NFL Week 10 Power Rankings

By Djack

​ESPN's Power Rankings
"1. New England Patriots 2016 record: 7-1 Week 9 ranking: 1
Tom Brady leads the NFL in Total QBR this season with a 91.5 mark. He has thrown 12 touchdowns and no interceptions since returning from a four-game suspension. The Pats were rolling without him (3-1) but have gotten to another level since his return. The Patriots are the heavy favorites to win the Super Bowl, according to NFL FPI, with a 38 percent chance of doing so. No other team has odds better than 15 percent.
2. Dallas Cowboys 2016 record: 7-1 Week 9 ranking: 2
Rookie QB Dak Prescott has won seven straight games for the Cowboys and is only the third rookie since the 1970 merger to win that many games. But Prescott is not the only rookie making an impact. Rookie RB Ezekiel Elliott is on pace for 1,782 rushing yards this season, which would be the second most of all time by a rookie (Eric Dickerson, 1,808 in 1983).
3. Oakland Raiders 2016 record: 7-2 Week 9 ranking: 6
Through nine weeks, the Raiders are in sole possession of first place in the AFC West for the first time since Week 12 in 2011. They missed the playoffs that season, but this year could be different. NFL FPI gives the Raiders an 81 percent chance of making the playoffs. The Raiders haven't made the playoffs since 2002, when they lost to Tampa Bay in the Super Bowl.
4. Seattle Seahawks 2016 record: 5-2-1   Week 9 ranking: 4
If we told you at the beginning of the season that through eight games, the Seahawks would be averaging 75.4 rushing yards per game, third fewest in the NFL, would you have expected them to still be 5-2-1? The Seahawks might need that rushing offense to kick it into gear in Week 10, when they take on the Patriots in a Super Bowl XLIX rematch. It's the first time the two teams will meet since the Pats won 28-24.
5. Atlanta Falcons 2016 record: 6-3 | Week 9 ranking: 9
The Falcons' offense leads the NFL in scoring this season and is averaging 33.9 points per game, a field goal better than the next-best team (Saints with 30.3). Scoring doesn't necessarily equal championships. The 2009 Saints are the most recent team to win the Super Bowl while leading the NFL in scoring. The team with the top offense at the end of the season has lost five of its past six Super Bowl appearances.
6. Kansas City Chiefs 2016 record: 6-2 Week 9 ranking: 11
The Chiefs are 6-2 this season and 16-2 in their past 18 games, good for an .889 winning percentage, best in the NFL since Week 7 of last season. The Chiefs still have a tough road ahead, as they have the fifth-most difficult remaining strength of schedule (.557 opponent win percentage).
7. Denver Broncos 2016 record: 6-3 Week 9 ranking: 3
It seems unusual for the defending champion Broncos to be third in the AFC West this late in the season, but at 6-3, they trail the Raiders (7-2) and Chiefs (6-2). NFL FPI still gives the Broncos a 72 percent chance of making the playoffs, fourth in the AFC, but with games against the Chiefs (twice), Raiders and Patriots remaining, those odds could hang in the balance.
8. Cincinnati Bengals 2016 record: 3-4-1 | Week 9 ranking: 13
The Bengals got off to a slow start this season, partially because of an inability to convert red zone drives into touchdowns. They scored a touchdown on only 42.1 percent of red zone drives in their first six games. However, since tight end Tyler Eifert's return, the Bengals are converting 83.3 percent of their red zone drives into touchdowns. This should bode well for Cincy down the stretch.
9. Pittsburgh Steelers 2016 record: 4-4 Week 9 ranking: 8
QB Ben Roethlisberger is now 2-6 (.250) in his career in his first game back from an injury. The Week 9 loss to the Ravens dropped Pittsburgh to 4-4 this season. The good news is Roethlisberger has a .685 career winning percentage, excluding his first game back from injury, so the Steelers will have ample opportunity to get north of .500.
10. Minnesota Vikings 2016 record: 5-3 Week 9 ranking: 7
It's easy to knock QB Sam Bradford, but he isn't getting much help. The Vikings are averaging an NFL-worst 2.7 yards per rush this season. To put that 2.7 yards per rush into perspective: If it holds, it would be the lowest average since the 1953 Giants averaged 2.6 yards per rush. It also would be the worst mark in franchise history." -VIA ESPN Stats & Information contributed the following research

Djack's Power Rankings
​1. New England Patriots 2016 record: 7-1 Week 9 ranking:1
Tom Brady continues to make his case for MVP despite missing the first four games of the season. He leads the league in completion percentage and he has 12 touchdowns to 0 interceptions, if he continues to scorch opposing defenses it'd be hard to deny him the award even though he will only play 12 games. The Patriots are on their way to their 7th straight AFC east division title and they haven't even had to break a sweat as they've steam rolled over the league.
2. Dallas Cowboys 2016 record: 7-1
Week 9 ranking: 2
Cowboys steam rolled the Browns as expected, Dak continues to make his case for why he should start, and Ezekiel Elliot continues to keep his eyes on the rookie rushing record. All that sounds great for the Cowboys, but I'm not as sold as everyone else is on how good they are, they've beaten one team with above a .500 record this season, and that was the Washington Redskins who are 4-3-1. The only other team they played with a winning record, the Giants, was their only loss of the season. I think Pittsburgh is going to be a huge wake up call for Dallas and Tony Romo will be starting the next week.
3. Oakland Raiders 2016 record: 6-2
Week 9 ranking: 4
Oakland proved they're the real deal to the rest of the league when they beat Denver quite soundly on Sunday night football. I've been a believer since before the season in this young squad, I picked Oakland to go 10-6 and win the division, it looks like they'll win the division, but it also looks like they may exceed the win total I set for them by a couple games. Derek Carr is also my MVP for the first half of the season with his unreal play and passion that has fueled his team to 6 wins in the first half of the season.
4. Seattle Seahawks 2016 record: 5-2-1
​Week 9 ranking: 5 
The Seahawks desperately need Thomas Rawls back to fuel this miserable running game, he should be back for week 10 so things are looking up in that department. As for the rest of team, the fact they were able to beat the Bills and tie the Cardinals despite being dominated in the time of possession battle shows just how hard it is to beat this team. Seahawks are still my pick to represent the NFC in the Super Bowl.
5. Kansas City Chiefs 2016 record: 6-2
Week 9 ranking: 10
This Kansas City train keeps on rolling no matter who is missing, this team has been decimated by injuries, especially on the offensive side of the ball. Charles, Maclin, Smith, West it doesn't who is missing this team just finds ways to win ball games. Is it pretty, almost never, but Andy Reid leads this team to victory almost every week. Chiefs will be a playoff team for sure, maybe even division winners, I believe they posse more of a threat than the Broncos to the Raiders, either way this is not a team I want to see in the playoffs if I'm an AFC coach.
6. Atlanta Falcons 2016 record: 6-3 
Week 9 ranking: 7
I've been a real hater of the Falcons, saying things like they'll fall off any week now, but the fact of the matter is they're here to stay. Now, that doesn't mean they're a very good team, they're offense is clearly one of the best in the league, but when they play an offense par to theirs they'll have trouble winning games since their defense isn't very  good. Falcons will win the NFC south, but they won't make it past the divisional round in the playoffs.
7. Denver Broncos 2016 record: 6-3
Week 9 ranking: 3
Each week this team shows me more and more that they aren't the real deal, but any time I talk down about them their defense steps up to a new level of incredible and shuts me right up. I have no idea what to make of the Broncos as a team, but their offense without C.J. Anderson is quite awful. Siemian looks worse and worse each week, think teams getting more and more game film on him is the reason for that, well no duh. Siemian is clearly getting exposed and the Broncos in my opinion will be a long shot to make the playoffs unless they can grab that second wildcard spot.
8. Pittsburgh Steelers 2016 record: 4-4
Week 9 ranking: 8
Steelers lost to a bad Ravens team on Sunday, that doesn't change my opinion on how talented this team is, my opinion on the head coach is changing fast. I always thought Tomlin got too much credit for doing a somewhat mediocre job, but now it's evident that this team is undisciplined and he's starting to lose the locker room. Star players LeVeon Bell and Big Ben have complained about the way practice is being run, when has Big Ben ever spoke out about the job Tomlin is doing, Pittsburgh is collapsing. That's exactly why I think they'll destroy Dallas at Heinz field next Sunday, whenever Pittsburgh gets humiliated and people start question them they break out with an amazing performance.
9. Minnesota Vikings 2016 record: 5-3
Week 9 ranking: 9
Vikings have lost 3 straight and their offense is hard to watch at times, doesn't change the fact  that they have one of the best defenses in the league. The offensive line is dreadful, once they can get that situation sorted out I believe this offense will be formidable enough to win them enough games to get them into the playoffs. 
10. New York Giants 2016 record: 5-3
Week 9 ranking: N/A
First time the Giants have cracked my power rankings this season and I could not be more surprised that they are here with the way they've played. I've seen flashes of how special this team can be and even though it's only for a couple series at a time they look like one of the best teams in the football when they're firing on all cylinders.Too bad they can't maintain it for longer than a half. Ben McAdoo has been awful, there's no way of sugar coating it he's straight up terrible, he plays to not lose which is not how you should go about a football game. Defense has done nothing but exceed my expectation despite still getting hate because they can't get as many sacks as the fans want, who the hell cares at least they aren't blowing the lead every game like last year. If we can continue to improve and not take any steps back the Giants will finish 10-6 and make the playoffs. If we regress expect another disappointing end to the season.