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Week 9 is in the books and it offered up quite a bit of upsets. With that in mind our bloggers racked their brains stacking up the teams from top to bottom.
We wanted to revisit with an expert in Joe Fortenbaugh from the National Football Post to see what he thought of our rankings. Previous to National Football Post, Joe worked at JB Sports, a leading agency for NFL players, so basically he has major blogger street cred. Below is his take:
 
Our one and two teams play dramatically different opponents in terms of quality this week in the Rams and Patriots. If the Colts beat the Patriots, do you think they deserve to surpass the Saints as the number one ranked team?
A: You could certainly make a case for the Colts as the top team in the NFL if they were able to knock off a quality opponent like the Patriots. This is a big test for Indianapolis, mainly because they are playing with a banged up secondary (Sanders and Jackson are out) and they are going up against one of the league's elite passing offenses. My thoughts are that either way the Saints are still the best team in the NFL because they can play defense this year, but I wouldn't have a problem with Indy moving to No. 1 if they come out of Week 10 still undefeated.
The AFC has made a little run of late with the Chargers beating the Giants, Steelers beating the Vikings, and the Bengals beating Chicago. The AFC now accounts for 2/3 of the top 9 teams in addition the NFC having three of the bottom four teams in this week's rankings. Do you concur and perceive a talent disparity between the two conferences?
A: Yes. Outside of the Saints and Vikings, the AFC is a far superior conference this season. The Colts, Patriots and Steelers are all elite NFL teams. When you throw the Bengals, Broncos and Chargers into the mix, you have a very solid nucleus of teams that can compete at a high level. Keep in mind I haven't even mentioned Baltimore and Houston (until now).
Who do you think is undervalued and overvalued in this week's rankings?
A: I hate to say it because their last two losses came against quality opponents, but Denver may be a little high at this point. They came off their bye week and dropped two straight, which is very bad sign. They've been an impressive and surprising team to watch this season and Josh McDaniels deserves a ton of credit for what he has done, but the Broncos have now been exposed defensively, giving up 58 points in their last two games. Look for other teams to continue attacking much like the Ravens and Steelers did. Opposing offensive coordinators can smell blood in the water.
I think there are a few teams that are a little undervalued this week, namely the Dolphins (18), Panthers (22) and Titans (25). Miami is 3-5 but could just as easily be 5-3 if they could have closed out games against Indy and New Orleans. They are a matchup nightmare this season.
After a miserable start, Carolina is playing sound defense and has one of the league's best rushing attacks. Unfortunately, the loss of linebacker Thomas Davis for the season is going to sting.
Don't look now, but Tennessee is 2-0 coming off their bye and has Buffalo this weekend. Once again, Jeff Fisher proves he knows how to manage his locker room.
Teams 17-22 are very closely stacked together in terms of average ranking and all find themselves with an uphill climb to the playoffs. How would you rank those teams and can you see any of those teams making the playoffs?
A: I don't care if Jacksonville is 4-4, their four wins have come against teams with a combined 9-24 record. Here's how I have it:
17. Miami Dolphins
18. Green Bay Packers
19. Chicago Bears
20. Carolina Panthers
21. San Francisco 49ers
22. Jacksonville Jaguars
Unfortunately, none of those teams are going to the playoffs. If Miami was in the NFC, I'd give them a shot, but they have a tough road ahead of them in the AFC if they think they'll be playing in January.
I don't have to tell you, what the big games are. Who do you see winning the week's looming showdowns? Are they any games that in your mind, essentially clinch a playoff spot with a win?
The way I see it, there are four big games on the schedule this weekend. If Dallas knocks off Green Bay they are going to the playoffs, just like the winner of the Cincinnati-Pittsburgh showdown. Obviously, the team that pulls off the win in the Pats-Colts game is in, as is the loser.
Here's what I've got for Week 10:
PITTSBURGH over Cincinnati (home field is key in this showdown)
DALLAS over Green Bay (the Packers offensive line is terrible and it will show again this week)
PHILADELPHIA over San Diego (this is a tough one for me because the Eagles were terrible last week, but Andy Reid's teams seem to always respond well after a loss).
NEW ENGLAND over Indianapolis (I'd give this one to the Colts since they are at home, but the loss of Sanders and Jackson is too big to overcome against this offense).
Is it really possible that the Jets with a rookie QB could be a better team than the Giants? A win for the Jets this week would likely have them move past the Giants.
A: I don't think so. The bye week couldn't come at a better time for Big Blue. Manning gets two weeks to rest his foot. In addition, this is a good time for the Giants to settle down and get back to basics. The Jets are a good football team, but I don't see them beating the Giants if the two were to play each other.
Looking at the bottom of the standings, will we have a coach axed before the end of the year and who could it be?
A: Mangini and Cable are the only two that could be out before Week 17 in my opinion. Cable is dealing with a myriad of legal issues and if the Browns bring in a new General Manager before the end of the season, Mangini could be shown the door in a hurry.
Having worked at an agency, what are some good fits you could see for the bottom half of our power rankings in terms of getting immediate help in the upcoming draft?
A: The Browns, Rams, Raiders and Redskins all desperately need a quarterback. This is the year to come out early if you're a college quarterback with a first round grade. The Bucs need help on defense and the Chiefs and Lions need help everywhere. The key is to start with your lines and work out. One famous draft philosophy to consider is this: "First you get a quarterback, then you get someone that can sack the quarterback, then you get someone that can protect the quarterback."
Always a pleasure to get Joe's thoughts on the NFL and our power rankings. Til next week!
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