NFL Power Rankings Week 9: Colts see a slight bump after their road win over the Raiders

It would have been great to roll into the bye week with two wins and two great performances by the whole team. As it is, the Colts will have to settle with a two game winning streak where the offense did its part and the defense struggled a bit.

Regardless, the last two weeks saw the coming out party of the Colts’ offensive line as a force to be reckoned with. The team will head into the bye week with upward momentum and come out of it to meet a Jaguars team that is plummeting fast.

While the outlook for this team seems really positive going forward, the immediate impact in terms of rankings is pretty negligible. The Colts are still 3-5, and their last two wins came against two of the worst teams in football. Let’s take a look at how they stack up.

NFL.com has the Colts at 21^st from 27^th.

Make that two in a row for the pesky Colts, who refuse to go quietly into 2018’s night. In fact, at 3-5, they are still right in the thick of the AFC South race. Indy is getting better -- more consistent -- quarterback play than the division-leading Texans. The Titans’ offense has been stuck in Tennessee mud all year. The Jaguars are right there with Indianapolis at 3-5, save for the fact Jacksonville is headed in the opposition direction. Then again, that was the Raiders whom Indy toppled Sunday. OK, I’ll calm my enthusiasm.

ESPN has the Colts up to 24^th from 26^th.

It has taken nearly 11 years, but the Colts can finally say they’ve had a 100-yard rusher in back-to-back games again. Second-year running back Marlon Mack followed up his 126-yard performance against Buffalo in Week 7 by rushing for 132 yards against Oakland on Sunday. Joseph Addai was the last Colts running back to accomplish that feat when he topped the 100-yard mark on Oct. 28 and Nov. 4, 2007.

USA Today has the Colts up to 26^th from 27^th.

Treat — Eric Ebron, Jack Doyle and Mo Alie-Cox became first trio of tight ends to score TDs for same team in same game in Super Bowl era.

Yahoo! Sports has the Colts at 25^th, up from 27^th.

That’s 258 rushing yards and three rushing touchdowns for Marlon Mack the past two weeks. The Colts have to be happy with some of the young talent that has emerged like Mack, Andrew Luck’s successful return and Frank Reich’s coaching. The Colts could make huge leaps in the next couple seasons.

Bleacher Report has the Colts ranked 24^th, up from 27^th.

Break up the Colts!

In downing the Raiders in Oakland on Sunday, the Colts peeled off their third win of the season after a 1-5 start. Granted, their modest two-game winning streak has come against the Raiders and Bills (two of the league’s worst teams), but suddenly a Colts team that was floundering not too long ago is tied with the Jaguars and just two games out of first place.

The Colts could get back into the mix in the AFC South. Four of Indy’s next five games are against teams in the South, and the Colts don’t face a team with a winning record until their rematch with the Texans on Dec. 9.

Is it likely the Colts will be in the playoff hunt as December dawns? Not even close—the defense is still a mess. But with Andrew Luck playing well and Marlon Mack keying a suddenly solid running game, the idea can’t be entirely dismissed, either.

The rest of the AFC South

Texans

ESPN: 16^th (17^th Last Week)

USA Today: 17^th (17^th LW)

Yahoo! Sports: 15^th (19^th LW)

Bleacher Report: 13^th (17^th LW)

NFL.com: 12^th (15^th LW)

Titans

ESPN: 22^nd (21^st LW)

USA Today: 21^st (23^rd LW)

Yahoo! Sports: 23^rd (23^rd LW)

Bleacher Report: 25^th (24^th LW)

NFL.com: 22^nd (22^nd LW)

Jaguars

ESPN: 18^th (15^th LW)

USA Today: 22^nd (24^th LW)

Yahoo! Sports: 19^th (20^th LW)

Bleacher Report: 17^th (16^th LW)

NFL.com: 24^th (23^rd LW)