2010 NFL Power Rankings: Week 9 ESPN.com

Week: Select Pre 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18

If Tom Brady is the least bit superstitious, he should be wary playing the No. 26-rated Cleveland Browns in Week 9.

His New England Patriots are atop ESPN.com's NFL Power Rankings for the first time since the 2008 Week 1 edition. When the Patriots last wore the coveted Power Rankings crown, Brady suffered a knee injury that sidelined him for the rest of that season.

Entering Week 9, our weekly poll of experts awarded spots Nos. 2-5 to the Baltimore Ravens, Pittsburgh Steelers, New York Jets and Indianapolis Colts, respectively.

At No. 6, the Atlanta Falcons represent the best team in the NFC in the eyes of our experts. The Falcons will have their claim to NFC South supremacy tested by the upstart Tampa Bay Buccaneers, who rank No. 14.

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Editor's note: "LW" indicates each team's ranking in the Week 8 edition of the 2010 Power Rankings.