NFL power rankings, Week 9: Cardinals and Titans soar, while Ravens jump back into top 5

Each week of the NFL season, The Baltimore Sun will rank all 32 NFL teams. The rankings will take into account not just weekly performance, but how well each team measures up as Super Bowl contenders, regardless of win-loss record.

Here are the rankings after Week 9:

The contenders

1. Arizona Cardinals (8-1; No. 6 last week)

2. Tampa Bay Buccaneers (6-2; No. 2)

3. Tennessee Titans (7-2, No. 8)

4. Green Bay Packers (7-2; No. 1)

5. Baltimore Ravens (6-2; No. 7)

6. Dallas Cowboys (6-2; No. 4)

7. Los Angeles Rams (7-2; No. 5)

After dominating a division rival without their starting quarterback and top wide receiver, the Cardinals jump to the top of the rankings this week. With Most Valuable Player candidate Kyler Murray and star DeAndre Hopkins sidelined, Arizona pummeled the 49ers, 31-17, behind veteran Colt McCoy and running back James Conner. There might not be a more impressive win in the NFL this season, a nice feather in Kliff Kingsbury’s cap as he builds his stunning coach of the year candidacy. Don’t overlook the Cardinals’ defense, either, which sacked Jimmy Garoppolo five times and forced three turnovers. This hot start can no longer be considered a fluke. Arizona is a legitimate Super Bowl contender.

There’s an equally surprising top dog in the AFC. The Titans were considered a likely playoff team heading into the season, but after a 2-2 start that included a loss to the Jets, it seemed as if they weren’t going to be more than first-round fodder. Since then, the Titans have won five straight, including wins over the Bills, Chiefs and Rams. A week after losing star running back Derrick Henry for the season, Tennessee rolled to a 28-16 statement victory over Los Angeles, sacking Matthew Stafford five times and picking him off twice. The secondary, an expected weak spot entering the season, has been outstanding, and Jeffery Simmons has blossomed into one of the most disruptive defensive linemen in the league. The Titans aren’t as scary without Henry in the backfield, but quarterback Ryan Tannehill and receivers A.J. Brown and Julio Jones might be enough to lead a deep playoff run in a wide-open AFC.

They’ll have to get through their old nemesis the Ravens, of course. Behind Lamar Jackson, Baltimore rallied from a double-digit second-half deficit for the third time this season to beat the Vikings in overtime, 34-31. According to ESPN, the rest of the NFL is 8-93 this year when trailing by double digits in the second half. An erratic defense and injuries on both sides of the ball have kept this team from reaching the heights of its dominant 2019 season, but Jackson gives the Ravens a chance to win every week with his arm and his legs. With other AFC contenders slipping, there’s a path for Baltimore to finally get over the hump in the postseason.

In a strange week of results around the league, it’s foolish to read too much into the Packers’ 13-7 loss to the Chiefs and the Cowboys’ 30-16 defeat to the Broncos. Green Bay was forced to play second-year quarterback Jordan Love with Aaron Rodgers sidelined by COVID, and the offense predictably struggled behind the 2020 first-round pick. Dallas, meanwhile, fell behind 30-0 thanks to an uncharacteristically poor performance from Dak Prescott, who had less than 100 yards and one interception in the fourth quarter before racking up some garbage time stats. It was a bad week for Prescott and Co., but the quarterback doesn’t seem to be worried. “I hope teams play us like this for the rest of the season, to be honest,” he said when asked if the Broncos gave the rest of the league a blueprint to beat the Cowboys. When Rodgers and Prescott are healthy and playing well, these teams are among the best in the NFC.

On the cusp of contention

8. Buffalo Bills (5-3; No. 3)

9. Kansas City Chiefs (5-4; No. 12)

10. New England Patriots (5-4; No. 15)

11. Los Angeles Chargers (5-3; No. 13)

12. Pittsburgh Steelers (5-3; No. 14)

There’s not much to say about the Bills’ 9-6 loss to the Jaguars, other than it was inexcusable. Jacksonville edge rusher Josh Allen sacked, intercepted and recovered a fumble from Bills quarterback Josh Allen, which not only led to an unforgettable piece of trivia but the Jaguars’ first win on U.S. soil under coach Urban Meyer (they beat the Dolphins in London). Quarterback Josh Allen said he and his team played terribly, to be polite, and that about sums it up. But there are warning signs here for a team that has struggled on offense for consecutive weeks and only leads its division by a half-game after sprinting to a 4-1 start.

The Chiefs, who the Bills crushed 38-20 back in Week 5, have climbed back above .500, but there’s still something off with this team. Quarterback Patrick Mahomes is still struggling to push the ball downfield, settling for 4.5 yards per attempt in Sunday’s win over the Packers. Whether it’s a lack of focus, a hidden injury or something else, Mahomes just isn’t playing at his usual MVP level. Nobody wants to play the Chiefs come January, but at this rate, against one of the toughest remaining schedules in the league, it’s no guarantee Kansas City even makes the playoffs.

That might crack the door open for the Patriots, Chargers and Steelers. New England has won four of its past five since losing to old friend Tom Brady, putting Bill Belichick and Co. squarely back in the hunt for both the AFC East title and the wild card. The Chargers enjoyed a rare bit of good luck on special teams Sunday, getting a game-winning field goal from newly signed kicker Dustin Hopkins to beat the Eagles, 27-24, after an efficient performance from Justin Herbert. The Steelers beat the Bears, 29-27, on a late field goal after blowing a 20-6 fourth-quarter lead Monday night, keeping themselves in contention.

The wild cards

13. Cleveland Browns (5-4; No. 16)

14. Las Vegas Raiders (5-3; No. 9)

15. Denver Broncos (5-4; No. 18)

16. New Orleans Saints (5-3; No. 11)

17. Cincinnati Bengals (5-4; No. 10)

With all eyes on Baker Mayfield after the Browns’ messy divorce from wide receiver Odell Beckham Jr., the quarterback delivered one his best games of the season. Mayfield threw for 218 yards and two touchdowns, including a 60-yard bomb to Donovan Peoples-Jones, to lift Cleveland to a cathartic 41-16 rout of the Bengals. As exciting as the win was for Mayfield believers, it was equally disappointing for Cincinnati fans. Sunday’s blowout loss and last week’s stunning defeat to the Jets have erased all the goodwill coach Zac Taylor earned from a 5-2 start and a dominant over the Ravens. The Bengals are unquestionably better this season, but a disappointing stretch from Joe Burrow and the defense has swiftly recalibrated expectations from darkhorse AFC North winner to scrappy playoff contender.

That AFC race is going to be tight if the Raiders and Broncos have anything to say about it. After trading star pass rusher Von Miller to the Rams, Denver seemed to be raising the white flag. Instead, quarterback Teddy Bridgewater and a dominant running game orchestrated a big win over the Cowboys that pushed the Broncos over .500. The Raiders suffered a disappointing 23-16 loss to the Giants, but you can forgive them for not playing their best after former wide receiver Henry Ruggs III was charged with DUI resulting in death. The Las Vegas offense is still among the league’s best and just added wide receiver DeSean Jackson to the mix. If the Raiders beat the Chiefs on Sunday night, we’ll know they’re a real contender.

The messy middle

18. Indianapolis Colts (4-5; No. 22)

19. Atlanta Falcons (4-4; No. 24)

20. Minnesota Vikings (3-5; No. 19)

21. Seattle Seahawks (3-5; No. 23)

22. Philadelphia Eagles (3-6; No. 25)

23. Carolina Panthers (4-5; No. 20)

24. New York Giants (3-6; No. 26)

25. San Francisco 49ers (3-5; No. 17)

26. Chicago Bears (3-6; No. 21)

After starting the season a combined 2-6, the Colts and Falcons have clawed back into the hunt, but it hasn’t been pretty. Indianapolis took care of business against the Jets on Thursday night, 45-30, despite giving up 317 yards and three touchdowns to Josh Johnson, while the Falcons beat the Saints, 27-25, after blowing a 24-6 lead in the fourth quarter. Neither team is shaping up to be a playoff threat, but there’s something to be said for turning a season around after a poor start.

That makes what’s happening in Minnesota, Carolina and San Francisco all the more disappointing. Neither team was considered a lock to make the playoffs entering the year, but their rosters are far too talented to be sitting below .500. The 49ers in particular have some tough questions to answer about coach Kyle Shanahan, who has gone 9-15 since reaching the Super Bowl at the end of the 2019 season. The team owes it to Shanahan to at least get a full year with No. 3 overall draft pick Trey Lance after trading up for the talented dual-threat quarterback, but this season’s performance and a continued distrust of young players might lead to his departure.

The Bears have to be encouraged by Monday night’s rally against the Steelers and the play of rookie quarterback Justin Fields. In fact, it might have been the ideal outcome. Fields played brilliantly in the final quarter, throwing some beautiful throws under pressure, while coach Matt Nagy made mistakes with clock management and saw his team commit 12 penalties. It’s clear that Nagy isn’t the right coach for Fields and this team, which means the Bears can focus on finding a suitable replacement as they build the roster around the young star.

The basement

27. Washington Football Team (2-6; No. 27)

28. New York Jets (2-6; No. 28)

29. Jacksonville Jaguars (2-6; No. 32)

30. Miami Dolphins (2-7; No. 30)

31. Houston Texans (1-8; No. 29)

32. Detroit Lions (0-8; No. 28)

The Dolphins finally ended their seven-game losing streak, but it took a messy win over the lowly Texans to do it. The teams combined for nine turnovers, with backup quarterback Jacoby Brissett throwing two interceptions and Miami losing three fumbles. Now the Dolphins face the Ravens on a short week, and might not get starter Tua Tagovailoa back in time from his finger injury. The last time these teams met, Baltimore won 59-10 in the 2019 season opener. A similar fate might await on Thursday night.