Seton Hall
NFL Power Rankings: Week 9
Date: November 2, 2017By: Dalton Allison
10. New Orleans Saints- In their victory over the Chicago Bears, the Saints proved that they could be more than just an offensive juggernaut. They held the Bears to 12 points, and prevented Mitch Trubisky from throwing a touchdown. Kenny Vaccaro is again becoming a force at safety, having recorded nine tackles in the game against the Bears. On offense, Mark Ingram had a rough game with two fumbles, but Drew Brees made up for the turnovers. Brees, in the process of becoming the fastest player to reach 6,000 career completions, missed only five throws en route to throwing for 299 yards. Possibly the play of the game came when kicker Wil Lutz tackled Bears kick returner Tarik Cohen before as he was returning a kick. A touchdown seemed imminent, but the horse collar tackle on Cohen prevented the Bears from scoring.
9. Buffalo Bills- Head Coach Sean McDermott has breathed fresh air into the Bills organization. After their decisive win over the Oakland Raiders, the Bills are looking to compete with the Patriots for the division crown. On a team where there was no apparent star, LeSean McCoy has emerged as the leader of the offense. He was a workhorse on Sunday, rushing for a touchdown and 151 yards on 27 carries. Tyrod Taylor has played good enough to steer the team through their drives, and has spread the ball across his receivers nicely. The X-Factor of this team is their turnover-hungry defense, which snagged two more interceptions this weekend off of Derek Carr. Micah Hyde had one of the interceptions, giving him five already on the season to lead the NFL.
8. Atlanta Falcons- The Falcons came away with a sloppy win against the New York Jets on Sunday in a rainy MetLife Stadium. If the Jets would have converted on their two other field goal attempts, the Falcons would have suffered their fourth straight loss. Trailing going into the third quarter however, they found a way to pull through. Matt Ryan found Mohammed Sanu six times for 74 yards and a touchdown in Sanu's homecoming to the Garden State. Ryan threw for two touchdowns, and did not throw an interception in his 254 yard effort. Deion Jones had 11 total tackles in the game as the Falcons defense held the Jets to three points in the second half. This win was important for the Falcons, who are currently sitting at third in the NFC South.
7. Seattle Seahawks- In a quarterback duel against Deshaun Watson, Seahawks came out on top. Wilson went off against the Texans defense, throwing for 452 yards and four touchdowns. Wilson was pressured to perform at a higher level, as the Seahawks running game was non-existent. Wilson ended up being the leading rusher for Seattle with 30 yards. Tyler Lockett and Paul Richardson both had over 100 yards receiving, with Richardson and Jimmy Graham coming down with two receiving touchdowns each. This kind of game was different to see from a team like the Seahawks, who are a team mostly focused on defense. With this outburst on offense however, it appears that the Seahawks may be more complete than originally thought.
6. Minnesota Vikings- Despite a swarm of injuries, the Vikings continue to win. They defeated the win-less Cleveland Browns to put themselves firmly atop the NFC North division. In London, quarterback Case Keenum found Adam Thielen on a consistent basis, totaling 98 yards and a touchdown. Eric Kendricks and the Vikings defense rendered the Browns inefficient, holding them to only two touchdowns and a field goal on the day. Whether it be Sam Bradford or Keenum at the helm at the offense, the Vikings appear to have their affairs in order.
5. L.A Rams- Coming off of the bye week, the Rams should have a fun time with the New York Giants. Outperforming many preseason expectations, the Rams have had success this year due to the resurgence of Todd Gurley. Sitting at fifth in the league in rushing with 627 yards, Gurley is well on his way to matching his 2016 total of 885 yards. Using him more often in the passing game has created a more dynamic Rams offense. The defense is flourishing as well, allowing an average of only 19.7 points per game, highlighted by a shutout of the Arizona Cardinals in Week 7. It will be a tight race for the division crown with the Seahawks, and they currently sit tied with each other at first place.
4. Pittsburgh Steelers- A pre-conceived notion about the Steelers was that they could not win without a big performance from LeVeon Bell and/or Antonio Brown. JuJu Smith-Schuster proved that to be wrong. Smith-Schuster torched the defense of the Detroit Lions, snagging seven receptions for 193 yards and a touchdown. On defense, the Steelers bent but did not break. They allowed Matthew Stafford to throw for 423 yards, but no touchdowns. They forced Matt Prater to nail five field goals. While you'd like to see less yardage given up by the defense, it is very impressive that they did not allow the Lions to score a touchdown.
3. New England Patriots- After trading away backup quarterback Jimmy Garoppolo, it is evident that the Patriots think Tom Brady will be an efficient quarterback well into his forties. Why shouldn't they, considering Brady is currently the only quarterback who is averaging over 300 yards passing per game? He threw for another 303 yards and a touchdown in their victory over the L.A Chargers. The defense of the Patriots is playing way better than they were in the beginning of the season, making for a different team than we saw earlier in the season. The focus of this team will always be Brady however, as he continues to defy father time.
2. Kansas City Chiefs- Despite the slowing down of Kareem Hunt, the Chiefs bounced back for a win Monday night against the Broncos. Alex Smith continued his MVP ways, throwing for 202 yards and a touchdown. The touchdown and 133 of his yards went to tight end Travis Kelce, who proved again to be Smith's favorite target. The defense played in a gritty manner, forcing Trevor Siemian into three interceptions. Marcus Peters grabbed one of those interceptions for his fourth on the season. The Chiefs proved to be the class of the AFC by defeating the Broncos, and further strengthened their hold on their division lead.
1. Philadelphia Eagles- A quarterback playing at an elite level, a revamped corps of wide receivers, and a 7-1 record. What else could the Eagles need? A top tier running back, apparently. With a trade for Dolphins running back Jay Ajayi for a fourth round pick, the Eagles solidified their backfield. This not only gives Carson Wentz more options to pass to, but will also take pressure off of him to throw the ball as much as he does. The combination of Ajayi and LeGarrette Blount will force opposing teams to have to prepare for a more balanced attack, which will benefit Wentz in the end. With the six game suspension of Ezekiel Elliot most likely hindering the abilities of the Dallas Cowboys, the NFC East is now the Eagles' division to lose.
Dalton Allison can be found on Twitter @DaltonAllison4 and can be reached by e-mail at dalton.allison@student.shu.edu.
