2022 NFL power rankings, Week 9: 49ers roll, Bengals rolled
There weren’t a lot of big surprises around the league in Week 8. And there wasn’t a lot of movement when it came to the latest NFL Power Rankings.
Some things never change in the NFL. The Cardinals still haven’t won at Minnesota since 1977. And you still have to go back to 1965 to find the last time the Steelers came away with a victory at Philadelphia. The Patriots continue to own the New York Jets and the 49ers continue to have the Rams’ number – at least during the regular season.
It was a good week for most of the teams atop of their divisions entering the week. So were there any dramatic changes in this week’s NFL Power Rankings?
Previous: . Detroit Lions. 32. team. 50. . 1-6
The Lions had hoped to end their recent offensive woes when they hosted the Dolphins. Detroit owned a 27-17 halftime lead and gained an impressive 326 total yards in the first two quarters.
But the NFL’s most generous defense allowed Miami’s Tua Tagovailoa to throw for 382 yards and three scores. Jared Goff passes for 321 yards and Dan Campbell’s club played turnover-free football. But the Lions permitted 476 total yards in this latest loss.
team. 10. . 1-5-1. Previous: . Houston Texans. 31
The Texans were coming off a loss to the Raiders and hosted the resurgent Titans. And the NFL’s worst-ranked run defense was once again embarrassed by Derrick Henry and the Tennessee ground attack.
Houston was gouged for 314 yards on the ground, hence Lovie Smith’s team had the football for just 25:12. The overwhelmed Texans were also just 2-of-14 on third down (2-of-2 on fourth down) and finished the game with 10 points and 161 total yards.
. 2-6. Previous: . Jacksonville Jaguars. 30. team. 52
Doug Pederson’s club hoped to end its four-game losing skid in London. Travis Etienne had more yards rushing (156) than Trevor Lawrence had through the air (133). The latter gave the team an early edge via a 22-yard TD strike to Evan Engram.
Down 14-10, Etienne’s one-yard run with 3:54 to play gave the Jaguars the lead. But the defense couldn’t stop Denver’s 80-yard TD drive. Down four with 1:43 to play, Lawrence threw his second pick of the game.
Pittsburgh Steelers. 29. team. 55. . 2-6. Previous:
The Black and Gold made its way cross-state to Philadelphia and hoped to hand the Eagles their first loss of 2022. Pittsburgh’s defense simply had no answers for the combination of Jalen Hurts and A.J. Brown.
The former burned Pittsburgh for 285 yards through the air and four scores – three to Brown. Meanwhile, rookie quarterback Kenny Pickett committed two more turnovers and was sacked six times as Mike Tomlin’s team was manhandled again.