NFL Week Nine Power Rankings

Movement in the rankings this week shows continued stratification between the haves and the have nots. Through 8-ish weeks with byes and such, there are seven teams with two losses or fewer, and nine teams with two wins. That's a pretty stark breakdown.

Such a split leaves room for a team or three from that slim middle of the pack to make a push to the playoffs. Given a big win over HOU, the New York Jets of all teams may be one poised for the unlikeliest of breakouts. Yes, the Texans are not great and have WR problems. Yes, the Texans may have been phoning in a game they didn't have to have. Yes, the Jets have looked awful as recently as the first half of the Texans game. But the Jets were almost flawless in the second half, showing flashes of what their braintrust expected when they sprung for Aaron Rodgers.

So, even at 3-6, the Jets are in position to make a move going into Arizona to face the Cardinals. The Cardinals are also one of those middle-of-the-pack teams, albeit one that has been much more consistent than the Jets. And this is the kind of game where the Jets usually step on the rake. But it's the kind of game where the Cardinals step on the rake as well. So, we'll see. Who knows - maybe Rodgers will get elected President in 2026...

Team	Rank	Change	Why	Record	This Week
KC	1	0	Chiefs consistency continues	8-0	DEN (8)
DET	2	0	Resplendent in rain	7-1	at HOU (+3.5)
BUF	3	0	AFC East won	7-2	at IND (4)
PHI	4	2	Good job NYG	6-2	at DAL (7)
BAL	5	2	Administered full beatdown	6-3	CIN (6)
PIT	6	-1	Bye	6-2	at WAS (+3)
WAS	7	1	Finishes season sweep	7-2	PIT (3)
MIN	8	3	Much needed win	6-2	at JAX (4.5)
GB	9	-5	Not top tier	6-3	Bye
ATL	10	2	May go higher	6-3	at NO (3.5)
SF	11	-1	Bye	4-4	at TB (6)
AZ	12	2	Win makes statement	5-4	NYJ ()
LAC	13	2	Got it done	5-3	TEN (7.5)
LAR	14	4	Back in mix	4-4	MIA (1)
NYJ	15	13	Look who's here	3-6	at AZ ()
HOU	16	-7	Jets exposed weaknesses	6-3	DET (+3.5)
CIN	17	5	Not done yet	4-5	at BAL (+6)
DEN	18	-5	Not primetime ready	5-4	at KC (+8)
TB	19	-4	Poor game management	4-5	SF (+6)
IND	20	-4	Flacco has ceiling	4-5	BUF (+4)
CHI	21	-3	Does not execute	4-4	NE (6.5)
SEA	22	-1	Things tightening up	4-5	Bye
DAL	23	-3	Dak is done	3-5	PHI (+7)
CAR	24	6	No high pick	2-7	NYG (+6.5)
TEN	25	6	Scores meaningless win	2-6	at LAC (+7.5)
MIA	26	2	All over now	2-6	at LAR (+1)
NO	27	-4	Fingerpointing starts now	2-7	ATL (+3.5)
NE	28	-3	Not much happening	2-7	at CHI (+6.5)
JAX	29	-3	Trev on shelf	2-7	MIN (+4.5)
NYG	30	-3	Hallo Deustchland	2-7	at CAR (6.5)
CLE	31	-7	Back to disarray	2-7	Bye
LV	32	-2	Also in disarray	2-7	Bye