2022 NFL Power Rankings Week 9: Cowboys crack top 5, Packers keep struggling

The Dallas Cowboys scored a big win and cracked the top 5 of our 2022 NFL Power Rankings while the Green Bay Packers lost to the Buffalo Bills and continue to fall

It was another exciting weekend of football with several games coming down to the wire while others were statement wins. The NFC East had a little bit of all of that as the Dallas Cowboys and Philadelphia Eagles won big over the Chicago Bears and Pittsburgh Steelers respectively, and the Washington Commanders scored a late touchdown to upset the Indianapolis Colts.

Sunday was then capped off with Josh Allen and the Buffalo Bills showing they’re still for real by knocking off the Green Bay Packers— while Allen also showed he’s one of the hot young stars and Aaron Rodgers is on the way out.

With all that going on, we revisit the weekly 2022 NFL Power Rankings, starting with a familiar team at No. 32.

2022 NFL Power Rankings Week 9

32. Detroit Lions

Once again, the Detroit Lions came close but couldn’t get the job done. They took an early lead in Week 8 against the Miami Dolphins and then led until 12 seconds left in the third. Miami scored on an 11-yard touchdown by Mike Gesicki to go up 31-27.

Detroit had a couple of chances in the final quarter to take the lead back but had to punt and then turned it over on downs. As has been the case since last season, there will be plenty who defend Dan Campbell and say his team fights hard every week.

However, there are plenty of other teams that have holes on the roster and eventually get wins. Some day, we’ll have to ask if he’s right for the job since they find new ways to lose every week under his leadership.

31. Houston Texans

Another game, another loss for the Houston Texans. This time, they fell to the Tennessee Titans who were starting rookie Malik Willis in place of an injured Ryan Tannehill. Willis was uninspiring with 55 yards on 6-of-10 passing but the ground game was unstoppable.

Houston surrendered 314 rushing yards with Derrick Henry going for 219 of those yards, as well as two touchdowns. The Texans got one touchdown, a pass from Davis Mills to Dameon Pierce, but that was in the closing seconds meaning it wasn’t really a close game even though it was a low-scoring affair.

It’s hard to see too many more opportunities for wins on the Houston schedule but that could help them land a franchise quarterback in the draft. There’s at least one silver lining.

30. Chicago Bears

The Chicago Bears ended a three-game losing streak last week when they beat the New England Patriots in a convincing 33-14 win. In Week 8, they were then blown out by the Cowboys, losing 4-29. They do deserve some credit for fighting back as Dallas was up 28-7 and they pulled to within five, making it 28-23 but then the home team put them away for good with a couple of huge runs and a defensive touchdown.

Now at 3-5, they’re falling too far behind the 6-1 Vikings to make a run. But if there is a silver lining, it has to be the effort they show and the fact that Justin Fields played well against a strong defense.

29. Cleveland Browns

Plays on Monday Night Football vs. Cincinnati Bengals

No team was more overhyped than the Cleveland Browns this season and the fan base is losing their minds at an alarming rate. Rather than admit they overvalued some of their talent, they’re pointing fingers at the coaching staff, including the head coach/play-caller that has now orchestrated an efficient offense with Baker Mayfield and Jacoby Brissett.

Kevin Stefanski is clearly not the problem and he’s not going to lose his job for their inability to close out wins with a career backup. The truth is, this front office knew 2022 would be a season to evaluate their players while preparing for 2023 and beyond with Deshaun Watson. Judgment will be withheld until this staff has their guy — and when they do, it will be funny to see how many suddenly think Stefanski learned to coach.

As for their Monday Night Football game against the Bengals, this one could be closer than expected with Ja’Marr Chase out but their inability to stop the run could make it a long night since Joe Mixon is so talented.

28. Carolina Panthers

Eddy Pineiro has to be thankful that the trip between Atlanta and Charlotte is a short one. The Carolina Panthers kicker twice had a chance to win the game for his team but missed an extra point at the end of regulation as well as one in overtime.

The fourth-quarter kick came after a miraculous 62-yard touchdown from P.J. Walker to D.J. Moore but Moore was flagged for taking off his helmet after the play. The 15-yard penalty made it a 48-yard extra point and Pineiro missed it.

He had a shot at redemption from 32-yards out following a C.J. Henderson interception but missed again. Atlanta was able to capitalize and win by three, sending Carolina to 2-6 on the year.

27. Pittsburgh Steelers

Mike Tomlin has never had a losing record in his career and that’s likely to change this season. The Pittsburgh Steelers fell to 2-6 on the season with a loss to the Philadelphia Eagles this weekend.

Their defense had no answers for Jalen Hurts who threw four touchdowns. They also had no one that could cover A.J. Brown who caught three of those.

What had to be frustrating was how they struggled to move the ball and had to use trick plays — like the Chase Claypool touchdown pass — to finish drives. Meanwhile, the Eagles just lined up and bullied them all day.

Of course, this is one of the better front offices in the history of the game and they’ll remain patient with this rebuild rather than fire a great coach because of one bad season.

26. Jacksonville Jaguars

Make it five losses in a row for the Jacksonville Jaguars now as they fell to 2-6 on the season after their quick start. This was another close one for them as they have never lost by more than eight points, which was against the Eagles in Week 4.

Now playing against Denver in London, the Jags led for most of the game but the Broncos went up by four in the third quarter. A touchdown from Travis Etienne gave them the lead back at 17-14 but the defense couldn’t hold.

With one final shot to take the game back, Trevor Lawrence was picked off as he threw into tight coverage. The good news is that they’re close. The bad news is that it’s hard to figure out how to win and it sure doesn’t look like they’re making progress in that department.

25. Las Vegas Raiders

The Las Vegas Raiders have been bad this season but they’ve been really bad on the road. Their latest loss was a 24-0 beating by the Saints and they’re now 0-4 away from Las Vegas. On Sunday, they had no offense to speak of as Derek Carr threw for 101 yards before giving way to Jarrett Stidham who had 72.

On the ground, they had 38 yards on 13 attempts — with a long of 16. That means outside of that one big run, they had 22 yards on 12 rushes.

Now at 2-5, they’re spiraling with their only wins coming against the lowly Texans and struggling Broncos. This is far from what anyone expected heading into the year.

24. Los Angeles Rams

The Los Angeles Rams continue to struggle this season. They also continued to struggle against Jimmy Garoppolo in the regular season. For the second time this season, the Rams fell to Garoppolo, and both times it was rather one-sided. Their first meeting in Week 4 was a 24-9 win for the Niners and this weekend it was 31-14.

Giving up 31 points is tough enough to deal with but it’s impossible to handle when the offense can’t move the chains. That happened to L.A. as they had 56 yards on 21 rushing attempts and Matthew Stafford threw for just 187 yards on 33 attempts. They’re now 3-4 but since the division isn’t great, they’re still in it — but they have to find a way to get more consistency on both sides of the ball before it’s too late.

23. Arizona Cardinals

A win last week against New Orleans gave the Arizona Cardinals some new life but they couldn’t make it two in a row as they lost to the Minnesota Vikings in Week 8. They had chances in this one, even taking a 17-14 lead in the third quarter but Minnesota outscored them 20-9 from that point. They had a couple of chances to stay in the game but an interception and turnover on downs doomed them in their comeback efforts.

As has been the case for much of the season, the Cards struggled on defense. This was the third time this year they surrendered at least 30 points and they were bullied on the ground to the tune of 173 yards and three touchdowns. The good news for them is that the NFC West is far from elite, so they’re still alive, but they need to start winning against good teams to have a shot.

22. Denver Broncos

The Denver Broncos headed to London this weekend for a game against the Jaguars, who are seasoned vets when it comes to contests across the pond. But Denver wasn’t intimidated and Russell Wilson didn’t let the long flight stop him from getting his high knees in. And as always, the internet had fun with Wilson’s odd behavior, with other teams even enjoying it.

Apparently, it worked though as the Broncos were able to get the win. A late touchdown from Latavius Murray with 1:43 to go put them up by four and Trevor Lawrence was picked off on their first play of the ensuing drive.

Now at 3-5, Denver is still technically alive but they still have a lot of work to do in order to become a threat.

21. Washington Commanders

All it took to turn things around for the Washington Commanders was to use a quarterback not named Carson Wentz. With Taylor Heinicke under center the past two weeks, they have now won back-to-back games — well, they did beat Chicago with Wentz to make it three in a row, but the fact remains they look more competent with Heinicke under center.

This weekend, they were able to secure a one-point win with the offense going 82 yards in 12 plays capped off by a touchdown run from Heinicke. That score came with just 22 seconds left to play which wasn’t enough time for the Colts. Now at 4-4, they’re still in the race but happen to play in a tough division where the Cowboys and Giants are 6-2 and the Eagles are 7-0.

20. New Orleans Saints

The Andy Dalton era continued for the New Orleans Saints on Sunday and he played his best game of the season. The veteran quarterback was 22-of-30 with 229 yards and two touchdowns. Alvin Kamara was on the receiving end of each of those as he had three total on the day with 158 total yards on the day.

As good as they were on offense, the defense led the way in this one. They held the Raiders to no points while allowing just 145 yards passing and 38 on the ground. New Orleans also harassed Derek Carr all day with three sacks and a pick and also sacked Jarrett Stidham when he took over.

At 3-5, they’re off to a slow start but still in the race with Atlanta sitting in first place in the NFC South at 4-4.

19. Indianapolis Colts

Matt Ryan is out and Sam Ehlinger is in for the Indianapolis Colts — meaning they gave up on Matty Ice way quicker than they gave up on Carson Wentz. Speaking of Wentz, Ehlinger was unable to face off against the Colts starter from a season ago as Taylor Heinicke got his second start of the season.

Indy was unable to get the win, but Ehlinger wasn’t at fault. He was actually pretty efficient going 17-of-23 for 201 yards, although he did lose a fumble in the first half. In the end, the defense couldn’t get a late stop and Washington won by a single point.

18. Tampa Bay Buccaneers

Tom Brady has never had a losing record as a starter in his previous 22 years as an NFL quarterback. That’s suddenly in jeopardy this year as the Tampa Bay Buccaneers are sitting at 3-5 following their latest loss to the Ravens on Thursday Night Football. Brady again struggled with accuracy in this one, completing 59 percent of his passes and the defense couldn’t make stops when needed.

Now on the heels of three losses in a row, they’re trying to figure out what went wrong and how to fix it. The good news for them, however, is that they’re in the worst division in football and there’s not a winning record among the four teams in the South. So, as bad as things have gone, they can still make it to the playoffs and make a run.

17. Green Bay Packers

If Aaron Rodgers was happy about his team having a shot at being exposed this week against Buffalo, then he must be thrilled that they were completely exposed. Of course, Rodgers was just trying to find a silver lining when saying the matchup and their struggles could be good but the truth remains that this team is struggling mightily.

It’s not a shock that the offense is up and down since they were already thin at receiver and now have had a lot of injuries but no one saw the defense struggling as they have.

Sunday night they had no answers for Josh Allen and the Bills. Even when the offense would start to put something together, Allen marched Buffalo down for another score. Now at 3-5, they’re far behind the Vikings but can get back on track with a game against the Lions on tap.

16. New England Patriots

It’s really hard to figure out the New England Patriots this season. Just when it seems like it’s time to move on from them, they get a win. Then if you believe in them, they suffer a loss. The latest roller coaster came when they beat the Lions 29-0 and the Browns 38-15 only to get beat 33-14 by the Chicago Bears.

So at 3-4, it seemed as though they would be left behind in the AFC East. But that’s not the case as they knocked off the New York Jets 22-17 in Week 8. They not only slowed the ground game down again, but they also forced Zach Wilson to throw three picks.

On offense, Mac Jones was back under center and was sacked six times while throwing just 194 yards but the defense did enough for them to improve to 4-4.

15. Atlanta Falcons

Just as we all thought when the season began, the Atlanta Falcons are alone in first place in the NFC South. Their win over the Carolina Panthers improved them to 4-4 on the year, and they’re now the only team in the South that doesn’t have a losing record. But they almost threw their last game away, twice.

In the fourth, they allowed D.J. Moore to get deep on them and he hauled in a 62-yard pass that tied it up at 34. Eddy Pineiro then missed the extra point, so we had overtime.

Marcus Mariota then threw a pick in the extra period but Pineiro missed a 32-yard kick that would have ended things. Atlanta took advantage as they went 55 yards on eight plays to set up a 41-yard winner for Younghoe Koo. At this point, it seems sustainable but they still don’t feel like a big threat if they do make the playoffs.

14. San Francisco 49ers

It didn’t take long to see why the San Francisco 49ers added Christian McCaffrey. In just his second game with his new team, McCaffrey had a day to remember. He became just the 11th player in NFL history — and the first since 2005 — to score a touchdown as a receiver and a runner while also throwing one.

He led the way as San Francisco secured their second win of the season over the Rams, sending the defending champs to 3-4 on the season while improving to 5-3. They’re just one game behind Seattle now but have a win over them already, thanks to a 27-7 victory in Week 2.

Adding McCaffrey could be exactly what they needed to stay alive.

13. Los Angeles Chargers

The AFC West was supposed to be elite with all four teams contending for a playoff spot. That hasn’t been the case though as only two teams have winning records after Week 8. Both of those teams are on their bye as the Los Angles Chargers are sitting at 4-3, just behind the Chiefs who are 5-2.

Los Angeles lost to the Chiefs in Week 2 by three and had a hangover the following week, losing to the Jaguars. They’ve been 3-1 since then but had to head into the bye trying to clean some things up following a loss to the Seahawks.

When they’re back in action, they have the Atlanta Falcons and San Francisco 49ers but the game that will really matter is on Nov. 20, when they take on Kansas City again. They need to start actually beating them to contend because close isn’t going to be enough.

12. New York Jets

At 5-2 entering the weekend, the New York Jets were one of the top teams in the AFC and they could make a statement with a win over the New England Patriots. However, that didn’t happen as they lost 22-17 while Zach Wilson threw three picks and the ground game managed just 51 yards.

The defense played well, sacking Mac Jones six times but the offense, overall, let them down. There were a couple of players that stepped up with Garrett Wilson hauling in six passes for 115 yards and Tyler Conklin had two touchdowns and 79 yards on six receptions. Even Denzel Mims had 76 yards receiving but they couldn’t put enough points on the board despite the defensive effort.

That continues to be the big question for them — can the offense do enough to keep them in the playoff race?

11. Miami Dolphins

It was a bit unexpected but the Miami Dolphins struggled with the Detroit Lions in Week 8. Detroit, who has just one win on the season, was up 21-7 early in the second quarter and led all the way until the final seconds of the third quarter.

Miami was able to score 14 in the second half and kept Detroit from scoring at all after the break. An 11-yard touchdown from Mike Gesicki put them on top 31-27 and each team had a couple of long drives from there that resulted in no points but killed all the time on the clock.

With the Jets losing, it opens the door for Miami as they are tied with them in second place now.

10. Seattle Seahawks

Somehow, the Seattle Seahawks continue to win as they now knocked off the New York Giants who entered the weekend with just one loss on the season. The defense made life miserable for Daniel Jones, sacking him five times with Uchenna Nwosu getting two of those. They also forced two turnovers on punt returns, getting the ball back from Richie James each time.

But as we have seen all season, the steadying force was again Geno Smith. He was a calm 23-of-34 for 212 yards with two touchdowns and no picks. He added 26 yards on the ground and again did just enough to get the win.

Now at 5-3, they’re alone in first place in the NFC West, a complete shocker considering so many expected this to be a rebuilding season.

9. Cincinnati Bengals

Plays on Monday Night Football vs. Cleveland Browns

The Cincinnati Bengals have turned things around after an 0-2 start as they’ve now won four of their last five, including a 35-17 win over the Atlanta Falcons last week. In that victory, they got 481 yards and three touchdowns from Joe Burrow and both Tyler Boyd and Ja’Marr Chase went over 100-yards — with Tee Higgins on their heels at 93 yards.

However, they now have to navigate several weeks without Chase who injured his hip. The good news is that he didn’t have to go to the IR, so he could be back sooner than expected but that’s still a huge blow.

In Week 8, they should be able to produce offense even without Chase as they play the Cleveland Browns who have been awful on defense this year. Their biggest issue has been stopping the run, so Joe Mixon could have a career night. Losing Chase might keep this one closer but the Bengals still have the firepower to win and keep pace with the Ravens.

8. Tennessee Titans

With Ryan Tannehill out, Malik Willis got the start for the Tennessee Titans and they got the win. Of course, it was against the 1-5-1 Houston Texans and Wills threw just 10 passes for 55 yards. The catalyst for this win was Derrick Henry, who had 32 carries for 219 yards with two touchdowns.

Dontrell Hilliard got in on the fun as well, going for 83 yards on eight rushes as the Titans topped 300 yards on the ground as a team. Their defense also held the Texans to just 118 yards passing and 43 on the ground.

Despite the disparity in stats, the score was 17-10 — although the one touchdown from Houston came with 17 seconds to go, making it look closer than it was.”

7. New York Giants

The New York Giants had their four-game winning streak snapped this weekend as they fell to the Seahawks 27-13. And it was no coincidence that this loss coincided with the worst statistical output of the season for Saquon Barkley.

The star running back has been the main reason for their wins but was held to just 53 yards on 20 attempts against Seattle. With him held in check, the defense was then able to tee off on Daniel Jones, sacking him five times.

New York also lost a couple of punts on fumble returns, which was a huge part of their loss. The good news is that they’re still 6-2 but the bad news is that everyone else in the NFC East won on Sunday.

6. Baltimore Ravens

Tampa Bay gave them a fight on Thursday Night Football, but the Baltimore Ravens made sure to keep the game out of reach. Every time the Bucs got within a score, the Ravens found a way to pull off a long drive and put points on the board.

More importantly, they held a late lead two weeks in a row now — which has been a problem for them throughout the season. Late meltdowns had been plaguing them as they’ve had a lead in every contest and could feasibly be 8-0 if not for the fourth-quarter struggles. Perhaps those are in the past, which would make them a huge threat in the AFC.

5. Minnesota Vikings

Dalvin Cook and Alexander Mattison each had a solid day against the Cardinals as they led the Minnesota Vikings to their sixth win of the season. Cook had 111 yards and a touchdown on 20 carries — while adding 30 yards on five receptions — and Mattison added 40 yards and a touchdown on five rushes.

Even Kirk Cousins got in on the fun as the Vikings quarterback ran for 22 yards and a score as the ground game in Minnesota did enough to hold off Arizona in a 34-26 win. They continue to run away with the NFC South and are one of the best teams in the conference. The only team they lost to thus far is Philly, who just improved to 7-0. Great start to the season as they continue to secure the wins they’re supposed to.

4. Dallas Cowboys

It was the second week for Dak Prescott since returning from thumb surgery and he looked much more like the player the Dallas Cowboys expected him to be this year. Prescott threw for 250 yards and ran for another 34 — and finished with three total touchdowns.

Tony Pollard also had three scores, ripping off 131 yards in place of an injured Ezekiel Elliott. Apparently, Micah Parsons was feeling left out with all the scoring, so he returned a fumble for a touchdown as well, just to get in on the fun.

Even with the win, the 6-2 Cowboys are still looking up at the incredibly talented 7-0 Eagles. They’re also heading into the bye week on the strength of two wins in a row and will be tested with games against Green Bay, Minnesota, and the Giants following the time off.

3. Kansas City Chiefs

In Week 8, the Kansas City Chiefs went into the bye with a record of 5-2. They suffered their second loss to the Bills in Week 6 and took out their frustrations on the 49ers, with a 44-23 win. That’s been the norm for them as they dropped 41 on the Bucs in Week 4 after suffering their first loss of the season.

Easily one of the most explosive teams in the NFL, the Chiefs also added some firepower during their time off. Kansas City added Kadarius Toney, who was a first-round pick just last season for the New York Giants.

Toney might have been a letdown in New York but the Chiefs have so many weapons that he might be overlooked. That would open him up to make a splash play from time to time, making an already dangerous team that much harder to deal with.

2. Philadelphia Eagles

The best team in the NFC continues to be the Philadelphia Eagles. They were expected to be better this year than last but hardly anyone saw them starting out 7-0 with one dominant performance after another.

They were aggressive this offseason in getting A.J. Brown who proved to be the missing piece on offense. He went off this week with 156 yards and a touchdown as they made it look easy against the Steelers.

Jalen Hurts continues to impress as he had four touchdowns passing and was on the bench by the end of the game watching his backup get some time.

It’s hard to find a weakness right now as they can win with either the run or the pass — while also boasting a strong defense.

1. Buffalo Bills

The Buffalo Bills had a week off to prepare for the Green Bay Packers and they used that time wisely. They came out looking like a team on a mission as they made sure to prove they’re the best team in the NFL.

Josh Allen was once again dominant, leading them to a 24-7 halftime lead as he was throwing the ball all over the field while also showing off his impressive running ability. As impressive as they are on offense, Buffalo continues to shine on defense as well.

Their move to add Von Miller in the offseason was brilliant as he’s not only making plays but his presence is freeing up others — such as Greg Rousseau — to shine as well. They might not be the final undefeated team but they still feel like the best team right now and they continue to occupy the No. 1 spot in these 2022 NFL Power Rankings.