NFL Power Rankings after Week 9: The gap widens...

Week nine saw premium matchups throughout the slate of games, whilst not all of them were barnburners etched into NFL lore, they did go some way to showcasing which teams are looking well set for playoff football.

The ‘definitely not tanking’ Cardinals traded away Joshua Dobbs and started Clayton Tune against Jim Schwartz’s formidable Browns defense. It didn’t go well. Kyler Murray is set to come back next week which should go some way toward deciding his future in Arizona.

A week after Bryce Young seemed to finally show some flashes, he reverted to type almost immediately. He threw for multiple pick-sixes and just looked flustered throughout the game against a defense lacking elite talent.

The Giants lost 30-6 against the Raiders, saw their $40 million quarterback go down for the year with an ACL tear, and somehow rose one spot in our rankings. At this point in the season, it’s splitting hairs between the bottom of the barrel sides.

Is Tyson Bagent good? Maybe, maybe not, but he sure is fun to watch. Willing to use his legs when needed and not afraid to take some shots, there’s something to build on there. His opening TD toss to Cole Kmet was a thing of beauty.

A team filled with JAGs (Just Another Guy), the Pats just aren’t very talented, making it tough to win games of football in the NFL. No one is doubting Belichick’s coaching ability, but years of roster mismanagement have left his roster in a bad place.

Before the season, most experts didn’t expect much from the Rams, but after the first couple of weeks of the season, those predictions started to look a little silly. Now they are regressing to mean given their talent level and Matthe Stafford’s injury.

Will Levis wasn’t able to recreate his four-TD performance against the Steelers, but he certainly didn’t look bad. The Titans just lack stars and now sit bottom of the AFC South.

The Broncos enjoyed a two-game winning streak before their bye week, opening the door for a potential playoff push in the second half of the season. That feels a long way at this stage, so we’ll wait and see for now.

The Packers got the win against the Brett Rypien-led Rams as expected, there are far tougher tests to come which should give a better gauge of where they are as a team.

The season started with some promise for the Bucs, but some brutal losses have seen them slip to 3-5 and third in a pretty bad NFC South. On Sunday they gave up the most yards ever to a rookie QB, not a great sign for Todd Bowles’ defense.

Never has a team seemed so relieved to move on from a head coach than the 2023 Raiders. A weight was lifted off the team following Josh McDaniels’ firing, and it showed.

Going from Desmond Ridder to Taylor Heinicke didn’t produce any noticeable difference, showing perhaps the blame should be given to Arthur Smith more than his quarterbacks.

It’s a real shame we didn’t get to see more of Anthony Richarson this year as the Colts look remarkably competent just half a season into Shane Steichen’s tenure. They didn’t have to work too hard for this win, with Bryce Young gifting them a couple of pick-sixes.

Is Sam Howell good? It’s entirely possible he is, which is a shock to many. The Commanders’ hand has been forced to the point they need to give him another year. The playoffs aren’t out of reach for Washington.

The Jets sit 4-4 with one of the best defenses in the league. They also unfortunately have Zach Wilson under center who was truly awful against the Chargers on Monday night. This season is almost a carbon copy of 2022.

C.J. Stroud is a stud. He’s putting together one of the all-time great NFL rookie seasons, who would’ve thought Lovie Smith’s almost spiteful win in Week 18 last year would lead to this?

Joshua Dobbs. That’s the story of this game. After joining the Vikings halfway through last week, Dobbs and Kevin O’Connell were able to work things out on the fly to beat the Falcons. Dobbs is good enough to keep the Vikings in playoff contention.

The Saints were able to see off the Bears despite a feisty performance from Tyson Bagent et al. The Saints just don’t seem to be able to put full performances together consistently, with that being said, they lead the NFC South and could prove a tricky opponent come playoff time.

The Chargers picked up eight sacks against a hapless Zach Wilson on MNF, winning the game 27-6. Not many teams have been able to win so comfortably against the Jets this season, a sign of things to come?

‘The Greatest Show on Turf’ they are not, but the Steelers make beating them incredibly difficult. They drag teams into the mud and let T.J. Watt and Alex Highsmith beat you. They are winning almost in spite of Kenny Pickett making any deep playoff run unlikely.

I think it’s time to be a little concerned about the Bills. Despite having an elite roster, things just aren’t clicking this year which is reflected in their 5-4 record. Josh Allen is a high-variance QB, at times unstoppable but with mistakes built in, this year those mistakes feel more costly.

A gut-check game for the Hawks who were steamrolled by the Ravens to the tune of 37-3. It doesn’t mean they’re a bad team, they’re just not quite among the elite.

Deshaun Watson returned and showed that despite his struggles, he is still a good enough QB to get the job done. This defense is remarkably impressive and is the main reason why they are sitting 5-3.

Losing to the Chiefs is nothing to be ashamed of, losing to every team with a winning record you’ve come across potentially is. At some point, the Dolphins need to beat a good team to show they can.

Despite excellent quarterback play and some impressive sacks from the defensive line, the Cowboys continued to make mistake after mistake when it counted and eventually, it proved costly. There’s a big gap in the NFC East now.

Seahawks, check. Niners, check. Bengals, check. Three wins against playoff teams and three good wins. The Bengals have come into their own recently showing they truly are amongst the elite.

The Niners’ bye week came at a good time following a bad stretch of three losses. Can they turn things around in the second half of their season?

The Lions sit second in the NFC with a 6-2 record. In comparison to some other teams in the NFL, they lack talent in some areas. That hasn’t stopped them from winning with explosive offensive play and a well-coached defense. No one would be looking forward to facing them in January.

The Jags went on a four-game winning streak before their bye. Now they enter the second half of their season refreshed and ready to challenge for home-field advantage in the playoffs.

The Chiefs were held to just 14 offensive points against the Dolphins, with Miami doing everything possible to slow down Travis Kelce, the other receiving options weren’t able to step up. As ever, this is the Chiefs so no need to panic, but it could prove to be a blueprint for beating them.

It’s entirely possible the Ravens deserve the number one spot after their absolute beatdown of the Seahawks. For now, they sit second in our rankings and first in the AFC North. Defensively, they look impenetrable and their offense is clicking, with the run game gaining steam as the season goes on.

Despite excellent quarterback play and some impressive sacks from the defensive line, the Eagles continued to make mistake after mistake when it counted and eventually, they ground out the win. The Eagles know how to win and sit 8-1 with the best record in the NFL. They now get a week off to relax and hope Jalen Hurts can get back to 100%.