NFL Power Rankings: Packers and 49ers Stay Hot, Dolphins Get First Win Of The Season

In week nine of the NFL, fans were treated to a few upsets around the league, including seeing the Dolphins travel to Arrowhead Stadium to beat up on the Chiefs to register their first win of the season. The Colts, however, were unable to win and are now in pole position to draft Andrew Luck in the spring. 

Remember, LW = Last Week's Rankings. Let's take a look at the NFL power rankings heading into week 10. 

1. Green Bay Packers (8-0) (LW: 1): Although the Packers were able to squeak by the Chargers on the road, their defense gave up 38 points to the dominant air attack of Philip Rivers and Co. This could be the Achilles heel of their team, but if they just outscore everyone every week, then they won't have to worry about that, will they? 

2. San Francisco 49ers (7-1) (LW: 2): The 49ers are now 4-0 in games where they were forced to travel to the east coast and they still have five games to play against their NFC West rivals. The division is all but locked up at this point. 

3. Baltimore Ravens (6-2) (LW: 4): Joe Flacco came up huge in a big game against the hated Pittsburgh Steelers. A last second deep pass to Torrey Smith sealed the deal for the Ravens and they now own the tiebreaker if the division race comes down to it. 

4. New Orleans Saints (6-3) (LW: 6): The Saints have returned to form following a brutal loss to the Rams in week 8. The Saints' defense was able to hold a fairly good Bucs offense to only one touchdown and Drew Brees managed the game much better this time around. They play another division rival, the Falcons, next week. 

5. Pittsburgh Steelers (6-3) (LW: 3): The Steelers lost a heart breaker to the Ravens on a last minute touchdown. Still, they are easily the second best team in the AFC. Young Antonio Brown will probably see some more playing time with Hines Ward ailing and Brown's play evolving. 

6. Houston Texans (6-3) (LW: 9): The Texans were able to get two running backs (Arian Foster and Ben Tate) over the 100 yard rushing mark against the Browns. They hope to get All-Pro receiver Andre Johnson back soon, which will add an even greater dynamic to their offense. They are easily the favorite to come out of the AFC South. 

7. New York Giants (6-2) (LW: 10): Lots of talk ensued about whether or not Eli Manning became an elite QB after leading the Giants to a comeback win over the Pats. My only question would be, has the guy truly not done enough to prove that in the past? Anyhow, great win for the Giants. They remain in first place in the NFC East, despite all of the injuries on their defense. 

8. Cincinnati Bengals (6-2) (LW: 11): Call me crazy, but this team is exceeding any expectations that were set for them this season. Still, they have not played the Steelers or the Ravens yet this year, so we'll see how they turn out. For now, they are in first place in the AFC North.

9. Buffalo Bills (5-3) (LW: 5): Ryan Fitzpatrick posted the lowest total QB rating of the weekend, passing for 191 yards, a touchdown and two INTs. They couldn't really get any offensive production throughout the game and their main offensive weapon, Fred Jackson, left in the fourth quarter with an injury. Bad news for the Bills, who are now in a three way tie for first in the AFC East. 

10. New England Patriots (5-3) (LW: 7): The Pats dropped their second consecutive game this week after failing to control the wrath of Eli Manning. Tom Brady faced a heavy coverage all weekend and threw two picks because of it. Couple that with an awful defense and you have a recipe for disaster. 

11. Detroit Lions (6-2) (LW: 8): The first of the bye teams lands on the power rankings list. And as many bye teams do, they take a hit for not playing this week. They get the unfortunate pleasure of playing the Bears, Packers and Saints in thee of the next four weeks. 

12. New York Jets (5-3) (LW: 14): It looks like the Jets are back. Their defense was able to create a miserable day for Fitzpatrick and the Bills. Also, they had a decent day on the ground and imposed their will on the road. 

13. Chicago Bears (5-3) (LW: 18): Da Bears seem to have figured out their pass protection issues that plagued them to begin the season. They beat the Eagles last night on Monday Night Football, with Jay Cutler looking like the elite QB that he has the potential to be. 

14. Atlanta Falcons (5-3) (LW: 17): The Falcons got the freebie this week because they got to play the last place and currently win-less Colts. Julio Jones had the breakout game that everyone has been looking for, racking up the first two touchdowns of his career. 

15. San Diego Chargers (4-4) (LW: 13): The Bolts lost in a shootout with the Packers, but who can blame them? It seems like this team is the opposite of what they usually are in that they started fast this year, but seem to be stalling in November. 

16. Oakland Raiders (4-4) (LW: 12): The Raiders fell victim to the great Tim Tebow and his 118 yard rushing day. They also allowed Willis McGahee to run for 163 yards on 20 attempts. They looked absolutely terrible against an absolutely terrible team, but they are still technically tied for first in the division. 

17. Dallas Cowboys (4-4) (LW: 21): The good news is that the Cowboys won a game that they were supposed to win against the Seahawks. The bad news? Miles Austin will be out a number of weeks after re-tweaking his hamstring. I would be surprised if DeMarco Murray does not become the full-time starter given his emergence. 

18. Tampa Bay Buccaneers (4-4) (LW: 16): The Bucs lost a big divisional game to the Saints, but they are not out of the division yet. Josh Freeman needs to cut down on his INTs (he has ten on the season) and LeGarrette Blount needs to get healthy in order for them to remain in the playoff picture. 

19. Philadelphia Eagles (3-5) (LW: 15): Just when the Eagles started to get on a roll, they go and lose a very winnable game to the Bears. It probably wasn't a good idea to have your punter throw a big time pass in a big time moment, though. The question now is: can they still recover in time to make the postseason? 

20. Tennessee Titans (4-4) (LW: 19): Chris Johnson finally got out of his funk, rushing for 64 yards on 14 carries, but the Titans were unable to overcome the unbelievable Bengals. Damian Williams made one of the better catches in that game. Matt Hasselbeck has still got it though, so don't count them out of the AFC South just yet. 

21. Jacksonville Jaguars (2-6) (LW: 24): Due to the ridiculous losses of some of the teams ahead of them, the Jaguars get to move up the chart. They get to play the insanely poor Colts next week. 

22. Cleveland Browns (3-5) (LW: 22): Nobody really expected the Browns to go into Houston and beat the Texans, but then again, nobody expected them to allow Houston to gain 261 yards on the ground, either. The really missed the presence of their two primary running backs, Peyton Hillis and Montario Hardesty. 

23. Washington Redskins (3-5) (LW: 23): To think this team was 3-1 at one time... John Beck and Rex Grossman are equally terrible, so hopefully Shanahan has another option up his sleeve or this season could dip into chaos soon. 

24. Denver Broncos (3-5) (LW: 29): I continuously love to make fun of our deal old friend Tim Tebow, but the guy continuously ceases to amaze me. He just wins. As I stated earlier, he rushed for 118 yards and McGahee had 163. Oh, and Eddie Royal had a punt return for a TD. 

25. Arizona Cardinals (2-6) (LW: 30): I couldn't help myself. The Cardinals really needed that win against the Rams and hopefully they can start to rebuild their season from the ground up. Big ups to Calais Campbell and the amazing rookie, Patrick Peterson. 

26. Kansas City Chiefs (4-4) (LW: 20): What a terrible, terrible loss. How is it that a team can win four games in a row, beating the Chargers in one of them and then lose to the Dolphins? They let Matt Moore record the highest QB rating of the weekend. 

27. Minnesota Vikings (2-6) (LW: 25): Returning to the bye week victims, the Vikings will likely continue to slip down the charts next week when they face the Packers on MNF. Just another bad game that fans are forced to watch. 

28. Carolina Panthers (2-6) (LW: 26): The Panthers host the Titans next week, but even though they will probably lose, it figures to be an entertaining game with Cam Newton at the helm. 

29. Seattle Seahawks (2-6) (LW: 27): The Seahawks have one of the better run defenses in the league, but they let the rookie DeMarco Murray run all over them on Sunday for 139 yards on the ground. They were fortunately able to match that with Marshawn Lynch gaining 135 rushing yards. 

30. St. Louis Rams (1-7) (LW: 28): The Rams lost a close overtime game to the Cardinals because of a Patrick Peterson punt return for a TD. Time to work on your special teams coverage schemes, Rams. 

31. Miami Dolphins (1-7) (LW: 31): And the 'Fins are officially on the board! But they fail to move up because they are still terrible. 

32. Indianapolis Colts (0-9) (LW: 32): The Colts have no foreseeable victories in sight and at this point, I am not so sure they want to win. I am almost certain that they are playing for Andrew Luck, but hey, who am I to say?