustrated:

-Bills QBs EJ Manuel and Kyle Orton each have made four starts this season. Sammy Watkins' yards-per-game average during the Manuel regime sat at 49.25; it's at 98.25 with Orton.

-Steelers WR Antonio Brown has been arguably the best receiver in football through eight weeks.

[gettlemanjack]

Walter Football:

-It's crazy to think that Denver's defense has been better this season than its offense

-Brandon Browner played extremely well across from Darrelle Revis on Sunday. If Browner can keep this up, it's going to be very difficult to throw on the Patriots.

-I expected more out of the Seahawks against the Panthers.

-The Colts' lacking pass rush is disconcerting.

-The 49ers will be getting two talented players back into their lineup soon in NaVorro Bowman and Aldon Smith. They'll definitely provide a boost

-Philadephia's OL will get Evan Mathis and Jason Kelce back soon