Week 9 was filled with numerous upsets as we saw the Green Bay Packers fall to the Carolina Panthers and much more. Every team now has two losses in the entire NFL and the dominant #1 team remains to be disputed even more now. We also have the red hot Patriots already giving the Bills a run for their money for the crown of the AFC East. Finally we saw the Seahawks show dominance through 4 quarters and a perfect showing from quarterback Sam Darnold. Without further ado, let’s go over everything that happened during week 9 as we go over our mid season power rankings!

The best part of this list still is that it will be refreshed so if you do not like where your team is placed they will probably end up higher on this list at some point during the season. I tried my best to not put teams that had a bye that high on the list versus teams that won, I wish everyone a continued great 2025-2026 NFL season. Happy Football once again!

1. Eagles: The Philadelphia Eagles earned themselves a BYE week in week 9 and did not play anyone due to them being off. Coming off an impressive victory over the New York Giants and getting their revenge, it will be interesting to see if they can keep that same momentum going against the Green Bay Packers during primetime. The Eagles defense gets ready to go up against the Green Bay defense and it will be an interesting showdown between the Quarterbacks also. If Philadelphia was home I would be more confident in them but with the Packers coming off an upset as well, who will be more hungry for a win? At this point in the season there is more to be desired with this offense still at times but with the Eagles they still hold one of the best built rosters in football and with the other team’s losses from this week, it was hard for me to put any other team in the #1 spot again.

2. Lions: Detroit caught a huge surprising loss that not a lot of people (myself included) did not see coming. They were even at home and most of the offense seemed to be rolling except for their two key players. Those players were running back Gibbs and wide receiver Amon-St. Brown. The Vikings defense seemed to have their number mostly on third downs and rookie quarterback JJ McCarthy stole a key divisional rival game. The Lions get back to the drawing board as they avoid another upset against the Commanders who are now starting Marcus Mariota. There’s no question that Aidan Hutchinson deserves that contract he just received but hopefully he and the Lions can bounce back at the halfpoint of the season.

3. Rams: The Rams could arguably take the number two spot but in my eyes I need more wins against quality squads. Nonetheless that’s not to take away from Matthew Stafford at all as he is putting up MVP numbers so far. He has another game with yet 3 plus passing touchdowns and in this contest he torched the Saints defense. For the Los Angeles Rams it seems like it will be a close foot race with the Seahawks til maybe the end of the season. For me it is whatever squad can stay healthier. With a younger Quarterback in Sam Darnold do the Seahawks have the edge? Or do the Rams with their stellar wide receiver core with veteran Devante Adams and Puka Nacua coming back from injury now?

4. Seahawks: The Seattle Seahawks absolutely crushed the spirits of the Washington Commanders as the Commanders tried getting a much needed win on primetime. Once again however, the Seattle Seahawks looked more than stellar and in specific quarterback Sam Darnold stole the show. Jaxson Smith Njigba had another great showing as well, receiving over 7 catches and 100 yards. What could be stronger with this team is its run game but do they even need it with the way Sam Darnold is slinging the ball? At one point he was 16/16 with 4 touchdowns! This week for the Seahawks they face off against the Cardinals in a divisional matchup, who are also coming off a win. Luckily Seattle is home however and I expect them to cover home field advantage.

5. Colts: Indy caught their second loss of the season now to the Pittsburgh Steelers and they fell short pretty hard. They lost by double digits and it was an easy contest for the Steelers. One thing is for certain and that is you cannot win football games when your quarterback has 5 turnovers combined. Daniel Jones loves to fumble the ball and we saw the vintage Daniel Jones this past Sunday. In other news the Colts now have their newest corner in Sauce “Ahmad” Gardner newly acquired for the Jets and hopefully he adds to their already solid defense. If their defense can keep up and continue to get good play out of Daneil Jones and running back Jonathan Taylor who is putting up video game numbers. The Colts can keep their Cinderella run alive. Poor Daniel Jones plays however, and things can take a turn pretty quickly.

6. Bills: The Buffalo Bills finally got over their hurdle of defeating the Kansas City Chiefs but could they do it in the playoffs? In all seriousness though it was a great outing from Josh Allen and the crew. The defense showed out huge, not allowing Patrick Mahomes to throw a single touchdown. Running back James Cook also had a solid day finishing the day with over 100 yards once again. You can also count on Josh Allen finding himself in the endzone quite a lot this year as he scored another rushing touchdown in this contest. I would rank the BIlls higher but with them losing to their divisional rivals in the Patriots and them slowly creeping up in the standings, for now 6 feels right for Buffalo. This week they have another divisional opponent in the Dolphins.

7. Packers: The Green Bay Packers shockingly lost to the Carolina Panthers last week and it was to everyone’s surprise. There was way more to be desired with Quarterback Jordan Love’s play. He started to throw into triple coverage and had everyone scratching their heads but maybe like the Browns game, it was an off day for the Green Bay offense. Worse than that though they lost their star tight end to injury Tucker Kraft, who was on pace to have a wonderful season and it’s truly a shame that his season was cut short. They fear it’s a torn ACL for him and for the rest of this Green Bay offense we expect better. Get Matthew Golden more involved like I’ve been saying since before the season even started and the rest of your offense should keep up and follow suit. Give the rock to Josh Jacobs also still of course and you have your recipe right there.

8. Bucs: The Tampa Bay Buccaneers are coming off a much needed BYE week after defeating the New Orleans Saints. Their offense is still banged up with Mike Evans out for the season but luckily their star running back Bucky Irving could potentially be returning back healthy. Another player that should be playing more healthy is rookie wide receiver Emeka Egbuka who looks to add to his stellar first year and his connection with quarterback Baker Mayfield continues to grow strong. This week for the Bucs they face off at home against one of the league’s hottest teams in the AFC right now, the New England Patriots.

9. Patriots: Ironically the next team we will go over is the New England Patriots. They are on pace to take out the Bills with winning the AFC East but is it still too early to crown them over Buffalo? Patriots fans I’m sure would say otherwise but for me it’s the longevity of their secondary and their defense. I love what I have seen from Drake Maye till this point but we shall see as the season progresses. This week for the Patriots like I had just mentioned, is a showdown in Tampa against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.

10. Broncos: The Broncos completed a close contest with the Houston Texans but they managed to still get points on the board against one of the better defenses in the league. Both running backs had solid days rushing the ball and quarterback Bo Nix also had a good showing throwing for over 170 yards. Their defense showed out once again and this Denver team has constantly been in the top 10 for weeks now. Can we see a possible superbowl push from the orange ponies? Or does Sean Payton still need to go back to the drawing board? This week for the Denver Broncos they open us up during week 10 at home versus the Las Vegas Raiders.

11. Chargers: The Los Angeles Chargers competed against the Tennessee Titans and for the first half it was more domination from the offensive side of the ball. For the Chargers defense they easily made it hard for Cam Ward and the Tennessee offense to move the ball. Justin Herbert had another great showing as he leads the league in passing yards as it stands halfway in the season. I wish this running back room was more healthy with rookie Omarion Hampton still out but maybe this connection between wide receiver Quinten Johnston and quarterback Justin Herbert can continue to have its streak as he caught yet another touchdown this week. Upcoming for the bolts in week 10 they have Aaron Rodgers and the Steelers coming to town.

12. 49ers: The 49ers doused the Giants in touchdowns and their offense was on fire through four quarters. Mac Jones led this offense yet again as Brock Purdy still recovers from his injuries on the sidelines. Running back Chistian McCaffrey also ran in for two scores on the day and had a dominant day rushing the rock. The 49ers defense mostly showed up despite letting up Jaxson Dart’s rushing touchdown. Juan Jennings also came through for a score as the 49ers look to keep their winnings up as they have the division rival Rams coming to town this week.

13. Steelers: Aaron Rodgers and the Steel city were bright and alive this past Sunday as they earned a crucial victory over the Colts. The defense came rushing to the line as they forced Daniel Jones to commit 5 turnovers and everyone knows you cannot and will not win football games like that. T. J watt and the rest of the defense feasted and at this point in the season the Steelers have to be pretty happy about their offseason acquisitions including Jalen Ramsey. The Steelers can very much make a deep playoff push but things will certainly get interesting with Lamar Jackson and Joe Burrow returning from injury.

14. Jaguars: Trevor Lawrence and crew at this point in the season sit at 5-3 and their offseason improvements also seem to be paying off for the most part. I have them ranked right above Kansas City which is fitting due to them beating the Chiefs but with exposing losses like the one from Seattle, it is hard to see this Jaguars team go any farther than what we have maybe seen since 2018. Trevor Lawrence’s quarterback play seems to be improving with every week slowly, but with their first round draft pick Travis Hunter already missing time due to injury, it is a pretty big loss considering he adds to both sides to the game. Jaguars in my opinion this year will be the definition of middle ground that should have had a better season this season. Kind of like the Falcons last year perhaps.

15. Chiefs: The Kansas City Chiefs up until this point have looked explosive for almost every game except for their contest last Sunday. Patrick Mahomes failed to find the endzone for it seems like the first time this season and the Buffalo Bills seemed to have his number. It is easy to see the Chiefs bounce back because they always do but how far can they go? Have teams figured them out more and is Travis Kelce having his days numbered? It is his last season after all and his age continues to show compared to seasons past. For the Chiefs in my opinion it is still a crowded division with the Broncos and Chargers involved but with the league’s best in Patrick Mahomes it is hard to count them out completely ever.

16. Ravens: The Ravens kicked off week 9 and Lamar’s comeback was great. He threw for 4 touchdowns and this offense picked up right where it left off. The defense seemed to have no trouble with the opposing quarterback Tua, and they wreaked havoc for him. Once again it is wished that Derrick Henry got in the endzone more but maybe for this game this was not the gameplan that coach harbaugh intended. It will be a long road ahead if the Ravens want to turn their season around but if Lamar wants to keep his win streak alive, they will have to beat the Vikings this week.

17. Bears: The Bears seemed to have won in miraculous fashion and it was a much needed win for Chicago. They scored in the last 40 seconds of the game it seemed and it was a huge game for rookie tight end Colston Loveland. I watched this guy get drafted in Green Bay and instantly knew he would be an instant impact for this Chicago offense. The Bengals defense played yet another terrible game allowing quarterback Caleb Williams to also find the endzone on a flashy philly special call. With the Lions and Packers also grabbing losses, it makes the division that much tighter with the Vikings also grabbing another win.

18. Falcons: The Atlanta Falcons like I have said have to maybe search for better coaching. Whether it be the offensive side of the ball or the defensive side of the ball, it seems that many Atlanta fans that I talk to seem to all be frustrated with this aspect of the team. Nonetheless though, the Atlanta Falcons dropped another game to the New England Patriots and it was a quarterback duel for the ages. Drake London had a humongous day finishing the game with over 100 yards and 3 touchdowns! Yes a hat trick for Drake London! It was pure domination from his front but for the Falcons defense they also let Drake Maye torch them and they ultimately came through with the game. If the Falcons want to have some time to bounce back, it won’t be during a bye week since they had theirs already and instead it will have to be against the Colts who are also coming off a big loss from last week.

19. Panthers: Carolina shocked everyone like I had said before and the improvement of quarterback Bryce Young continues to grow. Running back Rico Dowdle continues to lead the pack now as he is also top 5 in rushing yards! This is easily one of the best offseason acquisitions and it is easy to see also because of how well he did also with Dallas. The defense in this one came up big forcing Jordan Love to make poor decisions with the football and the offense cashed in on those mistakes. Now it was not the most perfect game for either teams involved but Carolina still pulled off what had to be the upset of the week at the almost half point in the season during week 9.

20. Vikings: Speaking about upsets it was another big one for the Vikings during week 9. JJ McCarthy had his strong connection with wide receiver Justin Jefferson and Aaron Jones being back in this running back room continues to show positive for this young quarterback. After watching Carson Wentz play injured it is a breath of fresh air for vikings fans and it shows that with competent quarterback play and with this defense, this team can be more than solid. The Vikings slowly creeped up in my rankings this week as they earned a huge division victory this week. Can they climb any higher?

21. Commanders: The worst possible thing imaginable happened for the Washington Commanders as they got embarrassed during primetime. Quarterback Jayden Danies suffered a gruesome elbow injury and ultimately dislocated the elbow. Daniels season is ultimately done which leaves this team at an awkward standstill. Last season they had superbowl hopes after being just one in away from the big game. For the rest of the season now Marcus Mariota takes the helm and they hope to create at least some sort of noise now with their star quarterback out for the year. It looks like I may have called it with the Eagles winning the division in back to back years since the early 2000s!

22. Cardinals: Turnovers and touchdowns were the recipe for this Cardinals team when they defeated the Dallas Cowboys last week. Jacoby Brissett had a solid day totaling 3 touchdowns and he and his offense had a day. The defense also like I mentioned caused turnovers against running back Javonte Williams and it’s what ultimately changed the tempo for this game. It is obvious to me and everyone that they will stick with Brissett as their starter and things will continue to get interesting as the season comes to a close later in the year and what they will do with their quarterback position. Back to the drawing board again Arizona!

23. Cowboys: Another team that seems to be going back to the drawing board a lot is the Dallas Cowboys. It seems that their team keeps coming up short in contests they have no business coming up short in. For this game it was an expected home victory that many thought they would earn but Dak and his offense could not get it done. This is not to take away from Dak at all as he is well above the top 10 in passing yards this year, but with like many games the defense holds this team back so much. Hopefully with the addition of Quinnen WIlliams now acquired from the New York Jets, their defensive pass rush can be way, way better.

24. Giants: The New York Giants at this point in the season seem to be going nowhere for a lot of teams at this part of the list. The injuries piled on from the other games really hurt the potential of this offense. Combine that with a defense who is also super underachieving in my opinion and boom you created the New York Giants. I still feel like they have a lot to be excited for with this Quarterback in Jaxson Dart but it seems like another throwaway year for the Gmen and especially after not doing much at the trade deadline. This week for the Giants they try to upset the Bears in Chicago next.

25. Texans: C.J Stroud fell victim to the concussion protocol and luckily he is okay. Another thing that the Texans are lucky with are their serviceable backup quarterback David Mills. Who is anything but a scrub and kept them in the game against Denver. The Texans slowly crawled to the finish line on offense meanwhile the defense was having a bloodbath trying to defend the tie against the Broncos. This week for Houston they will be without their starting quarterback as they try to defeat the division rival Jaguars in week 10.

26. Dolphins: Miami is still lost and so is their quarterback. Another team like Arizona I still see this year as lost for them and they will most likely be looking for a new staff and new quarterback once next year rolls around. It was another quiet evening for the offense and they failed to put many points on the board. Receiver Jaylen Waddle honestly has not taken that WR1 role yet but it would not have mattered as much anyways with the quarterback play they are getting. Number 26 for Miami but expect them to be even lower maybe next week. An ugly showing against the Bills and they could be in the bottom 3 again.

27. Saints: The Saints trotted out Tyler Shough and I guess for another week it did not work out. They got trampled by the Rams and I’m sure Alvin Kamara is sort of over it by now. The Rams offense had its way with his defense and to be honest even now looking back I could have very much put the Saints at the #32 spots but I guess for another week they survive. The Saints try to get their second win of the season against the Panthers in Carolina. Seems possible actually being a divisional game.

28. Bengals: The Bengals locker room at this point has turned against its own. After the game against the Bears you could clearly see and hear the frustration from the players and mostly on offense the frustration was heard during interviews. “Finish the game and execute on defense, I don’t want no defensive player chewing me out for something I did or did not do” is what receiver Jamar Chase answered when sharing his issues with the team. If the Bengals want anyone to save them it would be Joe Burrow returning from injury but even then that would not fix their slow defense.

29. Jets: Right under them is another team coming off a BYE and it was MUCH needed for this New York Jets team. The bombshell in Jets world this week is the departure of Sauce Gardner and Quinnen Williams. The defense will now look super different as two team captains leave. They did get a huge haul in return now having two first round draft picks in back to back years now, but it will be uncertain still if general manager and new head coach Aaron Glenn can hit on their draft picks. This week for the Jets they have one of the better defenses coming to town in the Browns, but with the Browns having terrible quarterback play it will be interesting to see if gang green can somehow stack another win. In the previous one it was massive and you could see the rays of happiness from the players. Can they do it?

30. Browns: The Browns also came off a BYE week last week and like I just mentioned they have had bad quarterback play up until this point. If coach Stefanski was smart he would start Shedeur but that most likely won’t happen. This defense can still cause trouble and won’t need to do much to stop this Jets offense but with Garrett Wilson returning this week on the opposing side, it will be interesting how the Browns gameplan against him.

31. Titans: The Titans still stink and it is hard to find things to talk about this team to be quite honest. Cam Ward you cannot put all the blame however and he is still super young. As his career is young, there will still be lots of growing pains and this first year for Ward seems to be just the beginning of those in Tennessee. The game was nowhere near close against the Chargers really once the second half started. In my opinion for the Titans, they need to invest in a big body WR1 like D.K Metcalf and invest more in their secondary.

32. Raiders: The Raiders never fail to surprise me as they dropped a terrible but yet close contest to the Jaguars in overtime. Brock Bowers had a huge day in his first game back but it was never enough. As I mentioned the Raiders lost their contest in overtime as it came down to the wire losing by one point! They kick us off in week 10 against their divisional rival Broncos in what I expect to be closer than we think but with the Broncos coming up on top. Free Jeanty or have him run this offense completely. Cause whatever Geno Smith is doing is not working! Drawing board coach Caroll!