Week 9 of the Review-Journal’s NFL rankings

1. Eagles 7-1 (1). Philadelphia is all in after trading for Jay Ajayi on Tuesday. The loss of Jason Peters hurts, but the Eagles are serious Super Bowl contenders.

2. Chiefs 6-2 (2). The Chiefs got back on track after a dominant win over a divisional rival.

3. Patriots 6-2 (3). Tom Brady has no backup. The Patriots must think the 40 year old is a cyborg.

4. Steelers 6-2 (4). JuJu Smith-Schuster found his bike and the Steelers got their groove back.

5. Seahawks 5-2 (5). Russell Wilson outdueled rookie Deshaun Watson and finally got protection after the Seahawks traded for offensive tackle Duane Brown.

6. Vikings 6-2 (7). People keep sleeping on the Vikings. This defense is for real.

7. Saints 5-2 (8). Marshon Lattimore and the revamped Saints defense make it five straight wins.

8. Rams 5-2 (6). The Rams face the Giants on the road after a bye week.

9. Bills 5-2 (9). The Bills keep trading stars and continue to win. This could be the year Buffalo breaks its 17-year playoff drought.

10. Falcons 4-3 (10). The Falcons struggled against the Jets, but too soon to write off the reigning NFC champs.

11. Titans 4-3 (11). The Titans return from a bye to host the Ravens.

12. Panthers 5-3 (12). The Panthers remain in playoff contention, but their offensive struggles continue.

13. Jaguars 4-3 (15). Jacksonville’s rising defense added Marcell Dareus during its bye week. Good luck, AFC South offenses.

14. Cowboys 4-3 (16). Looks like Ezekiel Elliott will be gone for next six weeks. What you got, Dak Prescott?

15. Broncos 3-4 (13). That Super Bowl-caliber defense is still there somewhere.

16. Texans 3-4 (18). DeShaun Watson is on fire, but the Texans keep coming up short.

17. Lions 3-4 (17). Three straight losses for the Lions. Maybe that Jim Caldwell extension was too soon.

18. Dolphins 4-3 (14). Worst offense in the NFL. Paid Jay Cutler $10 million and gave away Ajayi.

19. Packers 4-3 (19). The Aaron Rodgers-less Packers return from a bye to host the Lions.

20. Ravens 4-4 (26). Baltimore blew out Miami but they might be without Joe Flacco this week.

21. Redskins 3-4 (20). A beat-up Washington team fell to divisional rival Dallas.

22. Raiders 3-5 (21). Oakland went back to its boring dink-and-dunk offense in a loss to the Bills. The 2016 Raiders aren’t coming back.

23. Chargers 3-5 (22). The Chargers played the Patriots tough but their three-game winning streak was snapped by the defending champs.

24. Cardinals 3-4 (24). Arizona returns from a bye week to face San Francisco on the road.

25. Jets 3-5 (23). The Jets have lost three straight games since winning three in a row.

26. Bengals 3-4 (27). It was an ugly performance, but Cincinnati got the victory over Indianapolis in Week 8.

27. Bears 3-5 (25). John Fox finally let Mitchell Trubisky loose, but the rookie quarterback struggled against the Saints.

28. Buccaneers 2-5 (28). Tampa Bay only managed to get three points last week. Dirk Koetter might be on the hot seat.

29. Giants 1-6 (29). The Giants return from a bye week to host the Rams.

30. Colts 2-6 (30). The Colts kept it close against the Bengals before a pick-6 doomed them.

31. 49ers 0-8 (31). Niners fans rejoiced after trading for Jimmy Garoppolo. The C.J. Beathard era ended quickly.

32. Browns 0-8 (32). The Browns finally led a game going into halftime. Baby steps.

Gilbert Manzano covers the NFL for the Review-Journal. He can be reached at gmanzano@reivewjournal.com. Follow @gmanzano24 on Twitter.