NFL Power Rankings Week 9: Grades for every team at midway point

A twist on this week's Power Rankings in honor of the NFL hitting its regular-season midpoint. The actual rankings themselves are the same as ever, based on how teams are currently performing, but we're adding in a midseason grading scale.

How that works, rather unscientifically: Each team's first-half performance was measured against its expectations for the season. The resulting grade reflects how each team has played on a scale of how we thought they would do in 2015. So, you'll notice that the grades fluctuate on the way down the list—merely being top five does not guarantee an A; sitting near the bottom does not bring an automatic F (though it doesn't help).

Hope that helps. Here we go:

1. New England Patriots

PREVIOUS: 1

RECORD: 7-0

2. Cincinnati Bengals

PREVIOUS: 3

RECORD: 7-0

3. Denver Broncos

PREVIOUS: 5

RECORD: 7-0

4. Carolina Panthers

PREVIOUS: 4

RECORD: 7-0

5. Green Bay Packers

PREVIOUS: 2

RECORD: 6-1

6. Minnesota Vikings

PREVIOUS: 6

RECORD: 5-2

7. St. Louis Rams

PREVIOUS: 10

RECORD: 4-3

8. Arizona Cardinals

PREVIOUS: 8

RECORD: 6-2

9. Seattle Seahawks

PREVIOUS: 11

RECORD: 4-4

10. Oakland Raiders

PREVIOUS: 15

RECORD: 4-3

11. New York Jets

PREVIOUS: 7

RECORD: 4-3

12. Atlanta Falcons

PREVIOUS: 9

RECORD: 6-2

13. New Orleans Saints

PREVIOUS: 18

RECORD: 4-4

• BANKS: Saints rewrite this season's script after record-breaking win

14. Pittsburgh Steelers

PREVIOUS: 12

RECORD: 4-4

15. New York Giants

PREVIOUS: 14

RECORD: 4-4

16. Washington Redskins

PREVIOUS: 16

RECORD: 3-4

17. Philadelphia Eagles

PREVIOUS: 17

RECORD: 3-4

18. Miami Dolphins

PREVIOUS: 13

RECORD: 3-4

19. Kansas City Chiefs

PREVIOUS: 26

RECORD: 3-5

20. Indianapolis Colts

PREVIOUS: 19

RECORD: 3-5

21. Buffalo Bills

PREVIOUS: 21

RECORD: 3-4

22. Baltimore Ravens

PREVIOUS: 27

RECORD: 2-6

23. Dallas Cowboys

PREVIOUS: 22

RECORD: 2-5

24. Cleveland Browns

PREVIOUS: 20

RECORD: 2-6

25. Tampa Bay Buccaneers

PREVIOUS: 28

RECORD: 3-4

26. Chicago Bears

PREVIOUS: 24

RECORD: 2-5

27. Houston Texans

PREVIOUS: 29

RECORD: 3-5

28. San Diego Chargers

PREVIOUS: 23

RECORD: 2-6

29. Jacksonville Jaguars

PREVIOUS: 30

RECORD: 2-5

30. San Francisco 49ers

PREVIOUS: 25

RECORD: 2-6

31. Tennessee Titans

PREVIOUS: 31

RECORD: 1-6

32. Detroit Lions

PREVIOUS: 32

RECORD: 1-7