WEEK 9 NFL Power Rankings

Does a loss to the nemesis Patriots knock Indy off their perch, despite the fact that they'll still own the league's best record? Does a win by New England move them into the top spot in the rankings, despite their mediocre mark and struggle to stay near the top of the AFC East division?

Well, we'll cross that particular bridge when (and if) we come to it. Needless to say, if the Colts turn up lame against the Pats (yet again) on Monday night, the cut-and-paste commands will be getting a workout next week.

For this week, though, the Colts remain at No. 1 on the list with a perfect 7-0 straight-up record. Both Indy and the rankings' No. 2 team, the Atlanta Falcons, had byes in Week 8, so neither could do anything to damage their lofty positions. The Tampa Bay Buccaneers wish they had a bye last week - losing to the San Francisco 49ers will knock you down the list no matter how well you started the season. Lucky for them, though, some other Top 10 teams lost in Week 8, meaning the Bucs are still within shouting distance of their old No. 4 ranking.

Here is the Week 9 edition of the NFL Power Rankings.

" the Week 9 NFL Power Rankings "

Week 9 NFL Power Rankings:				Last Weeks Power Rankings >>
05 Record	Rank	Team		2005 NFL Power Rankings - Comments
7-0-0	1	Colts		After hooking up with the Patriots, they'll get a cool-down game in Week 10 versus the hapless Texans.
5-2-0	2	Steelers		Get a couple of near-byes in the next two weeks - on the road in Green Bay and at home versus the Browns.
6-2-0	3	Broncos		Scoring three touchdowns versus Philly in the fourth quarter Sunday turned a solid victory into an impressive rout.
5-2-0	4	Falcons		Now find themselves in a three-way tie for first place in the NFC South division after sitting out Week 8 action.
5-2-0	5	Seahawks		Come back from their bye to face the Cardinals, which is a nice warmup before getting back to NFL competition.
6-2-0	6	Bengals		Bounced back from their loss to the Steelers with a win over the Packers to remain atop the AFC North division.
5-2-0	7	Giants		Pounded the Redskins to take over first place in the NFC East, without getting a great game from QB Eli Manning.
5-2-0	8	Panthers		Jake Delhomme against the struggling Vikings: 21-of-30 for 341 yards passing, three touchdowns, no interceptions.
4-3-0	9	Patriots		Sluggish start versus the Bills on Sunday night, and needed to put up 14 points in the fourth to eke out the win.
4-4-0	10	Chargers		Only 69 yards rushing for LaDainian Tomlinson versus the Chiefs, but he did toss a touchdown pass in the victory.
5-3-0	11	Cowboys		Marion Barber ran for 127 yards and two scores Sunday as the 'Boys did what was expected - beat the Cardinals.
4-3-0	12	Eagles		Donovan McNabb was only 12-of-34 for 283 yards versus the Broncos, and his two interceptions didn't help either.
4-3-0	13	Jaguars		Fred Taylor's 165-yard rushing performance versus the Rams wasn't enough to get them a victory on Sunday.
5-2-0	14	Buccaneers		They have to be concerned about Chris Simms' performance against the 49ers, who most quarterbacks tear apart.
4-3-0	15	Chiefs		Trent Green had a big passing game versus the Chargers (31-of-43 for 347 yards), but still took the loss on Sunday.
4-3-0	16	Redskins		All those whispers about the Redskins being pretenders? The Giants cranked up the volume on them Sunday.
4-4-0	17	Rams		Jekyll act held over for another week, as they've now won two in a row to boost their season mark to 4-4.
4-3-0	18	Bears		Knocking off the Lions on Sunday boosted their record over the .500 mark, and moved them into first in the division.
3-4-0	19	Raiders		Only three catches for 26 yards for Randy Moss on Sunday, but the team's offense still led them to a big victory.
3-5-0	20	Bills		Couldn't deliver the knockout blow to the Pats on Sunday night, and fell further back in the division as a result.
3-4-0	21	Dolphins		Ran roughshod over the Saints - Ronnie Brown picked up 106 rushing yards and Ricky Williams was good for 82.
3-4-0	22	Lions		Jeff Garcia and company fell in overtime to the Bears on Sunday, but at least they get the Vikings this weekend.
2-6-0	23	Titans		Steve McNair was back in the lineup, but it didn't matter much as the Titans still lost for the third straight week.
2-5-0	24	Ravens		Anthony Wright's time as the starter could be coming to an end - Kyle Boller might be ready to go on Sunday.
2-5-0	25	Jets		On a bye last week, and come back to face the Chargers this week. Sitting in the cellar of the AFC East division.
2-5-0	26	Vikings		With the way this season has been going, getting knocked out for the year could be a blessing for Daunte Culpepper.
2-5-0	27	Cardinals		Poor day for Josh McCown versus the Cowboys; looks like it might be time for Kurt Warner to get his job back.
2-5-0	28	Browns		Someone was going to lose to the Texans eventually, but it's still pretty embarrassing to be the team that does it.
2-5-0	29	49ers		Used both Ken Dorsey and Cody Pickett at quarterback versus the Buccaneers, and actually pulled out the victory.
2-6-0	30	Saints		Loss to the Dolphins on Sunday was their fourth in a row, and featured another poor outing by QB Aaron Brooks.
1-6-0	31	Packers		Five interceptions for Brett Favre versus the Bengals. Maybe that Aaron Rodgers selection wasn't so bad after all.
1-6-0	32	Texans		They'd better be careful - too many victories and someone else might end up with the rights to QB Matt Leinart.