NFL power rankings for Week 9: It’s the Chiefs, Steelers and Seahawks — and a drop-off after that — while the defensive-minded Dolphins are rising

The top two teams are unchanged in Brad Biggs’ NFL power rankings for Week 9 of the 2020 season, while the Seattle Seahawks rejoin them among the league’s elite.

Last week’s ranking in parentheses.

Chiefs 7-1 (1)

Patrick Mahomes completed five passes of 25 yards or more in a total demolition of the Jets.

Steelers 7-0 (2)

The Steelers remained the only unbeaten team with a gritty win in Baltimore, and the question now is how far can they stretch their winning streak? The Cowboys, Bengals and Jaguars are next.

Seahawks 6-1 (6)

Newly acquired pass rusher Carlos Dunlap will make his debut Sunday at Buffalo and safety Jamal Adams should return from a groin injury, so the maligned Seahawks defense has help on the way after beating the 49ers.

Saints 5-2 (7)

The Saints have won three straight games by a field goal, two of them in overtime, and topped the Bears on Sunday when Drew Brees was without his top two wide receivers in Michael Thomas and Emmanuel Sanders.

Buccaneers 6-2 (8)

The Bucs didn’t execute very well Monday night in a road win over the Giants, but the defense is playing well and Antonio Brown will be a new weapon for Tom Brady beginning this week.

Ravens 5-2 (4)

Lamar Jackson continues to have a tough time as he threw for a season-low 97 yards in a physical loss to the Steelers. Worse, left tackle Ronnie Stanley went out with a season-ending ankle injury.

Packers 5-2 (5)

The way the Vikings’ Dalvin Cook trampled the Packers on Sunday, it looked a lot like how the 49ers ran over them in the playoffs in January. Now the Packers travel to Santa Clara, Calif., for a rematch Thursday night.

Cardinals 5-2 (9)

The bye week came at an opportune time as injuries have hit the Cardinals hard. They traded for pass rusher Markus Golden, hoping he can help mitigate the loss of Chandler Jones.

Bills 6-2 (10)

The Bills snapped a seven-game losing streak to the Patriots as Devin Singletary and Zack Moss combined for 167 rushing yards. The Bills are 4-0 in the AFC East as they battle to finally dethrone New England.

Titans 5-2 (3)

The Titans have played poorly two weeks in a row, and most confounding in the loss to the Bengals was the failure to get any kind of pass rush against a Cincinnati offensive line that was missing four starters.

Colts 5-2 (12)

The Colts got to 5-2 last season and then things fell completely apart. We’ll find out what they have soon as their next four are against the Ravens, Titans, Packers and Titans again.

Dolphins 4-3 (17)

Tua Tagovailoa threw his first NFL touchdown pass, and the quickly improving Miami defense did the rest. The Dolphins are No. 1 in the league in scoring defense, allowing only 18.6 points per game.

Rams 5-3 (11)

The Rams outgained the Dolphins 471-145 but wilted under pressure and turned the ball over four times in a 28-17 loss.

Raiders 4-3 (16)

The Raiders snapped an 11-game losing streak in games played below 50 degrees, managing high wind in Cleveland as Jon Gruden turned to a ground game that piled up 208 yards on 45 carries.

Bears 5-3 (13)

The offense is such that the Bears will struggle to win when they don’t benefit from an advantage in takeaways, field position and penalties. All three went against them in an overtime loss to the Saints.

Browns 5-3 (15)

The Browns head into their bye week perhaps ahead of where many figured they would be. They didn’t play well in Sunday’s loss to the Raiders but look to be on pace to end the NFL’s longest playoff drought. The Browns last reached the postseason in 2002.

49ers 4-4 (14)

The NFL’s most injured team got hit with more bad news as Jimmy Garoppolo will miss significant time with a high ankle sprain and George Kittle has a foot fracture after Sunday’s loss to the Seahawks.

Eagles 3-4-1 (22)

Carson Wentz is struggling, and nothing exemplifies that more than his four turnovers against the woeful Cowboys defense. He completed 15 of 27 passes for 123 yards and threw for two touchdowns in the win.

Broncos 3-4 (23)

Bryce Callahan came up with a big interception, and Drew Lock rallied from a terrible first half as the Broncos stormed back to beat the Chargers.

Lions 3-4 (19)

After two road wins over the lowly Jaguars and Falcons, the Lions returned home and were pounded by the Colts, their seventh consecutive home loss. The schedule is soft for the next month as they play the Vikings, Washington, Panthers and Texans.

Falcons 2-6 (26)

The Falcons are now 2-1 under interim coach Raheem Morris after winning on the road Thursday night at Carolina. Morris would need to guide the team on a real heater to be seriously considered for the job at the end of the season.

Vikings 2-5 (28)

Back from a minor groin injury, Dalvin Cook went wild in a win over the Packers, totaling 226 yards from scrimmage and four touchdowns — the first Vikings player to accomplish that.

Panthers 3-5 (21)

After a brief surprise when the Panthers won three straight games, they’ve now lost three in a row. The good news is running back Christian McCaffrey, out since Sept. 20 with a high ankle sprain, could return this week. The bad news is the Panthers face the Chiefs.

Bengals 2-5-1 (27)

Joe Burrow is on pace to eclipse Andrew Luck’s 2012 record of 4,374 passing yards by a rookie.

Chargers 2-5 (18)

The Chargers have squandered double-digit leads in four straight games and are fortunate to have won one of them. They weren’t so lucky Sunday in Denver.

Patriots 2-5 (20)

Cam Newton had a late fumble, and the Patriots have lost four straight for the first time since 2002.

Washington 2-5 (24)

Rookie running back Antonio Gibson, a converted wide receiver, has given a little bit of life to a struggling offense. Washington comes out of its bye with games against the Giants and Lions, so there may be a chance to stick in the NFC East race for a bit.

Texans 1-6 (25)

The Texans qualified for the playoffs in four of the last five years, but this is a major tear-down for whoever takes over. At least they have a quarterback in Deshaun Watson. They come out of the bye ready to face the Jaguars.

Cowboys 2-6 (29)

The Cowboys are holding on to top pass rusher Aldon Smith instead of trying to trade him. “I think we’re in this to still fight (in the NFC East),” vice president Stephen Jones said. But for how much longer?

Giants 1-7 (30)

Two Daniel Jones interceptions turned into 10 points for the Buccaneers on Monday night, spoiling a solid effort by the Giants defense.

Jaguars 1-6 (31)

Rookie running back James Robinson from Illinois State has been a pleasant discovery. The rest? Not so much. The Jaguars come out of their bye week having lost six in a row, allowing 30 or more points in all six.

Jets 0-8 (32)

The Jets are halfway to running the table, and their best chance for a victory might come this week with the slumping Patriots coming to MetLife Stadium.

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