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USA Today Sports Media Group

Sport

Tim Weaver

NFL Power Rankings Week 9: Titans take huge jump, Seahawks up 4 spots

USA TODAY Network USA TODAY Sports Titans NFL Seahawks Kirk Cousins 49ers Albert Cesare Bob Donnan Brad Mills

This week’s power rankings are out a day late so that we could account for the impact of the NFL trade deadline in addition to Week 8’s results. The deadline has come and gone and there are some clear winners and losers to sort out following a flurry of moves on Monday and Tuesday after an eventful slate of games on Sunday.

We will begin in the capitol, where the Washington Commanders have officially given up on the 2023 season…

Washington waives the white flag

It’s easy to say that a team should get more in a trade when you’re not the one negotiating from a losing position. That said, it seems like the Commanders should have gotten a lot more than they did for two of the best young edge rushers in the league.

First, they sent Montez Sweat to the Chicago Bears in exchange for a second-round pick. That’s not a terrible return, but it also seems like a low price given how desperate Chicago should be for any kind of help. Much worse, they unloaded Chase Young to the San Francisco 49ers only got a third-round pick in return. The Commanders have something in Sam Howell, but by blowing up their defensive line they destroyed the one good thing the rest of the roster had going for it.

Looking ahead, head coach Ron Rivera will most likely take the fall for this latest failure. He just doesn’t have the ability to raise them out of his hole – and all the coaches that could already have better jobs around the league.

Eagles, 49ers, Seahawks win at trade deadline

Speaking of some of those better jobs, three teams came away as clear winners at the trade deadline.

At the top of the list are the Philadelphia Eagles, owners of the NFL’s best record at 7-1 as well as one of the most aggressive general managers in the four major sports. Howie Roseman did it again last week when he traded a backup safety and two Day 3 picks to the Tennessee Titans in exchange for star safety Kevin Byard, securing the back end of Philly’s defense as they prepare for another Super Bowl run. We have the Eagles back at No. 1 in our rankings.

The 49ers were supposed to be the team that would give the Eagles the most trouble in the NFC this year. However, they’ve hit some choppy waters, having lost their last three games coinciding with Brock Purdy’s first real run with adversity. The 49ers have dropped nine spots since we last saw them at the top of the mountain, but it would have been even worse if they hadn’t managed to nab Young at the price they did.

One of the main reasons the Niners are looking so shaky is the ascension of their rivals. The Seattle Seahawks also made a significant splash just before the deadline, dealing second and fifth-round draft picks to the New York Giants in exchange for Pro Bowl defensive lineman Leonard Williams.

Williams gives Seattle a boost exactly where the franchise needed it most and should help them keep up in what’s proving to be a heated NFC race. After narrowly beating the formerly No. 7 ranked Cleveland Browns, we now have the Seahawks slotted at that spot – up four from last week thanks to the win and the trade.

Titans and Broncos made biggest jumps

The teams that made the most-significant jumps this week did not do it via trade – although one of them did manage to find a difference-maker. The Titans are suddenly looking much tougher thanks to the emergence of rookie quarterback Will Levis, who had a stupendous debut against a tough Atlanta Falcons defense. Tennessee is up eight spots this week to match his number.

The Denver Broncos also made a major breakthrough, defeating the Kansas City Chiefs for the first time since Week 4 of the 1872 season. Denver is also up eight spots from last week and higher than they have been at any point this year. Meanwhile, KC dropped six spots thanks to the loss and Patrick Mahomes’ ongoing interception issues.

Vikings and Giants lose quarterbacks

While the Titans found themselves a potential franchise QB, two teams lost their starters on Sunday. The worst of it happened to the Minnesota Vikings, who had won two games in a row – including a Monday Night Football victory for Kirk Cousins. Unfortunately Cousins’ Achilles tear has knocked him out for the season. They have since pulled off a trade for Joshua Dobbs from the Arizona Cardinals, but they also unloaded center Ezra Cleveland to the Jacksonville Jaguars (up to No. 3!!!) for a pittance. So, we’ve dropped Minnesota four spots despite the three-game winning streak.

The Giants also had something good going with Tyrod Taylor, whose numbers were superior to those of Daniel Jones prior to his injury. However, Taylor’s run of bad luck popped up again and he wound up going to the hospital with a rib injury. For now, New York may have to choose between Tommy DeVito and Matt Barkley to start at QB. That state of affairs is bad enough to earn them the second-lowest spot in our rankings below Washington.

Let’s get to it. Here’s how we rank all 32 teams heading into Week 9.