2014 NFL Power Rankings Week 9

Down goes Denver. A loss in New England on Sunday means we have a new team atop the rankings. Do the Patriots rise up to the top or is there someone else in the spotlight? Either way there is a bit of shifting near the top. Isn't the NFL grand?

1. Arizona Cardinals (7-1) ~ For the first time in the few years I have been doing rankings Arizona sits above the rest. Carson Palmer continues to impress and the Cards have the best record in all of football. (Last Week's Ranking 2)

2. New England Patriots (7-2) ~ Tom Brady moved past the legendary John Elway in the record book for career passing yards against Elway's team during a dismantling of the Denver Broncos. Remember when people said Brady was washed up? That was about, oh, five weeks ago or so. (LWR 3)

3. Denver Broncos (6-2) ~ Another game in Foxborough and another loss for Peyton Manning who has not won in New England since 2005. (LWR 3)

4. Detroit Lions (6-2) ~ Already atop the NFC North the Lions expect to get Calvin Johnson and Reggie Bush back from injury this week. That can only make them more dangerous offensively. (LWR 4)

5. Philadelphia Eagles (6-2) ~ Lost in the news of Nick Foles' injury is that DeMeco Ryans is also out for the year. Whether the Eagles can overcome these injuries will determine if this great start turns into a lost season. (LWR 6)

6. Indianapolis Colts (6-3) ~ Andrew Luck has thrown for over 300 yards in a franchise-record seven consecutive games. He currently leads the NFL in yards (3,085) and touchdowns (26). The touchdown total is already a career-high and he has another seven games to play. (LWR 7)

7. Dallas Cowboys (6-3) ~ Rumor on the street says Tony Romo will play Sunday in London against the Jacksonville Jaguars. If I were the Cowboys I would think about playing Brandon Weeden in a game the team should win regardless of who is under center and let Romo rest with a bye next week. But that's just like, my opinion, man. (LWR 5)

8. Green Bay Packers (5-3) ~ After a road heavy start to the season the Packers head home for four of their next five. They won their last two home games by a combined score of 80-27. Home sweet home indeed. (LWR 9)

9. Kansas City Chiefs (5-3) ~ Every team in the AFC West lost Sunday except for Kansas City. The Chiefs sit just one game back of Denver for the division lead but can't overlook a tough road test in Buffalo this weekend. (LWR 11)

10. Seattle Seahawks (5-3) ~ A close home win against the Oakland Raiders. I understand that being the champs mean you are going to get everyone's best shot but let's be honest here. Oakland's best isn't very good. (LWR 10)

11. Cincinnati Bengals (5-2-1) ~ Jeremy Hill exploded on Sunday to the tune of 154 yards rushing and two scores. Is he going to start cutting in to Giovani Bernard's workload? (LWR 12)

12. Pittsburgh Steelers (6-3) ~ The dirty dozen. Ben Roethlisberger became the first player in NFL history to throw for six touchdowns in back-to-back games. I hope you started him in your fantasy league. (LWR 15)

13. Miami Dolphins (5-3) ~ A 37-0 whupping of the San Diego Chargers turned some heads on Sunday. Miami, you're officially on the map. (LWR 17)

14. San Diego Chargers (5-4) ~ The game was so bad that Philip Rivers was benched. All of a sudden the Chargers are reeling having lost three straight. At least Ryan Mathews is due back soon. (LWR 8)

15. New Orleans Saints (4-4) ~ With three touchdowns in back-to-back 100-yard performances Mark Ingram is starting to look like the Heisman Trophy winning tailback the Saints drafted with a first round pick a few years back. (LWR 18)

16. Buffalo Bills (5-3) ~ Who knew at the beginning of the year the Bills would be playing meaningful games in November with Kyle Orton handing off to Anthony Dixon? (LWR 16)

17. Baltimore Ravens (5-4) ~ The last place Ravens have more wins than the first place Saints. Yeah, the AFC North is tough. (LWR 13)

18. San Francisco 49ers (4-4) ~ Maybe it was a fumble maybe it wasn't but Colin Kaepernick cannot lose the ball on that play. Inexcusable. (LWR 14)

19. Cleveland Browns (5-3) ~ Is Ben Tate losing his hold on the starting running back job in Cleveland? Rookie Terrance West may be ready to supplant Tate and that starts with Thursday's game in Cincinnati. (LWR 19)

20. Houston Texans (4-5) ~ The bye week came at the perfect time for Houston as seemingly everyone not named J.J. Watt is banged up. (LWR 20)

21. Carolina Panthers (3-5-1) ~ The Panthers three-game losing streak is only third worst in their division. Each week the NFC South just looks worse and worse. (LWR 21)

22. Chicago Bears (3-5) ~ They had a week to either forget the blowout loss in New England or let it stew. Either way they go from one hot qb in Tom Brady to another in Aaron Rodgers. Sometimes life just ain't fair. (LWR 23)

23. Minnesota Vikings (4-5) ~ The big new in Minnesota is that Adrian Peterson is expected to avoid jail time. Now the big question is if and when the NFL will reinstate him. (LWR 25)

24. St. Louis Rams (3-5) ~ The Rams had a mere six sacks entering Sunday's game. Naturally they went on to sack Colin Kaepernick eight times. Football is weird man. (LWR 26)

25. New York Giants (3-5) ~ Two touchdowns in garbage time made the score look a lot closer but make no mistake. The Giants were thoroughly outplayed for the second time in three weeks. (LWR 22)

26. Washington Redskins (3-6) ~ RGIII returned but looked rusty as the 'Skins all but said goodbye to any slim chance at the playoffs. Could the rest of the year be an audition to see if Griffin is really the quarterback for Washington? (LWR 24)

27. Atlanta Falcons (2-6) ~ Atlanta's only two wins this season are against division rivals. Their next two are against division rivals. The only problem? They are on the road where the Falcons are 0-4 so far this year. (LWR 27)

28. Tennessee Titans (2-6) ~ That sound Zach Mettenberger hears is the collective Ravens' defense licking their chops as the rookie signal-caller is slated to make his second career start in Baltimore on Sunday. (LWR 28)

29. Tampa Bay Buccaneers (1-7) ~ The bright side for Tampa? Rookie wideout Mike Evans looks like a star in the making. Coupled with Vincent Jackson the Bucs boast two receivers who look like they could start for most teams in the league. (LWR 29)

30. New York Jets (1-8) ~ Percy Harvin caught 11 passes for 129 yards on Sunday. I'm still wondering why Seattle let him go for practically nothing. (LWR 30)

31. Jacksonville Jaguars (1-8) ~ For the third year in a row the Jaguars have started 1-8. And people wonder why nobody goes to games. Or maybe they don't. (LWR 31)

32. Oakland Raiders (0-8) ~ Halfway through the season and still no wins. Things are as ugly as ever in Oakland. (LWR 32)