Brock’s 2023 NFL Power Rankings – Week 9
1. PHILADELPHIA EAGLES (6-1)
The Eagles beat the Commanders in a 1-score game for the 2nd time this season. A big 4th quarter allowed them to erase a 7-point deficit and earn the road win. AJ Brown was a huge factor, as he set an NFL record with his 6th consecutive game with 125+ receiving yards.
2. KANSAS CITY CHIEFS (6-2)
The Chiefs lost an absolute stunner on Sunday. Not only did they lose to the Broncos – a team firmly in the cellar – but they lost to them by 15 points. The Chiefs were on a 16-game winning streak against their rival, but they were unable to find the end zone at all in their 24-9 loss. The turnover battle was a huge factor in this upset, as the Chiefs turned the ball over 5 times, against Denver’s 1. Now they have to prepare to face the league’s top offense, as they will face the Dolphins in Germany this week.
3. BUFFALO BILLS (5-3)
The Bills got back into the win column after some frustrations started to set in after their latest loss. It was only a 6-point win over Tampa, but getting the W is the most important thing.
4. MIAMI DOLPHINS (6-2)
The Dolphins beat the Patriots 31-17. Jalen Ramsey had an INT in his return to action, as he kept his word about beating the timetable for his return by a month or two. He’s back just in time too, as the Dolphins will face a Patrick Mahomes-led Chiefs team who are coming off an embarrassing loss. Miami has yet to prove themselves against a top opponent this year, so this is a prime opportunity to get a signature win.
5. BALTIMORE RAVENS (6-2)
The Ravens are playing some really good football right now. This week they were able to beat up on the Cardinals, which admittedly isn’t the biggest accomplishment, but all you can do each week is beat the team in front of you.
6. JACKSONVILLE JAGUARS (6-2)
The Jags won 20-10 over the Steelers on Sunday. The Steelers aren’t quite as good as their record would indicate, but this was still a big win for the Jags. The Steelers are a proud franchise and one of the blue bloods of the NFL, so a win over them is always going to feel extra special and give you just a little bit of a confidence boost.
7. CINCINNATI BENGALS (4-3)
The early season worries have evaporated. The Bengals are finally above .500 and just won a road game against one of the best teams in the league. They are finally looking like a team that could make another run to the Super Bowl.
8. SAN FRANCISCO 49ERS (5-3)
Uh-oh. Things are going sideways in San Francisco. The Niners have now dropped 3 in a row after an embarrassing home loss to the Bengals. The Niners will have a bye this week and they will try to get things right. Purdy will be under the microscope in his next game, which is a road game in Jacksonville. There’s no doubt that he will be under pressure to earn a win; I’m excited to see how the young signal caller will handle this type of adversity.
9. DALLAS COWBOYS (5-2)
The Cowboys came out of their bye looking rested and prepare. They thrashed the Rams from start to finish on Sunday, winning 43-20. This was just the type of game that can jumpstart an offense that has been underperforming.
10. SEATTLE SEAHAWKS (5-2)
The Seahawks held on for a huge home win over the Browns. They are now sitting atop the NFC West, a position I never would have expected them to be in a month ago. Their remaining schedule isn’t exactly the friendliest, but it’s certainly manageable. Will we see another Geno Smith playoff appearance this year?
11. DETROIT LIONS (6-2)
The Lions bounced back from the shellacking they took from Baltimore in a major way. They hosted the Raiders on Monday Night Football, and they went out and posted a 12-point victory in front of a national audience.
12. CLEVELAND BROWNS (4-3)
It was a tough loss for the Browns, who couldn’t get the job done with PJ Walker at the helm in Seattle. Still though, they battled them. This is an excellent roster. It’s kind of a shame that they can’t get consistent, solid play at the QB position.
13. NEW YORK JETS (4-3)
Don’t look now, but the New York Jets are above .500! This feels like quite an accomplishment considering the situation at QB. If Zach Wilson can keep this team in the playoff hunt, things could get very interesting when/if Rodgers returns.
14. LOS ANGELES CHARGERS (3-4)
The Chargers finally looked like the team many expected them to be this season. Although, the fact that it was against the Bears and their backup QB steals a bit of that shine. The offense looked good though. They sustained long drives and put 30 points on the board for the first time since Week 1.
15. MINNESOTA VIKINGS (4-4)
The Vikings had a big win on Sunday. Anytime they beat the Packers it feels like a big win due to the nature of their rivalry. The Vikings didn’t just beat them, however. They handed them a double-digit, 14-point loss in Lambeau – which was just a backbreaker for the Pack. However, it’ll be hard for the Vikings to feel good about that game, as Kirk Cousins will miss the remainder of the season with Achilles injury.
16. PITTSBURGH STEELERS (4-3)
It was a bad weekend for the Steelers. Not only did they suffer a 10-point home loss to the Jags, but Kenny Pickett was injured as well. The team saw Mitch Trubisky take over at QB, which is a nightmare for a team who has had a lot of offensive woes so far this season.
17. LOS ANGELES RAMS (3-5)
Ouch. Not a great game for a team who should be finding some consistency with the return of WR Cooper Kupp. The Rams were 2-2 when Kupp returned. When he came back it felt like this team could exceed expectations utilizing the emergence of Puka Nacua. Instead, LA has gone 1-3 since Kupp’s return, with the only win coming against the lowly Cardinals.
18. ATLANTA FALCONS (4-4)
The Falcons dropped a road game to the Titans on Sunday. They will face the Vikings this week in a game that feels important for this group. They will be at home and facing a Vikings team who has had their own share of issues this season, including the absence of Justin Jefferson, who will not suit up this week either. To make matters worse for Minnesota, they will be without Kirk Cousins for the remainder of the year. This is a big opportunity for the Falcons to grab a win against a team who is not even close to full strength.
19. NEW ORLEANS SAINTS (4-4)
The Saints offense came to life this week as they hung 38 points on the Colts. Efficiency has been a problem for the Saints, but they fixed that this week, finding the end zone on 4 of their 5 red zone trips, all 5 of which resulted in points.
20. TAMPA BAY BUCCANEERS (3-4)
This game felt like it was unfortunate timing for the Bucs. They had to travel north to take on a Bills team who was looking to throttle someone due to their subpar play as of late. So to be in that matchup in such a hostile environment, on a short week nonetheless, sort of makes it feel like the 6-point loss could have been a lot worse.
21. HOUSTON TEXANS (3-4)
This was probably a tough loss for CJ Stroud to swallow. After being taken behind Bryce Young in the NFL Draft, Stroud has enjoyed some moderate success and has looked very promising. I’m sure it didn’t feel great to be the QB against whom Young got his first NFL win.
22. WASHINGTON COMMANDERS (3-5)
“Close but no cigar” is once again the main takeaway from the Commanders’ matchup against the Eagles. They lost the first meeting in OT, and held a 4th quarter lead this week before Jalen Hurts & company came storming back, posting 21 points in the 4th quarter.
23. TENNESSEE TITANS (3-4)
The Titans stayed true to form by winning their home game against the Falcons. They will try to earn their first road victory this Thursday when take on the Steelers. This feels pretty close to a must-win situation for this team if they want a shot at the playoffs.
24. DENVER BRONCOS (3-5)
Whoa now. What team was this on Sunday? The Broncos, after a slew of embarrassing losses, are now entering their bye on a two game win streak, with the latter win being a 15-point victory over Taylor Swift’s Kansas City Chiefs. It’s good to see the Broncos turning things around. Things are more interesting when they are competitive. They will face the Bills in Buffalo on Monday Night Football after their bye. That will be a good measuring stick game that lets us see exactly how far along this team has come over these past two wins.
25. LAS VEGAS RAIDERS (3-5)
The return of Jimmy G didn’t go quite as well as the Raiders had hoped. The QB completed only 10 passes for 126 yards and was sacked 6 times for a loss of 49 combined yards. The Raiders only put up 14 points, and 7 of those came from a Marcus Peters pick-6. They will try to improve next week when they face a very beatable Giants team.
26. INDIANAPOLIS COLTS (3-5)
The Colts need Anthony Richardson back pronto. They put up 27 points on offense, but Minshew has been a liability at QB.
27. NEW YORK GIANTS (2-6)
The Giants fell 13-10 in OT to the in-city rival Jets. I didn’t really have a problem with Brian Daboll’s decision to try a FG with 24 seconds left instead of going for it on 4th & 1 to try and seal the game. After all, a 35-yard FG is a kick that NFL kickers should always make. Hindsight is 20/20. Still though, I doubt Daboll has as many supporters now as he did before kickoff on Sunday.
28. NEW ENGLAND PATRIOTS (2-6)
Mac Jones’ limitations were on full display once again on Sunday, as the Pats fell to the Dolphins by a score of 31-17. They have to be pulling the rip cord on him soon, right?
29. CHICAGO BEARS (2-6)
Tyson Bagent’s magic wore off quick (if it was ever even there at all), as the Bears got taken to school by the Chargers on Sunday Night Football.
30. GREEN BAY PACKERS (2-5)
Things are just getting ugly in Green Bay. The Packers are now 2-5 after a 14-point home loss to a Vikings team who is without star WR Justin Jefferson, and who are considering a fire sale at the trade deadline.
31. ARIZONA CARDINALS (1-7)
This team is so bad that a 7-point home loss to the Ravens could almost feel like a moral victory… if not for the fact that Arizona needed 10 points in the final 90 seconds to make it a 7-point game.
32. CAROLINA PANTHERS (1-6)
The Panthers and Bryce Young both got their first wins on Sunday. They did so in poetic fashion, as Young defeated the QB taken directly after him in the NFL Draft. This was surely a game that Young wanted to win badly in order to confirm that the Panthers were correct in taking him over Stroud, as Stroud has seen more success so far in their young NFL careers.
