NFL: Panthers Rise & Cowboys Fall
The ninth full weekend of the NFL season is behind us, and that signals our weekly rankings from Charles Post and Caleb Henderson. The Carolina Panthers are our risers of the week, as they destroyed the Miami Dolphins, 45-21, on Monday Night Football to improve to a 7-3 record. The Dallas Cowboys on the other hand, slipped up for the first time in a month and were beaten by the Atlanta Falcons, 27-7, to fall to a 5-4 record, as they clearly looked out of sorts without star RB Ezekiel Elliott, who is serving a six-game suspension.
1. Philadelphia Eagles (8-1, +0): The Eagles are playing like the best team in the league right now, and until the lose another game, there won't be much discussion about it. Even though there schedule has been much easier than others, they are absolutely running through their opponents, and the offense, led by QB Carson Wentz is clicking on all cylinders and has been for the better part of the year. Philadelphia will travel to Dallas this weekend to face the Cowboys, so they need to focus more than usual, but they'll be certainly be favored.
Team MVP: Carson Wentz (QB) - 2,262 Yards & 23 TDs.
2. New England Patriots (7-2, +0): The Patriots are coming off of a Sunday Night Football massacre of the Denver Broncos, completely ruining any chances of a late season Denver resurrection. QB Tom Brady is leading the league in passing yards even at the age of 40-years-old, which is pretty remarkable in itself. The defense has improved mightily since Week 1, and it's shown during their winning steak, which should continue this Sunday, as the Patriots head to Oakland to play the Raiders in a game that was once sought after.
Team MVP: Tom Brady (QB) - 2,807 yards & 19 TDs.
3. Pittsburgh Steelers (7-2, +0): The Steelers started off horribly against the Indianapolis Colts, but came along to win late, and grabbed another victory to keep pace with the Patriots in the AFC. This week is a big one for both the Tennessee Titans and the Steelers as they face off on Thursday Night Football, in what could turn out to be a playoff preview. Both teams are slotted as division leaders at the moment, and a win for either side, could go a long way in building towards the postseason and possibly earning home-field advantage.
Team MVP: Le'Veon Bell (RB) - 840 Yards & 5 TDs.
4. Minnesota Vikings (7-2, +0): The Vikings were neck and neck with the Washington Redskins for much of the game until all of a sudden, QB Case Keenum started to get going. He led consecutive scoring drives, and helped the Vikings grab a double-digit lead in the second half, one that they'd ride until the end of the game. However, we're going to see in Week 11 if this team is legitimate or not, because they get to host the up-tempo Los Angeles Rams on Sunday. Minnesota has opened as 2.0-point favorites at home.
Team MVP: Case Keenum (QB) - 1,914 Yards & 11 TDs.
5. New Orleans Saints (7-2, +1): The Saints' offense is rolling, and that's an understatement. They're reminding me of the late-2000's New Orleans teams that could score on just about any defense. QB Drew Brees is as good as always, but RB Mark Ingram may be the difference, because he's playing at the highest level of his career. And it only helps them even more that rookie RB Alvin Kamara is having a great opening year. The Saints will have the Washington Redskins coming to town, and they are favored to win their eighth straight game.
Team MVP: Drew Brees (QB) - 2,398 Yards & 13 TDs.
6. Los Angeles Rams (7-2, -1): The Rams didn't necessarily do anything to slip down one spot in our rankings, it was more of what the Saints did. But either way, the Rams are at the top of the division in both the standings and in our rankings, and have already surpassed 2016-17's amount of yards and wins before completing 10 games. If L.A., behind RB Todd Gurley, who has been sensational in the backfield and catching the ball, can win on the road at Minnesota, they'll be sure to vault up a spot or two.
Team MVP: Todd Gurley (RB) - 754 Yards & 7 TDs.
7. Carolina Panthers (7-3, +2): The Panthers are trying to keep pace with the Saints as they can't stop winning, but QB Cam Newton is trying his hardest to make sure his team stays in contention, and for the majority of the season, he's done a great job of that. He isn't quite as good as he was during his NFL MVP year in 2015, but he's playing far better than a lot of quarterbacks. RB Christian McCaffrey also looked good last week, getting into the end zone twice in a route of the Dolphins. The Panthers get the week off this Sunday.
Team MVP: Cam Newton (QB) - 2,232 Yards & 14 TDs.
8. Kansas City Chiefs (6-3, -1): The Chiefs have fallen from the top tier of the league after leading our rankings for five consecutive weeks, but don't let that fool you into thinking that Kansas City doesn't have each aspect of a winning football team, and now that their division has gone from one of the best to one of the worst, they have nothing to worry about in terms of missing the postseason. And what's better than getting a match with the lowly New York Giants just when you're down in the dumps? Only playing the Cleveland Browns.
Team MVP: Kareem Hunt (RB) - 800 Yards & 4 TDs.
9. Seattle Seahawks (6-3, -1): The Seahawks are one game behind the L.A. Rams in the division, but they do have the tiebreaker, so as long as Seattle can continue winning, they have a realistic shot of clinching the NFC West in the last few weeks. After beating the Arizona Cardinals on Thursday Night Football last week, and (unfortunately) losing CB Richard Sherman, the Seahawks will get an extra day off as they will face the Atlanta Falcons on Monday Night Football. The Falcons defeated Seattle in the playoffs last year.
Team MVP: Russell Wilson (QB) - 2,543 Yards & 14 19 TDs.
10. Tennessee Titans (6-3, +2): The Titans are finally back in our rankings after being on the bubble for the last few weeks, but now that the Houston Texans and Indianapolis Colts are out of the division race, it's down to the Titans and the Jacksonville Jaguars. Tennessee has the inside track to the postseason and QB Marcus Mariota is looking to clinch his first career playoff berth as soon as possible. A big step towards that could come on Thursday Night Football at the Pittsburgh Steelers. Pittsburgh is favored by 7.0 points.
Team MVP: Marcus Mariota (QB) - 1,783 Yards & 7 TDs.
Player of the Week:
W1 - Kareem Hunt (Kansas City Chiefs) - 148 Yards, 1 TD, 42-27 win vs. Patriots.
W2 - Tom Brady (New England Patriots) - 447 Yards, 3 TDs, 36-20 win vs. Saints.
W3 - Jared Goff (Los Angeles Rams) - 292 Yards, 3 TDs, 41-39 win vs. 49ers.
W4 - Deshaun Watson (Houston Texans) - 283 Yards, 4 TDs, 57-14 win vs. Titans.
W5 - Carson Wentz (Philadelphia Eagles) - 304 Yards, 4 TDs, 34-7 win vs. Cardinals.
W6 - Deshaun Watson (Houston Texans) - 225 Yards, 3 TDs, 33-17 win vs. Browns.
W7 - Amari Cooper (Oakland Raiders) - 210 Yards, 2 TDs, 31-30 win vs. Chiefs.
W8 - Russell Wilson (Seattle Seahawks) - 451 Yards, 4 TDs, 41-38 win vs. Texans.
W9 - Matthew Stafford (Detroit Lions) - 361 Yards, 2 TDs, 30-17 win vs. Packers.
W10 - Cam Newton (Carolina Panthers) - 254 Yards, 4 TDs, 45-21 win vs. Dolphins.
Top Ranked Team:
Week 1: Dallas Cowboys.
Week 2: Kansas City Chiefs.
Week 3: Kansas City Chiefs.
Week 4: Kansas City Chiefs.
Week 5: Kansas City Chiefs.
Week 6: Kansas City Chiefs.
Week 7: Philadelphia Eagles.
Week 8: Philadelphia Eagles.
Week 10: Philadelphia Eagles.
Photo Credit: NBC Sports.
