The top five for the Week 9 NFL power rankings remains steady, but the Packers and Bills nudge higher in the top 10.
1. Kansas City Chiefs (5-3) | Last week: 1
This Sunday at Buffalo will be a key test, but it looks like many are finally catching up to the Chiefs potentially being as good as ever right now—with both the offense and defense operating at an elite level. The slow start offensively on Monday night was no problem due in part to the play of the Kansas City defense.
2. Detroit Lions (5-2) | Last week: 2
Coming off their bye week, I want to see the Lions get Jameson Williams going in the second half of the season. Hitting on the big plays to Jamo would help take things to another level, and he’s been way too quiet for most of 2025.
3. Indianapolis Colts (7-1) | Last week: 3
It’s been awesome to watch the way Jonathan Taylor is performing, and I’d say he’s definitely the MVP leader right now. After three touchdowns (the fourth time already this season) in a rout of the Titans, JT is having a throwback type of season you’d see from 2000s runners like LaDanian Tomlins, Shaun Alexander, and Priest Holmes.
Jonathan Taylor's 2025 game logs are UNREAL
Week 1: 21 touches, 98 yards
Week 2: 27 touches, 215 yards, 1 rec. TD
Week 3: 20 touches, 118 yards, 3 rush TD
Week 4: 22 touches, 96 yards
Week 5: 20 touches, 86 yards, 3 rush TD
Week 6: 25 touches, 137 yards, 1 rush TD
Week 7: 19… pic.twitter.com/Io93XCLhdB— NFL (@NFL) October 26, 2025
4. Denver Broncos (6-2) | Last week: 4
The Broncos are finally starting to get more respect from the mainstream pundits, and a ton of their success has to do with the play of second-year quarterback Bo Nix. We’ve seen this before (most notably with Josh Allen) where people slowly come to the realization that just about everyone missed on a superstar quarterback emerging. That said, this week against the Texans is a major challenge—particularly after coasting against the Cowboys defense.
5. Philadelphia Eagles (6-2) | Last week: 5
After four touchdowns against the Giants without A.J. Brown (hamstring), Jalen Hurts is up to 15 passing touchdowns compared to one interception (plus five more touchdowns on the ground) this season. Overall, the bounce-back performance versus the Giants was a very positive sign for Philly as they enter the bye.
6. Green Bay Packers (5-1-1) | Last week: 7 (+1)
Tucker Kraft took the lead for National Tight Ends Day, exploding for 143 yards and two touchdowns as the top target for a quarterback who was feeling it in Jordan Love. Don’t be shocked if getting a win against an Aaron Rodgers squad is something that gives Love extreme confidence moving forward. Defensively, Green Bay is progressively doing a better job of creatively utilizing Micah Parsons each week.
7. Los Angeles Rams (5-2) | Last week: 9 (+2)
The bye week for the Rams included the opportunity to get star wide receiver Puka Nacua (ankle) healthy, and they added underrated cornerback Roger McCreary in a trade with the Titans.
8. Buffalo Bills (5-2) | Last week: 10 (+2)
The Bills handling the Panthers was the type of performance we’ve come to expect from Buffalo over the years, so it was good to see that again as they returned from their bye. The degree of difficulty increases mightily for a matchup with the Chiefs, though, and we’ll see if they have enough to contain a loaded offense—particularly with defensive tackle Ed Oliver (bicep) out indefinitely.
9. Tampa Bay Buccaneers (6-2) | Last week: 6 (-3)
The Bucs rode their defense—including two sacks, a forced fumble, and a pick-six by outside linebacker Anthony Nelson—to a win against the Saints, but they drop a few spots in the power rankings with Baker Mayfield and the offense not in a groove the past couple of games. Hopefully Bucky Irving and Chris Godwin Jr. are back following the Week 9 bye to help that side of the ball find its groove.
10. New England Patriots (6-2) | Last week: 13 (+3)
The Patriots finally hit the top 10, as they’re at 6-2 after their fifth consecutive victory—and I like the convincing fashion they’re doing it against teams they should beat. The rest-of-season schedule also isn’t daunting on paper, and Mike Vrabel already has New England playing the way he wants.
11. San Francisco 49ers (5-3) | Last week: 8 (-3)
The offense couldn’t get much going against a stingy Houston defense, but the San Francisco defense—though not helped by their offense not staying on the field—was probably more disappointing with all the chunk gains they gave up to the Texans. The Niners must get on track at the Giants this Sunday.
12. Seattle Seahawks (5-2) | Last week: 11 (-1)
This Sunday at Washington in primetime—with the extra week to prepare during the bye—is the type of game Seattle is looking to win to show they’re here in the NFC. Getting to 6-2 while knocking the Commanders to 3-6 would be huge.
13. Los Angeles Chargers (5-3) | Last week: 14 (+1)
The Chargers did a great job of getting the taste out of their mouth from the blowout loss to the Colts in Week 7, kicking off TNF last week with a rout of the Vikings. Kimani Vidal (23 carries for 117 yards and a touchdown) helped keep the offense in positive situations with how he churned forward for yardage.
14. Pittsburgh Steelers (4-3) | Last week: 12 (-2)
Pittsburgh had to settle for early long field goals by Chris Boswell, but they felt largely in control of the game until safety DeShon Elliott left with a knee injury that might knock him out for the season. It wasn’t really talked about much, but it’s stunning how much worse the Steelers played defensively when Elliott left the game. The bottom line is the other leaders on that side of the ball must step up.
15. Houston Texans (3-4) | Last week: 20 (+5)
Remember, the Texans have a new offense under coordinator Nick Caley, so perhaps it took time for the unit to get in sync—because they looked excellent in the win over the 49ers. Paired with a dynamic defense, Houston can get on track record wise and be a problem.
16. Baltimore Ravens (2-5) | Last week: 23 (+7)
Tyler Huntley did a nice job of stepping in and helping the Ravens get a critical win against the Bears with Lamar Jackson (hamstring) surprisingly out one more game—and now Jackson is back for a Thursday night matchup with Miami, with Baltimore just two games back of the Steelers in the AFC North.
17. Chicago Bears (4-3) | Last week: 15 (-2)
The winning streak ends at four for Chicago, and problems finishing drives with touchdowns was the Achilles heel in the loss at Baltimore. Injuries on the backend of the defense are a lot to overcome ahead of a trip to face Ja’Marr Chase and company this weekend.
18. Jacksonville Jaguars (4-3) | Last week: 16 (-2)
Head coach Liam Coen shut down trade talk surrounding second-year wide receiver Brian Thomas Jr., which sounded like it might’ve been total speculation. Getting BTJ going is a likely goal for Jacksonville after the bye.
19. Carolina Panthers (4-4) | Last week: 17 (-2)
Not much would’ve made a difference in a 40-9 loss, but I can’t understand the Panthers not feeding Rico Dowdle with the way he’s been running this season. It does sound like they’re reversing course and might do so now, and—nothing against Chuba Hubbard, just that Dowdle is running exceptionally well—that paired with Bryce Young (ankle) potentially returning should give Carolina the best path to compete at Green Bay.
20. Dallas Cowboys (3-4-1) | Last week: 18 (-2)
The road struggles for the Cowboys continue, as they drop to 1-4 away from home after getting lit up by the Broncos. The Raiders are on deck for Dallas (after the Week 10 bye), and this Monday night at home versus the Cardinals is a game the Cowboys must win to get where they want to.
21. Atlanta Falcons (3-4) | Last week: 19 (-2)
Injuries aside, the most disappointing performance of Week 8 by far belongs to the Falcons, who not only lost but were basically embarrassed by the struggling Dolphins. The expectation was Bijan Robinson running wild, but he was limited to nine carries. Getting upset any given week is life in the NFL, and the Falcons have been far too inconsistent in 2025.
22. Washington Commanders (3-5) | Last week: 21 (-1)
Despite just seven points, Marcus Mariota again played well for the Commanders—but the entire team just struggled again in the loss to the Chiefs. The vibes just haven’t been the same so far for Washington as they look to snap out of it when they host Seattle on Sunday night.
23. Minnesota Vikings (3-4) | Last week: 22 (-1)
Carson Wentz showed major guts in playing through a serious shoulder injury for the Vikings, and it was very difficult to win in that situation. Now J.J. McCarthy makes his first start since Week 2 against a ferocious Lions defense.
24. Cincinnati Bengals (3-5) | Last week: 24
Joe Flacco and the offense played so well in the shootout loss to the Jets—while the defense couldn’t make a stop—that it felt like a repeat of last season. The Cincy defense obviously must get things figured out if they want to stay in contention for December.
25. Arizona Cardinals (2-5) | Last week: 25
Sitting at 2-5 with an extra week to prepare for a trip to Dallas, this Monday is a crucial game for Kyler Murray and the Cardinals. Jacoby Brissett operated the offense well in his two starts, and I’m anxious to see how Murray plays in his return.
26. Miami Dolphins (2-6) | Last week: 30 (+4)
Tua Tagovailoa threw four touchdowns in the shocking Week 8 result in Atlanta, and the Dolphins defense deserves major respect for gearing up to play much better than they have all season—holding the opposition to below 21 points for the first time.
27. New York Giants (2-6) | Last week: 26 (-1)
Cam Skattebo’s season-ending ankle injury is crushing for a Giants team that was thriving off his energy. At least running back is a position with great depth, as Tyrone Tracy Jr. showcased his talent as a rookie.
28. Cleveland Browns (2-6) | Last week: 27 (-1)
While Myles Garrett had five sacks, the Browns defense again was much worse on the road than at home—but the struggles of the offense (15.8 points per game, third worst in the league) certainly don’t help.
29. New Orleans Saints (1-7) | Last week: 28 (-1)
The wheels have sort of fallen off for Spencer Rattler and the Saints, as they started so well (relatively, given expectations and sound play for the most part). Losing center Erik McCoy for the season in Week 7 was a big blow, but Rattler had been trending down a bit. New Orleans is now giving second-round rookie Tyler Shough a shot—and he was more effective as a thrower in relief last week.
30. Las Vegas Raiders (2-5) | Last week: 29 (-1)
If the Raiders are going to be as competitive as many expected—to push for the .500 mark and give teams trouble each week—they really have to show up at home against the Jaguars. Getting star tight end Brock Bowers back should help.
31. New York Jets (1-7) | Last week: 32 (+1)
Breece Hall starred with three total touchdowns (including the game-winning touchdown pass to rookie tight end Mason Taylor), and Justin Fields responded well to team owner Woody Johnson’s blunt criticism of the team’s quarterback play, as the Jets got on the board with a win. However, the defense obviously has a long way to go to become what Aaron Glenn hopes is eventually a calling card.
32. Tennessee Titans (1-7) | Last week: 31 (-1)
The Titans were simply no match for the Colts, but I want to highlight running back Tyjae Spears as a legitimate bright spot with the way he ran in the loss. Tennessee already dealt McCreary, and keep an eye on them ahead of next week’s trade deadline.