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Week 9 of the NFL season is over, and we are officially halfway through the regular season. The playoff picture and the top of the NFL Draft order are beginning to take shape, so we’re beginning to have a good idea of where every team stands. As always, Tuesday means power rankings. There was a lot of movement this week – especially towards the top – and every outlet you look at will likely have different rankings. Here’s our shot at ranking all 32 NFL teams after Week 9. ADVERTISEMENT Article continues below this ad 32. Tennessee Titans (1-8) Last Week’s Ranking: 32 Week 9 Result: 27-20 loss to Chargers ADVERTISEMENT Article continues below this ad PFF Rankings: Offense 31st, Defense T-22nd Week 10 Matchup: Bye The Tennessee Titans were surprisingly competitive this week against the Los Angeles Chargers, but that was largely due to a defensive and special teams touchdown. Their offense still looked lost, and defensively, they weren’t that great either. They’re still the worst team in the league. Read Top Stories First From EssentiallySports Click here and check box next to EssentiallySports ADVERTISEMENT Article continues below this ad 31. New Orleans Saints (1-8) Last Week’s Ranking: 30 Week 9 Result: 34-10 loss to Rams PFF Rankings: Offense 3oth, Defense T-22nd Week 10 Matchup: Sunday, 1 pm at Panthers The New Orleans Saints are the only other 1-8 team in the league, and they just got blown out by the Los Angeles Rams. I thought Tyler Shough looked the part physically – his throws had some zip on them and he made some good throws – but there’s still a lot to clean up. Overall, this team is just very discouraging. Not much to like about that, and that’s coming from a fan. 30. Las Vegas Raiders (2-6) Last Week’s Ranking: 31 Week 9 Result: 30-29 (OT) loss to Jaguars PFF Rankings: Offense 21st, Defense 30th Week 10 Matchup: Thursday, 8:15 pm at Broncos The Las Vegas Raiders looked much more competitive this week with Brock Bowers back in the lineup. Geno Smith had his best game of the season, but they still lost in overtime to the Jacksonville Jaguars. A disappointing ending, but they definitely looked better than in weeks past. 29. New York Jets (1-7) Last Week’s Ranking: 29 Week 9 Result: Bye PFF Rankings: Offense 27th, Defense 16th Week 10 Matchup: Sunday, 1 pm vs Browns The New York Jets had a bye this week, and remain at No. 29. It will be interesting to see how they perform next week against the Cleveland Browns. If they can play well and maybe win, they’ll stay outside the bottom three, but another loss could relegate them to the back of the pack again. 28. Miami Dolphins (2-7) Last Week’s Ranking: 26 Week 9 Result: 28-6 loss to Ravens PFF Rankings: Offense 29th, Defense 29th Week 10 Matchup: Sunday, 1 pm vs Bills The Dolphins got their butts whooped on Thursday night just days after a big win over the Falcons. This team is just so hard to figure out. Some games they actually look pretty good, and then the next day they just look like trash. They’re about to have a fire sale at the trade deadline, too, so don’t expect them to be rising up the rankings anytime soon. 27. Cleveland Browns (2-6) Last Week’s Ranking: 27 Week 9 Result: Bye PFF Rankings: Offense 32nd, Defense 1st Week 10 Matchup: Sunday, 1 pm at Jets The Browns had a bye this week and will return to the field on Sunday to face the Jets. Their defense should be able to shut down Justin Fields and Co., but will their offense score enough to get the win? That’s the big question. 26. New York Giants (2-7) Last Week’s Ranking: 25 Week 9 Result: 34-24 loss to 49ers PFF Rankings: Offense 26th, Defense T-20th Week 10 Matchup: Sunday, 1 pm at Bears Another disappointing loss for the New York Giants has the fanbase up in arms. They’re frustrated with the front office and the coaching staff, and it feels like changes are coming. They’re fortunate enough to have an exciting young quarterback, so they don’t need to worry about figuring that out, but there are holes all over this team. 25. Cincinnati Bengals (3-6) Last Week’s Ranking: 24 Week 9 Result: 47-42 loss to Bears PFF Rankings: Offense 19th, Defense 31st Week 10 Matchup: Bye Man, the Cincinnati Bengals just keep coming up with ways to lose games. How you let a tight end burn you for 58 yards with under 20 seconds on the clock after erasing a double-digit deficit in the final five minutes, I don’t know, but that’s the Bengals. They might actually be a worse version of the Dallas Cowboys. 24. Arizona Cardinals (3-5) Last Week’s Ranking: 28 Week 9 Result: 27-17 win over Cowboys PFF Rankings: Offense 25th, Defense 26th Week 10 Matchup: Sunday, 4:05 pm at Seahawks The Arizona Cardinals looked pretty good against the Dallas Cowboys on Monday night. They beat up on them pretty good and held their high-scoring offense to just 10 points (Dallas scored on a blocked punt). It was complete domination, and the Cardinals deservingly make a big leap in our power rankings. 23. Washington Commanders (3-5) Last Week’s Ranking: 23 Week 9 Result: 38-14 loss to Seahawks PFF Rankings: Offense 17th, Defense T-20th Week 10 Matchup: Sunday, 4:25 pm vs Lions What a disastrous night it was in D.C. for the Commanders. Not only did they get absolutely blown out, but Jayden Daniels went down with an ugly elbow injury, and Marshon Lattimore is out for the season with a torn ACL. The NFC runners-up are down bad right now, and there’s no sign they can turn things around anytime soon. 22. Dallas Cowboys (3-5-1) Last Week’s Ranking: 17 Week 9 Result: 27-17 loss to Cardinals PFF Rankings: Offense 5th, Defense 32nd Week 10 Matchup: Bye The Cowboys didn’t just lose to the Cardinals; they were dominated in pretty much every fashion. They couldn’t do anything offensively, which was really strange considering how they’ve played all year, and as always, they couldn’t get enough stops on defense. It was a good old-fashioned butt-whoopin’, and they fall five spots because of it. I do still think they win this game more often than not, so they stay above Arizona (for now). 21. Atlanta Falcons (3-5) Last Week’s Ranking: 18 Week 9 Result: 24-23 loss to Patriots PFF Rankings: Offense 15th, Defense 17th Week 10 Matchup: Sunday, 9:30 am at Colts (Germany) The Atlanta Falcons looked like they could be the surprise team in the NFC this year, but they’ve fallen off a cliff since taking down the Buffalo Bills. They’ve lost three straight games, and while they were competitive against the New England Patriots, they still came up short. 20. Baltimore Ravens (3-5) Last Week’s Ranking: 22 Week 9 Result: 28-6 win over Dolphins PFF Rankings: Offense 16th, Defense 25th Week 10 Matchup: Sunday, 1 pm at Vikings The Ravens dominated the Dolphins on Thursday Night Football in Lamar Jackson’s return. He looked great, throwing for four touchdowns, and they got the run game going with Derrick Henry. Their defense also looked much more energetic, so if they can keep this up, they’ll be in playoff contention sooner than later. 19. Houston Texans (3-5) Last Week’s Ranking: 14 Week 9 Result: 18-15 loss to Broncos PFF Rankings: Offense 23rd, Defense 5th Week 10 Matchup: Sunday, 1 pm vs Jaguars The Houston Texans are one of the most disappointing teams in football this year, in my eyes. They’re completely wasting one of the best defenses of the 2020s. Their opponents are averaging 15.1 points per game, and they’re 3-5. C.J. Stroud has regressed massively since his rookie year, and their offense just stinks all around. 18. Carolina Panthers (5-4) Last Week’s Ranking: 20 Week 9 Result: 16-13 win over Packers PFF Rankings: Offense 18th, Defense 19th Week 10 Matchup: Sunday, 1 pm vs Saints I have no idea what to make of the Carolina Panthers. They’re 5-4 and have beaten some good teams, but they also got smacked around by the Bills two weeks ago. When Bryce Young plays, they’re a pretty good team, but I just don’t trust them. It feels like all their wins are flukey. 17. Jacksonville Jaguars (5-3) Last Week’s Ranking: 18 Week 9 Result: 30-29 (OT) win over Raiders PFF Rankings: Offense 20th, Defense 15th Week 10 Matchup: Sunday, 1 pm at Texans The Jags earned a win over the Raiders, but it wasn’t pretty. Their offense played pretty well, but defensively, they got torn up by Geno Smith and Brock Bowers. They’re still in the playoff picture, but I’m not sure how much longer that’ll last if they don’t improve on both sides of the ball. 16. Minnesota Vikings (4-4) Last Week’s Ranking: 21 Week 9 Result: 27-24 win over Lions PFF Rankings: Offense 28th, Defense 18th Week 10 Matchup: Sunday, 1 pm vs Ravens J.J. McCarthy is back, and the Minnesota Vikings have life again. They’re 2-1 with McCarthy as their starter, and they just took down their NFC North rivals, the Detroit Lions. I still want to see more from their defense, because I know Brian Flores is capable of coaching them to a top 1o unit. But for now, they sit right in the middle of the league. 15. Chicago Bears (5-3) Last Week’s Ranking: 15 Week 9 Result: 47-42 win over Bengals PFF Rankings: Offense 9th, Defense 27th Week 10 Matchup: Sunday, 1 pm vs Giants The Chicago Bears have won five of their last six, but much like Carolina, I just don’t trust them all that much. Their defense has played some good games, but has been very inconsistent overall. Their offense has also struggled greatly at times, but there is something to be said about finding ways to win. Still, their wins have come against opponents with a combined 12-29-1 record. Need to see them beat someone good before I fully believe in them. 14. Green Bay Packers (5-2-1) Last Week’s Ranking: 8 Week 9 Result: 16-13 loss to Panthers PFF Rankings: Offense 12th, Defense 2nd Week 10 Matchup: Monday, 8:15 pm vs Eagles I knew we were right having the Green Bay Packers outside of the top 10 a couple weeks ago. They convinced us to move them to No. 8 after beating the Pittsburgh Steelers, but their performance this week shows just how streaky this team is. I don’t trust them to win big games, so they’re down at No. 14, which will be much lower than everyone else has them, but I’m 100 percent okay with that. 13. San Francisco 49ers Last Week’s Ranking: 13 Week 9 Result: 34-24 win over Giants PFF Rankings: Offense 10th, Defense 28th Week 10 Matchup: Sunday, 4:25 pm vs Rams The San Francisco 49ers got back in the win column with a big performance on Sunday. Their offense looked rejuvenated, but their defense still has some question marks. If they can get healthy, they’ll be a real NFC threat, but for now they have to sit outside the top 10. 12. Los Angeles Chargers (6-3) Last Week’s Ranking: 12 Week 9 Result: 27-20 win over Titans PFF Rankings: Offense 13th, Defense 9th Week 10 Matchup: Sunday, 8:20 pm vs Steelers The Chargers took care of business against the Titans, but they didn’t look all that great. They had a couple of turnovers, gave up a special teams score and allowed Justin Herbert to be sacked six times. I still think they’re a great team, but they need to get healthy, especially up front, soon. 11. Pittsburgh Steelers (5-3) Last Week’s Ranking: 16 Week 9 Result: 27-20 win over Colts PFF Rankings: Offense 22nd, Defense 12th Week 10 Matchup: Sunday, 8:20 pm at Chargers How about the Pittsburgh Steelers? That’s how you bounce back from a disappointing loss. They beat the former No. 1 team in the league by seven, but it honestly wasn’t as close as the score indicated. Still need to see them be more consistent, but this was a great performance. 10. Detroit Lions (5-3) Last Week’s Ranking: 3 Week 9 Result: 27-24 loss to Vikings PFF Rankings: Offense 6th, Defense 4th Week 10 Matchup: Sunday, 4:25 pm at Commanders This is where the shakeup really begins. The Lions drop seven spots after losing to the Vikings, and it’s not just because of this game. We’ve now seen a few instances where this offense just looks completely off, and that worries me. When they’re clicking, they’re a top-three offense in football, but sometimes they just straight-up misuse their weapons. Plus, I’m a bit worried about their health up front. 9. Tampa Bay Buccaneers (6-2) Last Week’s Ranking: 11 Week 9 Result: Bye PFF Rankings: Offense 24th, Defense T-10th Week 10 Matchup: Sunday, 1 pm vs Patriots The Tampa Bay Buccaneers were on a bye this week, but moved up a couple of spots after some teams in front of them suffered losses. Not a bad bye week for the Bucs. 8. Kansas City Chiefs (5-4) Last Week’s Ranking: 2 Week 9 Result: 28-21 loss to Bills PFF Rankings: Offense 8th, Defense 6th Week 10 Matchup: Bye The Kansas City Chiefs were very disappointing on Sunday afternoon. They didn’t play well offensively (Patrick Mahomes had the lowest completion percentage of his career), and their defense gave up too many big plays. Still, at their worst, they only lost to the Bills by seven and had a chance as time expired. They’re still a very good team. 7. Indianapolis Colts (7-2) Last Week’s Ranking: 1 Week 9 Result: 27-20 loss to Steelers PFF Rankings: Offense 3rd, Defense 14th Week 10 Matchup: Sunday, 9:30 am vs Falcons (Germany) The Steelers found a way to stop the Colts. They shut down Jonathan Taylor and got up early, forcing Dainel Jones to throw it more often than he would’ve liked. Shutting down Taylor is much easier said than done, but they gave the rest of the league the blueprint. Eager to see how they bounce back these next couple of weeks. 6. Denver Broncos (7-2) Last Week’s Ranking: 7 Week 9 Result: 18-15 win over Texans PFF Rankings: Offense 14th, Defense 8th Week 10 Matchup: Thursday, 8:15 pm vs Raiders The Denver Broncos are one of the best fourth-quarter teams I’ve seen in a while. They always find a way to get the job done, no matter the score late. They have an excellent defense, but I still need to see their offense be more consistent before I put them in the top five. Still a very good football team. 5. Buffalo Bills (6-2) Last Week’s Ranking: 10 Week 9 Result: 28-21 win over Chiefs PFF Rankings: Offense 4th, Defense 24th Week 10 Matchup: Sunday, 1 pm at Dolphins It was hard to keep the Bills outside the top four, because they’re playing like one of the best teams in the league right now, but you have to account for their early struggles. Still, I believe in Josh Allen, and I think they’re one of the top teams, not only in the AFC, but in the NFL. 4. New England Patriots (7-2) Last Week’s Ranking: 9 Week 9 Result: 24-23 win over Falcons PFF Rankings: Offense 11th, Defense 13th Week 10 Matchup: Sunday, 1 pm at Buccaneers The Patriots stay right ahead of their division rivals this week. Their head-to-head matchup is the only thing separating these two teams right now. In my opinion, they’re the two best teams in the AFC right now, and you could have them ranked in either order and I wouldn’t be mad. But for now, New England stays ahead because of their win over Buffalo earlier this year. 3. Philadelphia Eagles (6-2) Last Week’s Ranking: 6 Week 9 Result: Bye PFF Rankings: Offense 7th, Defense T-10th Week 10 Matchup: Monday, 8:15 pm at Packers The Philadelphia Eagles had one of the best byes they could imagine. The Colts, Chiefs and Lions all lost in front of them, so they jump from No. 6 to No. 3 this week. 2. Los Angeles Rams (6-2) Last Week’s Ranking: 5 Week 9 Result: 34-10 win over Saints PFF Rankings: Offense 1st, Defense 3rd Week 10 Matchup: Sunday, 4:25 pm at 49ers I really wanted to put the Rams at No. 1, but after watching Sunday Night Football, I just couldn’t put them over our top team. Still, they’re one of the best teams in the league right now. Their offense is humming and their defense is playing very solid football right now. It’s crazy they’re currently the No. 5 seed in the NFC because their division rival is playing so well. 1. Seattle Seahawks (6-2) Last Week’s Ranking: 4 Week 9 Result: 38-14 win over Commanders PFF Rankings: Offense 2nd, Defense 7th Week 10 Matchup: Sunday, 4:05 pm vs Cardinals
