For the first time in 2019, a team other than the New England Patriots will occupy the top spot in the RADIO.COM NFL Power Rankings. And frankly, it's a team that wasn't even close to the No. 1 spot in our first edition in August.
Though you get the sense that the Patriots may ultimately return to the top spot this season, Lamar Jackson, Mark Ingram and the Baltimore Ravens gashed what had been viewed as an all-time great defense for 210 yards on the ground in a 37-20 beatdown on Sunday Night Football.
With that in mind, here's this week's RADIO.COM NFL Power Rankings, with the Patriots having fallen out of the top spot:
1. San Francisco 49ers (Last Week: No. 2)
The 49ers are undefeated.(Ralph Freso/Getty Images)The 49ers allowed a season-high 25 points against the Arizona Cardinals in Week 9, but Jimmy Garoppolo responded with his best game of the season, throwing for 317 yards and four touchdowns. After playing on Thursday Night Football, the 49ers will have 11 days to prepare for a crucial Monday Night Football matchup with the division-rival Seattle Seahawks.
2. New Orleans Saints (Last Week: No. 3)
Drew Brees and the Saints are set to return to their bye week.(Derick E. Hingle/USA Today)Remember when Drew Brees seemed to lose steam on his NFL MVP candidacy late in the 2018 season? You never wish for someone to be injured, but the Saints went 5-0 in Brees' absence, and are 7-1 coming off of their bye week. Brees, who threw for three touchdowns against the Arizona Cardinals in his return from a thumb injury, is 40 years old. He should be fresh entering the second half of the season, which may make the Saints the favorite to win the NFC.
3. New England Patriots (Last Week: No. 1)
Tom Brady and the Patriots suffered their first loss of the season in Week 9.(Scott Taetsch/Getty Images)Given how dominant they had been through the first eight games of the 2019 season, it's difficult to feel too concerned about the Patriots defense after they allowed 37 points in Baltimore. More of a concern is that the Patriots seem to lack the offensive firepower to compete in games where their defense struggles. It's possible they'll be able to ride their defense to a title, but it was hard to watch Sunday night's game without the feeling that the offense would be significantly better with Antonio Brown. Of course, the Patriots reasons for moving on from Brown were more than legitimate, but from a football sense, the Patriots might struggle to compete in a shootout with the Ravens or Kansas City Chiefs in the playoffs.
4. Baltimore Ravens (Last Week: No. 10)
Lamar Jackson and the Ravens upset the Patriots in Week 9.(Jim Davis/The Boston Globe via Getty Images)Even if Lamar Jackson doesn't suffer a significant injury, you wonder if he won't run out of gas physically by the end of the season playing this style, like Michael Vick did in 2010, when he was the NFL MVP runner up. But as long as Jackson is healthy, he is one of the most explosive weapons the NFL has seen, and the Ravens are a scary matchup for any team. With a win over the Patriots in Week 9, they entered the Super Bowl contender conversation, and Jackson became a serious NFL MVP candidate.
5. Seattle Seahawks (Last Week: No. 7)
Russell Wilson is having an MVP caliber season in 2019.(Joe Nicholson/USA Today)Though they needed overtime to defeat the now 2-6 Tampa Bay Buccaneers, the Seahawks offense played at a Super Bowl caliber in Week 9. Chris Carson averaged 6.6 yards-per-carry, and both Tyler Lockett and DK Metcalf have over 120 yards receiving. Russell Wilson is perhaps the NFL MVP favorite after tossing five touchdowns. The Seahawks have a tough date looming with the San Francisco 49ers on Monday Night Football, which may go a long way in ultimately deciding who wins the heavily-competitive NFC West.
6. Green Bay Packers (Last Week: No. 4)
Aaron Rodgers and the Packers suffered a surprise loss to the Los Angeles Chargers in Week 9.(Jake Roth/USA Today)Even after a surprising loss to the Los Angeles Chargers, Aaron Rodgers and the Green Bay Packers are 7-2 and find themselves at the top of the tightly-contested NFC North. That said, their next two games will be tough, as they'll host the 5-3 Carolina Panthers in Week 10, before traveling to San Francisco after a bye in Week 11. They have Minnesota Vikings right on their heels in the NFC North.
7. Los Angeles Rams (Last Week: No. 5)
The Rams are returning from their bye week.(Jason Getz/USA Today)At 5-3, the Rams will need to go on a second-half tear to win the NFC West. The good news is that one of the San Francisco 49ers and Seattle Seahawks is guaranteed to lose (barring a tie) this week, as they play each other. The Rams, coming off of their bye week, will host the suddenly-hot Pittsburgh Steelers, who have won three consecutive games.
8. Kansas City Chiefs (Last Week: No. 8)
Tyreek Hill and the Chiefs pulled out a big win over the Vikings.(Jay Biggerstaff/USA Today)The Chiefs offense had just enough explosiveness in their second game without reigning NFL MVP Patrick Mahomes to pull out a 26-23 victory over the red-hot Minnesota Vikings. Tyreek Hill hauled in six passes for 140 yards and a touchdown, while Damien Williams ran for a season-high 125 yards, highlighted by a 91-yard touchdown run. For as impressive as Matt Moore has been over the last two-and-a-half games, Mahomes could return for a Week 10 tilt in Nashville.
9. Minnesota Vikings (Last Week: No. 6)
Kirk Cousins and the Vikings had their winning-streak snapped in Week 9.(Denny Medley/USA Today)The Vikings missed an opportunity in Week 9. They lost 26-23 to the Kansas City Chiefs, who were playing without reigning NFL MVP Patrick Mahomes. Though he threw for three touchdowns, Kirk Cousins completed just half of his 38 pass attempts. Dalvin Cook ran for only 71 yards. And the Vikings missed a chance to pull into a tie with the Green Bay Packers at the top of the NFC North. They'll play in Dallas on Sunday Night Football in Week 10.
10. Houston Texans (Last Week: No. 12)
Deshaun Watson has played at an NFL MVP caliber in 2019.(Jack Thomas/Getty Images)Week 9 was very productive for the Texans. They defeated the Jacksonville Jaguars 26-3 in London, with Deshaun Watson throwing for two touchdowns and looking like an NFL MVP candidate. Additionally, the division-rival Indianapolis Colts, who have a win in-hand over the Texans, lost a close road game to the Pittsburgh Steelers.
11. Dallas Cowboys (Last Week: No. 9)
Amari Cooper had a touchdown on Monday Night Football.(Robert Deutsch/USA Today)Though things were a little too close for comfort at halftime, the Cowboys pulled away from the division-rival New York Giants in the fourth quarter of their Week 9 Monday Night Football tilt. Ezekiel Elliott ran for 139 yards. Things are about to get difficult for the Cowboys, as their next four opponents are the Minnesota Vikings, Detroit Lions, New England Patriots and Buffalo Bills.
12. Indianapolis Colts (Last Week: No. 11)
Brian Hoyer had to step in for Jacoby Brissett after an injury in Week 9.(Charles LeClaire/USA Today)Jacoby Brissett sprained his left MCL in the Colts Week 9 loss to the Pittsburgh Steelers, and is week-to-week. Luckily for the Colts, if Brian Hoyer does have to start, it will be against the 1-7 Miami Dolphins.
13. Carolina Panthers (Last Week: No. 16)
Christian McCaffrey has had a dominant 2019 season.(Jeremy Brevard/USA Today)While it increasingly appears that former NFL MVP Cam Newton may not return in 2019, running back Christian McCaffrey pushed his way back into the discussion for this year's NFL MVP Award Sunday. In a 30-20 win over the Tennessee Titans, McCaffrey ran for 146 yards and scored three total touchdowns. Kyle Allen also bounced back well from his worst game as a pro, throwing for 232 yards and two touchdowns. The Panthers have a tough matchup in Green Bay looming in Week 10.
14. Philadelphia Eagles (Last Week: No. 13)
Carson Wentz and the Eagles are 5-4.(Elsa/Getty Images)The Eagles held on to defeat the Chicago Bears 22-14 in Week 9, though it turned into a pretty unimpressive win, as they nearly blew a 19-0 lead. The Eagles, who entered the season with Super Bowl aspirations, are 5-4 heading into their bye week. DeSean Jackson briefly returned from an abdominal injury that's caused him to miss much of the 2019 season, but re-aggravated the injury in the team's win over the Bears. Without his ability to stretch the field, the Eagles feel like a .500 team.
15. Buffalo Bills (Last Week: No. 14)
Josh Allen and the Bills bounced back for a win over the Redskins in Week 9.(Timothy T Ludwig/Getty Images)After allowing 31 points to the Philadelphia Eagles in Week 8, the usually stout Bills defense bounced back in Week 9 by holding the lowly Washington Redskins to just nine points. Here's the issue - the 24 points the Bills scored in their victory was the second most points they've scored the entire season. So while the Bills are 6-2 and have an elite defense, they have a more modest ceiling with the way their offense is presently constructed.
16. Oakland Raiders (Last Week: No. 19)
Derek Carr and the Raiders are one of the NFL's biggest surprises in 2019.(Kyle Terada/USA Today)How competitive Jon Gruden's Raiders have been in 2019 has been nothing short of shocking. After the most tumultuous preseason in NFL history, the Raiders are 4-4 after a 31-24 win over the Detroit Lions in Week 9. Josh Jacobs and company will have a quick turnaround in Week 10, as they'll host the Los Angeles Chargers on Thursday Night Football.
17. Detroit Lions (Last Week: No. 15)
Matthew Stafford and the Lions fell below .500 in Week 9.(Kyle Terada/USA Today)Three of the Lions four losses in 2019 have come by a touchdown or less. But in addition to their four losses, they blew a 24-6 to the Arizona Cardinals in Week 1, and ultimately had to settle for a tie. At 3-4-1, they are longshots for the postseason at this juncture, though they may prove to be a spoiler. If there's any silver lining, Matthew Stafford is having one of the finest seasons of his career, and both Kenny Golladay and Marvin Jones Jr. have over 500 receiving yards.
18. Jacksonville Jaguars (Last Week: No. 17)
Nick Foles could return for the Jaguars after their bye week.(James Gilbert/Getty Images)In the Jaguars' final game before their bye week, they were blown out 26-3 by the Houston Texans, with Gardner Minshew II throwing two picks. Nick Foles - who was guaranteed $50 million in a free-agent contract in the offseason - will be eligible to return after the bye week. The guess here is that if he's physically healthy, he'll take back over as the starter. If history is any indication, Foles will lead the 4-5 Jaguars on an improbable postseason run.
19. Pittsburgh Steelers (Last Week: No. 20)
Minkah Fitzpatrick and the Steelers have won three straight games.(Joe Sargent/Getty Images)Quietly, the Steelers have won three games in a row, after starting 1-4. They will face a tough task if they want to extend that winning streak this week, as they host the defending NFC Champion Los Angeles Rams, who are coming off of the bye and can't afford to lose ground in the AFC West.
20. Arizona Cardinals (Last Week: No. 18)
Kyler Murray and the Cardinals hung with the undefeated San Francisco 49ers on Thursday Night Football.(Mark J. Rebilas/USA Today)The Cardinals suffered their fifth loss of the season in Week 9, though to just say that would be completely devoid of context. A year after going 3-13, the Cardinals put up 25 points against a historically-dominant San Francisco 49ers defense, the most they've allowed all season. Kenyan Drake ran for over 100 yards in his Cardinals debut, and Murray tossed two touchdowns and averaged 6.8 yards-per-carry on his five runs. The Cardinals feel like a team that's headed in the right direction.
21. Los Angeles Chargers (Last Week: No. 24)
Philip Rivers and the Chargers are showing signs of life.(Jake Roth/USA Today)We're not ready to say that the Chargers have woken up, but that sure looked like what happened in Week 9. Against a Green Bay Packers team that had previously lost just one game, the Chargers defense limited them to less than 200 yards of total offense, with both Nick Bosa and Melvin Ingram III recording one-and-half sacks. In a welcome sign, Melvin Gordon also found the end zone twice. At 4-5, the Chargers would need to get scorching-hot to reach the postseason. They've won two games in a row, and will travel to Oakland for a Thursday Night Football battle with the Raiders in Week 10.
22. Tennessee Titans (Last Week: No. 23)
Ryan Tannehill and the Titans had their winning streak snapped in Week 9.(Grant Halverson/Getty Images)After winning the first two games that Ryan Tannehill started, the Titans dropped to 4-5 with a loss to the Carolina Panthers. There's enough talent on the team to win seven or eight games, which will likely hurt their chances of having their pick of which quarterback to select in the first round of the 2020 NFL Draft.
23. Chicago Bears (Last Week: No. 21)
Mitchell Trubisky has struggled in 2019.(Eric Hartline/USA Today)The Bears suffered their fifth loss of the season to the Philadelphia Eagles Sunday, with Mitchell Trubisky throwing for just 125 yards. While the Bears traded two third-round picks and a fourth-round pick for the chance to move up one spot and guarantee they could select Trubisky in the 2017 NFL Draft, it increasingly feels like the Bears may have to make a chance at quarterback this offseason. The issue is that Trubisky has a $9.24 million cap hit in 2020, the final guaranteed season of his rookie deal. The Bears may be struck with him under center for another season, which would seem to be wasting the peak of Khalil Mack.
24. Tampa Bay Buccaneers (Last Week: No. 26)
Jameis Winston's future in Tampa Bay is unclear.(Steven Bisig/USA Today)For as ugly as Jameis Winston's tribulations have been in 2019, the former No. 1 pick has looked like an elite quarterback in a few games too. The Bucs lost in Week 9 in overtime, but Winston went into Seattle and completed 29 of 44 pass attempts for 335 yards and two touchdowns. Most importantly, he didn't throw any interceptions. He hasn't played consistently well enough in 2019 to earn a long-term deal, but you do wonder if he's piqued the interest of Bruce Arians enough for the team to consider franchise-tagging him at the conclusion of the year, when his rookie contract is set to expire.
25. Denver Broncos (Last Week: No. 29)
The Broncos were victorious is Brandon Allen's first start.(Isaiah J. Downing/USA Today)In Brandon Allen's first start, he tossed two touchdowns and the Broncos edged out a struggling Cleveland Browns team. Noah Fant had three catches for 115 yards and a touchdown, with Phillip Lindsay averaging over 10.2 yards-per-carry. The Broncos are on the bye in Week 10, before traveling to Minnesota and Buffalo in their next two games.
26. Cleveland Browns (Last Week: No. 22)
Baker Mayfield and the Browns have had a disastrous 2019 season.(Dustin Bradford/Getty Images)Short of the Browns winning out, Freddie Kitchens appears to be a pretty safe bet to be fired at the conclusion of the 2019 season. This year's Browns weren't going to be a finished product - and there is something to trying to overcome the stigma of the Browns - but they shouldn't be 2-6. More concerning is that Baker Mayfield has regressed in his second season, and Odell Beckham Jr. is averaging a career-worst 71.9 receiving yards per game.
27. New York Giants (Last Week: No. 25)
Saquon Barkley struggled on Monday Night Football.(Brad Penner/USA Today)Even in a lackluster NFC East, the Giants have struggled to even stay on the edge of the division race. Saquon Barkley missed two games with a high-ankle sprain, Daniel Jones has gone through rookie growing pains, and Pat Shurmur hasn't exactly endeared himself to New York in his second season at the helm. The 2-7 Giants should be in line for their third in of the season in Week 10, as they face the lowly Jets.
28. Atlanta Falcons (Last Week: No. 27)
Julio Jones and the Falcons have floundered in 2019.(Jason Getz/USA Today)It's not yet clear if former NFL MVP Matt Ryan will be ready to return as the Falcons come back from their bye week, though it probably doesn't matter. The Falcons actually have the No. 1 ranked passing offense in the NFL in 2019, and they're still 1-7 thanks to their defense being ranked 24th overall. That doesn't reflect well on head coach Dan Quinn, whose background is in defense.
29. Miami Dolphins (Last Week: No. 32)
Ryan Fitzpatrick and the Dolphins won their first game of 2019 in Week 9.(Jasen Vinlove/USA Today)If the sole goal of the Dolphins' 2019 season was to secure the No. 1 pick and have their choice of all quarterbacks on the board, their Week 9 win over the division-rival New York Jets was a disastrous outcome. They are now even with the Jets and Atlanta Falcons at 1-7. The Washington Redskins are 1-8. The Cincinnati Bengals are 0-8. While it may not be difficult to for the Dolphins to lose out, they no longer control their own destiny in landing the top pick in the 2020 NFL Draft.
30. New York Jets (Last Week: No. 28)
The Jets have struggled under Adam Gase.(Douglas DeFelice/USA Today)After losing to the previously winless Miami Dolphins, you get the sense that head coach Adam Gase may be one-and-done in New York. Assuming the team plans to proceed with Sam Darnold at quarterback, a top-five pick could allow them to land Ohio State defensive end Chase Young, who may be the top overall prospect in the 2020 NFL Draft.
31. Washington Redskins (Last Week: No. 30)
The Redskins were blown out in Dwayne Haskins' first NFL start.(Mark Konezny/USA Today)In his first start of his NFL career, first-round pick Dwayne Haskins went 15/22 for 144 yards and zero touchdowns in a 24-9 loss to the Buffalo Bills. You have to wonder if he's going to be this year's version of Josh Rosen - a rookie quarterback thrown onto a team too poor to gauge if he's good enough to start at the NFL, but ultimately replaced by another quarterback selected by a new regime with a top-five pick.
32. Cincinnati Bengals (Last Week: No. 31)
Ryan Finley will make his starting debut for the Bengals in Week 10.(Geoff Burke/USA Today)While the Bengals would probably like to be pleasantly surprised by fourth-round pick Ryan Finley at quarterback, if the season ended today, they would have the No. 1 pick and their choice of whatever quarterback they wanted to proceed with. Winning as few as three games in the second half of the 2019 season would almost certainly push them out of having that opportunity.
LISTEN NOW on the RADIO.COM App
Follow RADIO.COM Sports on Twitter
