Defy Life NFL Power Rankings: Week 9

We’re midway through the 2016 NFL regular season. So, we decided to check back in with our NFL Power Rankings.

The cliche’ rings true in the NFL every year. The only thing constant, is change. There are very few things that have come to fruition that were projected before the season started. I mean, no one really believed the Patriots would endure 4 games without Tom Brady by going 3-1. No one thought the Carolina Panthers would be fighting from the basement of the NFC. And nobody could truly tell you that the Cleveland Browns would…aw damn…we all knew they’d stink again!!!

With that being said, let’s take a look at where our NFL Power Rankings stand heading into week 9.

DEFY LIFE NFL POWER RANKINGS: WEEK 9

RANK	TEAM	RECORD	ANALYSIS
1	New England Patriots	7 – 1	Clearly playing the best ball of any team in the league, the Pats are in the driver’s seat for the #1 overall seed in the AFC.
2	Dallas Cowboys	6 – 1	The Cowboys have legit emerging stars in rookies Dak Prescott and Ezekiel Elliott. And the defense is better than anyone expected.
3	Atlanta Falcons	5 – 3	This team proved Sunday that they are not cut from the same cloth as the 2015 Falcons. Signature win over Green Bay.
4	Denver Broncos	6 – 2	Quietly, Denver, is finding ways to stack wins. They’ll be tested without RB C.J. Anderson for, perhaps, the rest of the year.
5	Minnesota Vikings	5 – 2	Gut check time in Minnesota. The injuries may finally be catching up to this resilient group.
6	Kansas City Chiefs	5 – 2	The Chiefs aren’t dominant in any one area. However, they are solid and make few mistakes to beat themselves. Alex Smith has got to protect himself better.
7	Oakland Raiders	6 – 2	Classic Raiders team. Full of tantalizing talent and fully-equipped with head-scratching penalties.
8	Green Bay Packers	4 – 3	Something’s just off about this Packers’ team. Even when they look good, they feel imcomplete.
9	Seattle Seahawks	4 -2 – 1	Russell Wilson is, obviously, not healthy. They’ve got to find a way to sustain success on the offensive side of the ball.
10	Philadelphia Eagles	4 – 3	Carson Wentz is showing his rookie colors as of late. The team must be able to evolve as the season wears on.
11	Pittsburgh Steelers	4 – 3	The bye week was right time, allowing returns of some key parts (Heyward, Coates, Wheaton, Gilbert…and maybe Roethlisberger)
12	Arizona Cardinals	3 – 4 – 1	This Cards team has no identity on offense and no consistency on defense. They are clearly not who we thought they were.
13	Washington	4 – 3 – 1	In an muddled NFC East, they’re still in the thick of things. Can they separate from the pack?
14	Houston Texans	5 – 3	Their wagong is hitched to Brock Osweiler, come good or bad. That’s not a good thing.
15	Buffalo Bills	4 – 4	The Jekyl / Hyde theme continues in Buffalo. No team personfies its head coach like the Bills.
16	Detroit Lions	4 – 4	The Lions have to start showing the ability to string together wins.
17	Cincinnati Bengals	3 – 4 – 1	The Bengals still have time to get it together. The stats look good, but the record indicates otherwise.
18	New York Giants	4 – 3	If the offense and the defense could put toghther solid games on the same week, they’d be ok. Coming off a bye and trying to pull away in the East.
19	San Diego Chargers	3 – 5	If it weren’t for bad luck, this team would have no luck at all.
20	Tennessee Titans	4 – 4	Marcus Mariota is playing lights out and his team is following suit. They’re in striking distance in the AFC South.
21	Los Angeles Rams	3 – 4	This team is mired in mediocrity. Why Jeff Fisher refuses to turn to Jared Goff is confusing. And what has happened to Todd Gurley?
22	New Orleans Saints	3 – 4	The offensive firepower is there. But, as usual, the defense rarely shows up when needed. Great win last week though!
23	Miami Dolphins	3 – 4	Adam Gase seems to be pushing all the right buttons and this team is playing inspired football.
24	Tampa Bay Buccaneers	3 – 4	They are up-and-down like most young teams. But, they show promise. Now, they’re on RB number 4…so, ouch.
25	Carolina Panthers	2 – 5	Hey, let’s all welcome the Panthers to the 2016 NFL regular season!!!
26	Baltimore Ravens	3 – 4	This team is a mess lately. But, they’re still in the mix with a big game against Pittsburgh this week.
27	Chicago Bears	2 – 6	Big win over Minnesota on the return of Jay Cutler. That defense looked scary good on Halloween. What? I had to!!!
28	Indianapolis Colts	3 – 5	The Colts locker room probably smells like sweat, disappointment and regret.
29	Jacksonville Jaguars	2 – 5	How long before everyone in Jacksonville realizes that Gus Bradley is actually one of the worst head coaches in the history of the NFL?
30	New York Jets	3 – 5	Oh, Ryan Fitzpatrick. You kill me…and your team’s chances!
31	San Francisco 49ers	1 – 6	The obvious news is that there’s still a professional football team in San Francisco…or Santa Clara…or whereever.
32	Cleveland Browns	0 – 8	I like to imagine that the Cavs’ and Indians’ players completely ignore Browns’ players in public.