2015 NFL Week 9 Power Rankings

Week 9 Game Balls

Offense — Antonio Brown, WR, Pittsburgh Steelers. Caught 17 passes for 284 yards, both season-highs in the 2015 NFL, and set up the game-winning field goal. Brown's 284 receiving yards were the 9th-most in history.

Defense — Linval Joseph, DL, Minnesota Vikings. Interior defensive linemen don't usually post big stats, instead creating opportunities for their teammates. But Joseph did both this week, with 7 tackles, including 3 tackles for loss, and a sack shared with Andrew Sendejo.

Special Teams — Matt Bosher, P, Atlanta Falcons. Had punts fair caught at the 11-yard line, 8-yard line, and 7-yard line. Another went 51 yards and was downed at the 3-yard line. His worst punt traveled 57 yards in the air.

Rookie — Jordan Hicks, LB, Philadelphia Eagles. This should probably go to Marcus Mariota (371 yards, 4 TDs, 135.7 passer rating), but until the Saints field an NFL defense, performances against them are ineligible. Hicks had six solo tackles and a pick-six before leaving with a pectoral injury. Hicks was a Defensive Rookie of the Year front-runner, but the torn pec will end his season.

Honorable Mentions: WR Sammy Watkins, DL Jerry Hughes, RS Omar Bolden

Watkins accounted for 168 of the Bills' 181 passing yards.

Greg Hardy and Aqib Talib

I suppose most people disagree with me on this. I think the NFL should suspend Aqib Talib, and leave Greg Hardy alone.

Greg Hardy seems like a bad guy, but he's bad in a non-football context. He's been through the criminal justice system, and a collectively bargained system set up by the league, and he's already missed a total of 21 games for the incident that has people upset. Hardy was on the league's exempt list for the last 15 games of the 2014 season, plus two playoff games, and he was suspended for the first 4 of this season (after an arbitrator reduced the league's original 10-game suspension to 4).

Cris Collinsworth argued on Sunday night that the players and the union should turn their backs on a goon like Hardy, refuse to stand up for him against the league. But that's an unhealthy precedent. For better or worse (probably worse), the legal charges against Hardy were dropped. I don't want — none of us should want — the NFL convicting players whom the criminal justice system has cleared. Guilt in the court of public opinion can not substitute for guilt in a court of law. If those lacrosse players from Duke had been in the NFL, Roger Goodell would have had them beheaded before the trial. The NFL should focus on football, not form a vigilante police-judge-and-jury substitute because it doesn't think Western legal standards are hard enough on its players.

But that's the same reason the NFL should take decisive action against Aqib Talib. Late in Denver's loss to the Colts, Talib deliberately stuck his fingers inside Dwayne Allen's facemask and poked him in the eye. That type of violence has no place on a football field, and it truly is in the NFL's domain. I was horrified that Talib could do that and not get thrown out of the game. He was called for another unsportsmanlike conduct penalty, which CBS declined to show, several minutes later. On Monday, the league announced a one-game suspension for Talib.

The idea that the NFL can and should decree multi-game suspensions for off-field incidents — things that have nothing to do with football — but virtually ignore the violent behavior of players while they participate in actual NFL games makes no sense to me. Hardy (allegedly) did something terrible, but he's already been punished for it, and any further action from the league, in the absence of some legal basis, is inappropriate at this point. Talib's behavior as a football player was totally unacceptable, and should be punished at least as harshly as bad behavior off the field. I want the NFL to regulate what happens on a football field, and fines don't mean anything to these guys. Suspensions do.

Five Quick Hits

* There's a racial element of the NFL's discipline policy that merits discussion as well. People of color already face disproportionate legal punishments in the United States. For the NFL, whose players are majority black, to go beyond the legal system, is not okay with me. It shouldn't be okay with anyone who believes in equal treatment.

* I don't believe Cris Collinsworth and Al Michaels are racist, but I found it off-putting for them to go after Hardy, then hold up a white player (Jason Witten) as an example of how players should behave. They also called Sean Lee (also white) "the heart and soul" of the Dallas defense at least three times. With so many black players on the field, the only ones whose personalities they like are both white?

* Last Greg Hardy note: I recommend Ross Tucker's column on Hardy, a balanced look from a player's perspective.

* I'm happy for Mike Mularkey, the interim head coach who led the Tennessee Titans to a win on Sunday. Mularkey deserved another chance to be a head coach in the NFL.

* Ken Whisenhunt, whom the Titans fired after less than a year and a half, deserved better, too. Barring a locker room revolt or an off-field scandal, no head coach should be fired so quickly. Whis was handicapped by a very weak roster, and expecting him to produce a winner after 23 games was neither realistic nor fair.

Moving on with the power ratings, brackets indicate last week's rank.

1. New England Patriots [1] — Another dominant win by the NFL's best team. They out-gained Washington by 210 yards and led 27-3 with :30 left. Dion Lewis and Sebastian Vollmer both left the game with injuries. Lewis tore his ACL and will miss the rest of the season. Vollmer suffered a head injury and is unlikely to miss much time.

2. Cincinnati Bengals [4] — Biggest win of the season, 21 points. Not that the Browns are the toughest opponent in the world, especially with injuries in the defensive backfield, but we all keep waiting for Andy Dalton to come back to earth, and it's not happening. Obviously Tyler Eifert helps, but it sure looks like Dalton is a top-10 QB at this point in his career.

3. Carolina Panthers [5] — I don't agree with the narrative on Cam Newton. Here's a representative quote, from Bart Scott on CBS: "He's finally starting to play at an elite level." Cam has played at an elite level since Day One. He has a good defense now, and his coach has learned that traditional, conservative fourth down strategies don't facilitate winning.

The 2010 Carolina Panthers scored just 196 points. The 2011 Panthers, with Newton, scored 406. The difference was Cam Newton, who broke rookie records for passing yards, total yards, and touchdowns.

Cam is not playing significantly better this season than he has in the past. He has the worst passer rating of his career, and the worst rushing average. Cam is a good quarterback, creating plays without a lot of weapons around him. But the Panthers aren't winning because their QB has cleverly camouflaged his MVP-level play in a 53.7 completion percentage, and the worst interception rate of his career. It's not Cam that's gotten better this season, it's the rest of the team catching up to him.

4. Denver Broncos [2] — Last week, I wrote that it was hard to take the Cardinals seriously as a Super Bowl contender, because they commit too many turnovers. If Peyton Manning doesn't stop throwing so many interceptions, I think Denver has the same problem.

5. Green Bay Packers [3] — Played without two of their top three cornerbacks, and it showed. The Packers have played their worst defensive games of the year, back-to-back. They allowed a season-high 29 points against Denver, then 37 to the Panthers.

6. Arizona Cardinals [6] — Fewest penalty yards in the NFL, 378 (47.3/gm). They have a really tough remaining schedule, beginning with games at Seattle and vs. the Bengals. Only one of their last eight opponents has a losing record (49ers).

7. Minnesota Vikings [9] — They're 4-0 since the bye, and beating the Rams is huge in the NFC Wild Card race. Sorry Viking fans, I still see Green Bay winning the division. Teddy Bridgewater missed most of the fourth quarter with a concussion, but early indications are that he will play in Week 10. More on this in the Rams summary.

8. Seattle Seahawks [8] — A very tough schedule contributed to their 2-4 start, but they were lucky to beat the Lions and Cowboys, benefitting in both games from officiating errors that might have swung the contest. The Seahawks' defense is in peak form; they can win a championship with that defense. But probably not with this offense. They miss Max Unger.

9. St. Louis Rams [7] — Vikings coach Mike Zimmer declined to shake Jeff Fisher's hand following the game, and made comments to the media about the Rams' style of play. Both Fisher and his defensive coordinator, Gregg Williams, own reputations for dirty play. Fisher is a Buddy Ryan disciple, the Eagles' defensive coordinator for the body bag game, and he was Tennessee's coach for an encore performance in 2010, once again watching eight opposing players exit the game with injuries. Gregg Williams was suspended a year for coordinating a bounty program in New Orleans.

LaMarcus Joyner's hit on Teddy Bridgewater wasn't the dirtiest play I've seen this year — he was late by less than a second — but that wasn't the only questionable hit in this game, and the Rams' coaches have not earned the benefit of the doubt on these matters.

10. Philadelphia Eagles [10] — Overcame one-sided officiating on the final drive of regulation. The Eagles have won three of their last four, with the loss at undefeated Carolina.

11. Oakland Raiders [13] — I don't know if I can remember a game with so many big plays on special teams. The Raiders had a punt downed at the 2-yard line, a blocked punt, and a fumbled punt return. The Steelers had a punt downed at the 2-yard line, a fumbled punt return, a missed field goal (41 yds), and a kickoff out of bounds.

Latavius Murray left the game with a concussion, while Charles Woodson stayed in the lineup despite aggravating his shoulder injury. Center Rodney Hudson also left with an injury. Keep an eye on their status for Week 10.

12. New York Jets [11] — Won because they were +4 in turnovers. But Chris Ivory carried 23 times for 26 yards. Ivory's 1.13 average was the lowest by any player with at least 20 attempts since at least 1960. The previous record of 1.18 (22 att, 26 yds) was held by Emmitt Smith, from a game in 1999.

13. Buffalo Bills [14] — Two 100-yard rushers, LeSean McCoy (16 att, 112 yds, TD) and Karlos Williams (9 att, 110 yds, 2 TD). McCoy left the game with a shoulder injury, but early indications are that it was not serious, and he should be okay for Week 10.

This was the first game of 2015 in which a team had two 100-yard rushers. The 49ers' Frank Gore and Colin Kaepernick both rushed for over 150 yards in a Week 16 loss to San Diego last year, but it had been over a year since two running backs on the same team both topped 100: Le'Veon Bell and LeGarrette Blount for the Steelers, in a Week 3 win over Carolina (September 2014).

14. Kansas City Chiefs [15] — The only opponents to score more than 20 points against them this season are the Bengals, Broncos, and Packers. Those teams are a combined 21-3.

15. Indianapolis Colts [19] — From 2003-07, Adam Vinatieri was 0-for-6 on field goals of 50 yards or more. From 2011 to present, Vinatieri is 16-of-23 on 50+ yard attempts. He's made more 50-yard field goals from ages 39-42 than in the rest of his career combined.

16. Pittsburgh Steelers [12] — Won an important game, one that could factor in the AFC Wild Card race, but lost quarterback Ben Roethlisberger. Big Ben has a sprained foot, and the most recent reports forecast the QB missing Week 10, then returning after Pittsburgh's Week 11 bye. In the meantime, Pittsburgh's rank drops after a good win, because I'm not sure they're an above-average team without Ben.

I've written recently about Roethlisberger's performance when he rushes back from injury, and fantasy football players, you're going to want Seattle's defense for Week 12, whether Ben plays or not.

17. New York Giants [21] — Lead the NFL, by far, in turnover differential. Here's the current top five:

1. NYG, +12
t2. NE, +7
t2. NYJ, +7
t4. CAR, +6
t4. GB, +6

That's basically the best teams in the NFL, plus the Giants.

18. Miami Dolphins [17] — Eight of their nine drives began at or inside the 20-yard line, including three inside the 10, one of which led to a safety. Five of Miami's eight penalties came on special teams.

I occasionally fantasize about what I would do if I were an NFL head coach. I am unqualified for the position, but in my imagination I surround myself with good assistants and it all works out. The one thing I know I would do is to emphasize special teams. We'd practice onside kicks like crazy. Our punter would be specifically coached to minimize the difference between gross yardage and net yardage, avoiding touchbacks and returns. We would coach our kickoff returner to love touchbacks, not to return anything more than 2-3 yards deep in the end zone. And we'd set a goal every week of zero special teams penalties.

This would be reinforced through a constant emphasis on special teams. When players gave postgame interviews, they wouldn't just talk about how the offensive line did a great job, they'd mention special teams, too. After losses, I'd be up there talking about how our special teams fell short. I'd pull a George Allen and introduce the special teams instead of offense or defense. Our fans would take pride in having the best special teams in the league.

The result, I believe, is that we would lead the league in successful onside kicks. We'd avoid long returns in the punt game, and we'd pin the opponent deep, setting up safeties and three-and-outs. We'd start the fewest drives inside the 20-yard line of any team in the league. Even if we had to shift some practice time away from offense and defense — and I'm not sure we really would, since so much of this is just about coaching the specialists and making special teams a general point of emphasis — the difference in field position would more than make up for it. I really believe that if a team made a commitment to special teams, it could gain a significant edge, probably 1-2 wins every year.

19. Washington [18] — Sloppy performance, with an ineffective ground game (15 att, 37 yds) and a lot of dropped passes. Washington has dropped to bottom-five in both points per game and yards per game.

20. New Orleans Saints [16] — Lost, at home, to a team with six straight losses. The Saints allowed almost as many points (34) as the Titans had scored in their previous four games combined (36), and it was Tennessee's only game this season without allowing a sack. New Orleans now ranks 31st in points allowed per game (29.8) and yards allowed per game (415).

Dannell Ellerbe and Hau'oli Kikaha both missed this week's game. The Saints are 3-1 when Ellerbe plays. They're 1-4 without him, and they gave up 49 points in the win.

21. Chicago Bears [27] — Overcame two missed field goals and a pick-six. Jeremy Langford played well in place of Matt Forte, and Jay Cutler looked great. Cutler was sharp, in total control of the offense, and he played with passion — no Smokin' Jay Cutler on Monday night. After the game, the ESPN crew lamented that offensive coordinator Adam Gase will likely be hired into a head coaching position in 2016, depriving Cutler of a coach who has him playing perhaps the best football of his career.

22. Baltimore Ravens [22] — Steve Smith, who accounted for 670 of their 2,176 passing yards (30.8%), is out for the season. First-round pick Breshad Perriman remains out, with no return in sight. Their next-best receivers are RB Justin Forsett (27 rec), WR Kamar Aiken (333 yds), and TE Crockett Gillmore (3 TD).

23. Tampa Bay Buccaneers [23] — Mike Evans caught 8 passes for 152 yards, but he was targeted 19 times, more than the rest of the team combined. I know Vincent Jackson is out, but this offseason, the Bucs need to find some more weapons for Jameis Winston to work with.

24. Houston Texans [25] — During their bye week, I went back to wonder why on earth they benched Brian Hoyer for Ryan Mallett after Week 1. I don't think there's a good answer to that question.

25. San Diego Chargers [24] — The most injury-bitten team in the NFL got hit hard again, losing Malcolm Floyd and Jason Verrett early in the game. At what point does this stop being bad luck, and we start to wonder if there's an organizational issue putting the players at risk?

26. Atlanta Falcons [20] — Julio Jones already has 1,029 receiving yards in 2015. He's gained at least 135 yards five times this season.

27. Dallas Cowboys [26] — Best offensive performance without Tony Romo. Three Cowboys gained over 100 yards from scrimmage: Darren McFadden had 122, Cole Beasley gained 112, and Dez Bryant reached 104. Those three players accounted for 82% of the team's offense against Philadelphia.

Matt Cassel was one of two players to pass for 299 yards this week (Tom Brady was the other). Sorry, DraftKings players!

28. Jacksonville Jaguars [29] — Offense gained 436 yards, but with 6 sacks and 4 turnovers. The Jags are -7 in turnover differential, with only two teams (Dallas and Detroit) worse.

29. Tennessee Titans [31] — Second 4-TD, 0-INT game of Marcus Mariota's young career. All such games by rookie QBs since the 1970 merger:

1. Dieter Brock, 1985 Rams
2. Marc Bulger, 2002 Rams
3. Trent Edwards, 2007 Bills
4. Robert Griffin III, 2012 Washington
5. Marcus Mariota, 2015 Titans
6. Marcus Mariota, 2015 Titans

Dieter Brock was technically a rookie in 1985, but he was 34, an 11-year veteran in the CFL. Bulger was playing with The Greatest Show on Turf, and I don't suppose Edwards and Griffin suggest the most optimistic comparison, but certainly Mariota has shown some good things. He has a 101.0 passer rating, on pace to challenge RG3 for the best ever by a rookie (102.4).

30. San Francisco 49ers [32] — Blaine Gabbert's first multi-TD game in more than three years (Nov 4, 2012), and first win as starting quarterback since September 2012. It was only the second win of his career in which Gabbert threw 2 TDs, and the first since 2011, his rookie season. The 49ers have a bye in Week 10, but head coach Jim Tomsula announced that Gabbert will start at Seattle in Week 11. Even before Sunday's game, Jason La Canfora said of Colin Kaepernick that his "future with the 49ers is effectively over."

31. Cleveland Browns [28] — Mike Pettine said that Johnny Manziel needs to make plays in the pocket. After the game, Marshall Faulk commented, "That's what Cincinnati wants ... is this thing about winning games, or is it about having a quarterback play the way you want him to play?"

This platonic ideal of a quarterback, who's 6-foot-4 and stands tall in the pocket, holds the ball next to his ear and leads men into battle — it's absurd and counter-productive. There's more than one way for a quarterback to help his team. There have been great scrambling quarterbacks, like Joe Montana and Aaron Rodgers; great running quarterbacks, like Steve Young and Russell Wilson; short quarterbacks like Drew Brees; quarterbacks with terrible mechanics, like Brett Favre; and so on. I don't see Johnny Manziel developing into that caliber of player, but I also don't see the Browns winning a lot of games while Pettine waits for Johnny Football to turn into Johnny Unitas.

32. Detroit Lions [30] — One week after canning offensive coordinator Joe Lombardi, the team fired team president Tom Lewand and general manager Martin Mayhew. Recent drafts have produced little on-field production, and the team is in salary cap distress, with too much money tied up in a few players, some of whom aren't even on the team any longer (like Ndamukong Suh and Reggie Bush).