We are halfway through the 2022-23 NFL season and the race for a top seed in both conferences has become heated.
Following a robust NFL trade deadline, playoff contenders are now looking to get key wins for probable playoff matchups on the road to a potential Super Bowl run. Not every contender looked good in week nine though with a couple of major upsets shaking up the latest rankings.
Here are our Week 9 NFL power rankings.
32. Carolina Panthers (2-7)
Carolina lost a heartbreaker in Week 8. On Sunday, their loss to Cincinnati was anything but close. This isn’t a good team.
31. Pittsburgh Steelers (2-6)
Pittsburgh had a bye week so they don’t move up or down, but this is a bad football team that is poorly coached. Mike Tomlin deserves the benefit of the doubt, but Matt Canada needs to go.
30. Indianapolis Colts (3-5-1)
Ladies and gentlemen, we have a new clown show in the NFL. Jim Irsay, after firing Frank Reich, chose to hire Jeff Saturday as the interim head coach. Irsay is rivaling Dan Snyder as the worst owner in the NFL.
29. Detroit Lions (2-6)
Finally, Detroit got a big upset win over the Green Bay Packers. I have doubts about their viability for the remainder of the year, but Sunday was an important step in the right direction.
28. Houston Texans (1-6-1)
Houston put up a really nice fight against the undefeated Eagles on Thursday, but there’s just not enough talent here to be considered ready to take the next step.
27. Las Vegas Raiders (2-6)
The Raiders are done. It’s incredible to think about how many 17-point leads they have blown in the last few weeks. This is just a bad football team.
26. New Orleans Saints (3-6)
The Saints have been dealing with a ton of injuries, but no one told them they should give up their only first-round pick in 2023. The future outlook is extremely bleak.
25. Green Bay Packers (3-6)
What an unmitigated disaster the Packers are. Aaron Rodgers can look at his weapons as a reason for their struggles, but this falls directly on the most expensive quarterback in the NFL.
24. Arizona Cardinals (3-6)
This team is a mess and will have a new coaching staff next year. That much is certain.
23. Denver Broncos (3-5)
The Broncos were on a bye week and thank god. They move up the power rankings because a lot of teams stunk it up on Sunday.
22. Jacksonville Jaguars (3-6)
It was a nice comeback win on Sunday over the Raiders. That being said, this team still has a long way to go before we crown them as NFL contenders.
21. Washington Commanders (4-5)
The Commanders almost pulled off a major upset against Minnesota Sunday but made plenty of dismal coaching decisions. Whoever the owner is won’t matter if this coaching staff doesn’t improve.
20. LA Rams (3-5)
This is one of the most disappointing teams in the NFL. The coaching staff has been poor, the quarterback play is disappointing, and the offensive line is abysmal.
19. Chicago Bears (3-6)
The Bears finally trust who they have at quarterback and Justin Fields has played very well with Chicago just a few playmakers away.
18. Cleveland Browns (3-5)
A bye week for the Browns means they are closer to the return of Deshaun Watson. Crazy as it is, this team isn’t far off from NFL contention.
17. Atlanta Falcons (4-5)
Atlanta had no business being in Sunday’s final-second loss to LA, and yet they’ve been one of the most competitive teams all year. Kudos to Arthur Smith and his staff.
16. LA Chargers (5-3)
The Chargers are frustrating. They have plenty of talent to expect to win repeatedly on Sunday, and yet upstart Atlanta almost pulled off an upset.
15. New England Patriots (5-4)
Can we stop blaming Mac Jones for the Patriots’ deficiencies on offense? The playcalling is a mess and it doesn’t help anyone. A blowout win over Indy does little to install confidence in Foxboro.
14. Tennessee Titans (5-3)
The Titans are an exciting team, and Derrick Henry is the best running back in the NFL. A loss to Kansas City without Tannehill is nothing to be ashamed of.
13. NY Giants (6-2)
A bye week for the Giants, and a very winnable game on Sunday against Houston. Time will tell if they play down to their opponent though.
12. Tampa Bay Bucs (4-5)
As good as a comeback that was for the Bucs, it was more about the Rams’ stupidity in the closing minutes. This team still needs to show a lot more on offense if they are going to win the NFC South and be an NFL power again.
11. New York Jets (6-3)
How about the Jets? New York pulled off an impressive win where their second-overall quarterback outplayed an MVP candidate. This Jets team is for real people.
10. Cincinnati Bengals (5-4)
What are the Bengals? Their offensive line has been one of the worst in the NFL, yet they dominated a bad Panthers team Sunday. They still need to figure out just how good this offense is.
9. Miami Dolphins (6-3)
Another great offensive day for Tua and the receiving core, and another big win to help their playoff chances in a loaded AFC.
8. San Francisco 49ers (4-4)
A bye week for the 49ers comes at a great time to get healthy. This is a dangerous football team when they are playing as well as they can.
7. Baltimore Ravens (6-3)
Baltimore continues to find ways to win and is the frontrunner for the AFC North. In the end, if they can’t get healthy at the skill positions, it’s hard to see them as true NFL contenders.
6. Seattle Seahawks (6-3)
Another win in the NFC West for the Seahawks and Seattle is looking like a true NFL contender early in the year. Is Pete Carroll a backdoor candidate for coach of the year?
5. Dallas Cowboys (6-2)
The Cowboys were on a bye week, but they are still one of the most dangerous teams in the NFL. The next few weeks will be huge for their team even if they miss out on OBJ as well.
4. Buffalo Bills (6-2)
The Bills have looked pretty bad over the last couple of weeks and have gotten by because of a lighter schedule this month. A loss to the Jets and the way they lost was a big reason for a three-team drop.
3. Minnesota Vikings (7-1)
The Vikings keep finding ways to win one-score games. As impressive as that is, their schedule gets a lot tougher this month and we’ll see just how good this group actually is.
2. Philadelphia Eagles (8-0)
The Eagles have blown through their entire schedule so far. Jalen Hurts is an MVP candidate but this is the deepest team in the NFL.
1. Kansas Cty Chiefs (6-2)
I put more stock in the Chiefs’ comeback win over a physical Titans team than the Eagles edging out the Texans. Patrick Mahomes is arguably the NFL’s MVP right now as well.
