America’s Team is back. The Dallas Cowboys had been looking for their signature win of the 2017 campaign, and they delivered one Sunday when they thoroughly defeated the Kansas City Chiefs at AT&T Stadium.
The ‘Boys jumped into the top five of our latest power rankings with the convincing win.
Here’s a look at where each team stands in NESN.com’s NFL power rankings as we head into Week 10. (To see our Week 9 power rankings, click here.)
1. Philadelphia Eagles (8-1; last week’s rank: 1): The Eagles picked up running back Jay Ajayi at the NFL trade deadline, then proceeded to steamroll the Denver Broncos. Philadelphia manhandled the struggling Broncos in every aspect of the game, including neutralizing Von Miller.
2. New England Patriots (6-2; 3): New England comes off its bye to face a Broncos team that just gave up 51 points to the Eagles and plans to start Brock Osweiler at QB. Tom Brady and Co. have struggled in Denver, but that trend should come to a screeching halt this week.
3. Pittsburgh Steelers (6-2; 4): After the Chiefs’ loss to the Cowboys, the Steelers now have the inside track for a top-two seed and a first-round bye in the AFC playoffs. Pittsburgh has been on a roll since its Week 5 loss to the Jacksonville Jaguars and the train should keep rolling against the Indianapolis Colts in Week 10.
4. Los Angeles Rams (6-2; 6): The Rams now lead the NFC West after blowing out the New York Giants at MetLife Stadium. L.A. became the 11th team in NFL history to post three wins by a margin of 30 or more points in a single season. Seven of those previous 10 teams reached the Super Bowl.
5. Dallas Cowboys (5-3; 9): Ezekiel Elliott somehow is still playing, and the Cowboys’ offensive line is back to playing a high level. Dallas handled the Chiefs on Sunday and will be dangerous as long as Elliott remains eligible.
6. New Orleans Saints (6-2; 7): New Orleans has ripped off six wins in a row thanks to a stout defense that is holding opponents to 19.4 points per game. Rookie running back Alvin Kamara has helped the Saints morph into a multi-dimensional offense in the first eight games.
7. Kansas City Chiefs (6-3; 2): The Chiefs’ early shine has worn off over the past four games. Kansas City is 1-3 in that span and hasn’t topped 100 yards rushing since Week 5.
8. Seattle Seahawks (5-3; 5): Blair Walsh missed three field goals and the Seahawks were unable to take advantage of banged-up Washington Redskins team in a 17-14 loss at CenturyLink Field. Seattle’s lack of a running game has put a lot of pressure on Russell Wilson, as the QB accounts for 85 percent of the team’s offense.
9. Jacksonville Jaguars (5-3; 8): Leonard Fournette missed Sunday’s game for violating team rules, but the Jaguars pounded the Cincinnati Bengals anyway. Jacksonville’s defense is allowing an NFL-best 14.6 points per game.
10. Minnesota Vikings (6-2; 10): The Vikings have thrived on beating teams in the bottom half of the league, but their second-half schedule will test them, starting with a Week 10 matchup against the Redskins.
11. Carolina Panthers (6-3; 11): Cam Newton and the Panthers barely escaped the Atlanta Falcons on Sunday, as the offense struggled after trading away No. 1 receiver Kelvin Benjamin. Carolina’s offense will try to get things going in Week 10 against the Miami Dolphins — if it doesn’t hit an iceberg first.
12. Tennessee Titans (5-3; 15): Tennessee’s red-zone offense somehow went from No. 1 in the NFL a year ago to No. 21 this season, but the Titans keep finding ways to win. They’ll seek their fourth straight victory Sunday when they face the Bengals.
13. Washington Redskins (4-4; 16): We asked for the Redskins to beat a good team, and they responded by taking down the Seahawks in Seattle to remain in the NFC playoff race.
14. Buffalo Bills (5-3; 12): Just when the Bills looked like they could be a threat in the AFC East, they threw up all over themselves in predictable fashion during a 34-21 loss to the New York Jets. Now the red-hot Saints come to town in Week 10.
15. Detroit Lions (4-4; 18): Matthew Stafford torched the Green Bay Packers at Lambeau Field on Monday night to move the Lions to .500. Detroit will travel to Cleveland to face the 0-8 Browns on Sunday.
16. Oakland Raiders (4-5; 21): As predicted, playing the Dolphins helped the Raiders look like less of a mess. Oakland should use its bye week to find a new pair of hands for Amari Cooper.
17. Atlanta Falcons (4-4; 15): Julio Jones dropping (!) a wide-open touchdown pass is proof the Falcons are in complete disarray and ready for the 2017 season to be over with.
18. Los Angeles Chargers (3-5; 17): The Chargers need a win over the Jaguars on Sunday to have any hope of making the AFC playoffs.
19. Baltimore Ravens (4-5; 20): The fact that the Ravens moved up after a loss tells you how bad the bottom half of the NFL is.
20. Houston Texans (3-5; 13): The loss of Deshaun Watson effectively ended the Texans’ season. If you don’t believe us, watch this clip of backup QB Tom Savage:
21. Arizona Cardinals (4-4; 23): Arizona beat the San Francisco 49ers because, well, someone had to win the game.
22. New York Jets (4-5; 24): Todd Bowles should get Coach of the Year even if the Jets lose out.
23. Denver Broncos (3-5; 19): Vance Joseph no longer is having the time of his life after the Broncos were routed by the Eagles. Denver faces a must-win in Week 10 against the Patriots, so things aren’t exactly sunny in the Mile High City.
24. Green Bay Packers (4-4; 22): Brett Hundley looked a little better than Savage, which should justify the Packers’ decision to not sign Colin Kaepernick. (This is a joke.)
25. Chicago Bears (3-5; 26): Chicago gets to face the Packers on Sunday, so its fourth win could be right around the corner. Or maybe not. Either way, don’t spend your Sunday watching this slop.
26. Miami Dolphins (4-4; 27): We’re still investigating how the Dolphins managed to get four wins.
27. Cincinnati Bengals (3-5; 25): The Bengals are so bad that star receiver A.J. Green decided to audition for UFC in the middle of the game.
28. Indianapolis Colts (3-6; 30): Andrew Luck has been shut down for the season, so at least the Colts did something right.
29. Tampa Bay Buccaneers (2-6; 28): Tampa Bay looks like it has quit on head coach Dirk Koetter, and for some reason, Mike Evans thinks he can appeal his suspension for doing this:
30. New York Giants (1-7; 29): Ben McAdoo’s future public speaking career is more exciting than this Giants team.
31. San Francisco 49ers (0-8; 31): General manager John Lynch reportedly asked the Patriots if he could trade for Brady at one point this offseason, because you miss 100 percent of the shots you don’t take.
32. Cleveland Browns (0-8; 32): The good news for the Browns is they aren’t the only atrocity going on in town. Have you seen the Cleveland Cavaliers try to play defense?
Thumbnail photo via Kevin Jairaj/USA TODAY Sports Images
