2025 NFL Week 9 Power Rankings
Week 8 concluded with a lopsided Chiefs win over the Commanders. From the Buffalo Bills’ 40-9 massive blowout of the Carolina Panthers, the Denver Broncos’ crushing of the Dallas Cowboys, to the New England Patriots entering as a dark-horse Super Bowl contender, Week 8 delivered. As we enter the mid-point of the season, find out where your team stands!
Contenders Until They’re Not
1. Indianapolis Colts - The Colts are quietly the No. 1 offense in the NFL, with a potential Offensive Player of the Year/MVP-level player in running back Jonathan Taylor leading the way. Until someone knocks them down a peg, they are the best team in the NFL.
2. Green Bay Packers - Jordan Love is 27 and on a tear, with a 13:2 touchdown-to-interception ratio and a 70.9 completion percentage. At 5-1-1, the Packers sit atop the NFC and hope to get to a Super Bowl (see past Green Bay QBs at the age of 27).
3. Detroit Lions - They had a Week 8 bye, but they are scoring over 30 points per game. After taking down the Buccaneers in Week 7, the Lions host the Minnesota Vikings in a pivotal divisional matchup in Week 9.
4. Tampa Bay Buccaneers - Tampa Bay got back in the win column after losing to the Lions in Week 7, by subsequently annihilating the New Orleans Saints on the road. The Buccaneers remain in the top 5. It was great to see rookie WR Emeka Egbuka back out there, but I hope he uses the bye week to get fully healthy.
5. Denver Broncos - Are the Broncos legitimate Super Bowl contenders? They embarrassed the Dallas Cowboys in a 44-24 victory, holding Dallas’s first-team offense to 17 points. The Surtain injury hurts for sure. However, Bo Nix has four TDs in each of his last two games, the offense has scored 77 points in the last five quarters of football, and they are two last-second field goals from being 8-0.
6. New England Patriots - I’m a firm believer in Drake Maye and Mike Vrabel, especially after the routing they laid on the Cleveland Browns’ defense. New England is on a 5-game winning streak. This team is a playoff lock in my eyes and a real threat to the Buffalo Bills.
7. Buffalo Bills - James Cook is up there with Jonathan Taylor as a potential OPOY. The thrashing Buffalo dealt to Carolina should serve as notice to the rest of the league that they’re still the cream of the crop in the AFC.
8. Philadelphia Eagles - The Eagles made a statement with their 38-20 crushing of the New York Giants. Normally, a win over a 2-win team doesn’t mean much, but Jaxson Dart and Cam Skattebo were the NFL darlings for a few weeks.
9. Los Angeles Rams - The Rams are eyeing the NFC West crown, and it is well within their reach. With Puka being sidelined in their pre-bye win, the Rams didn’t miss a beat, as Davante Adams hauled in three touchdowns.
10. Kansas City Chiefs - Watch out, because Kansas City looks like it’s back after a slow start to the season. Their win over the Washington Commanders without Jayden Daniels was almost expected, but they are reaching their Super Bowl form at the right time. The next three weeks against the Bills, Broncos, and Colts will tell us if they’re truly back to form.
Hopefuls
11. Seattle Seahawks - The Seahawks are becoming one of the most fun teams in the NFC, and if you haven’t already, you owe Sam Darnold an apology. This team is stingy on defense and dangerous on offense. Week 11 against the Rams is going to be absolute cinema.
12. San Francisco 49ers - Coming off a tough loss to a feisty Houston Texans team, this team has already surpassed many people’s expectations after the laundry list of injuries, myself included. Kyle Shanahan, Robert Saleh, and Mac Jones are doing an incredible job in San Francisco, given the hand they’ve been dealt. Three NFC West teams in the top 12 show just how good this division is.
13. Los Angeles Chargers - Another potent division with three potential playoff teams is the AFC West. The Chargers looked like Super Bowl favorites and belong higher than 13th. A few hiccups caused them to tumble recently, but they’ll likely continue their climb entering Week 9, against a 1-win Tennessee Titans team.
14. Pittsburgh Steelers - At times this season, Aaron Rodgers has looked like Green Bay Aaron Rodgers. Sunday night against his former team showed that was no longer the case, as the Pittsburgh offense was 1-for-10 on third down. If they can beat the Colts in Week 9, anything is possible for this team, though.
15. Houston Texans - Gradually climbing up the board is Houston. They had a massive win over the 49ers in Week 8. In Week 9, they host the red-hot Denver Broncos, who are riding in on a 5-game winning streak.
It’s Complicated
16. Jacksonville Jaguars - Another team that was on the bye week was the Jaguars. While they were blown out by the Rams in Week 7, the lone bright spot was Travis Hunter, who had his first 100-yard game and first NFL touchdown. This team doesn’t look all that scary to any of the teams above them, but get Hunter more involved, and they may upset some teams.
17. Chicago Bears - Although the loss to the now 2-5 Ravens squad stings, remember that this is Year 1 of the Ben Johnson Bears, and it will take time to show in the stat sheet and in the win column. Caleb Williams needs to be better, but Rome Odunze is a bright spot on this team and is beginning his rise. They’ve got a few more wins in their pocket down the stretch.
18. Washington Commanders - Washington was stifled by both the Kansas City defense and the injury bug. Not having Jayden Daniels was a massive blow to any sort of offensive production, and it showed on Monday night. They play the Seahawks, Lions, and Broncos over the next three weeks. They need to get healthy, and quickly, if they want to make a 2024-esque playoff push.
19. Minnesota Vikings - Was it malpractice to leave Carson Wentz (now on IR) in the Week 8 game against the Chargers, after he was visibly hurt? The Vikings are a great defensive team, but their quarterback coaching decisions are questionable. Even FFN’s own Vikings writer, Alex Gast, questions whether 2nd-year QB J.J. McCarthy will be on the team in the near future.
You’re Saying There’s a Chance?
20. Carolina Panthers - The Panthers were on a 3-game winning streak of their own before running into the buzzsaw that is the Buffalo Bills. They’re far from out of the playoff race, and only two games behind the Buccaneers in the NFC South.
21. Dallas Cowboys - Dak Prescott had been playing at an MVP-level before the Week 8 loss. Three wins behind the Eagles, they enter Week 9 facing an uninspiring Arizona Cardinals team, followed by an abysmal Las Vegas Raiders team in Week 10. If they can stitch together two wins, all eyes will be on the Week 11 rematch against Philly.
22. Cincinnati Bengals - Joe Flacco is battling Father Time and is seemingly winning. Unfortunately, he couldn’t do anything on the defensive side of the ball, and the defense was the main issue with the 2024 Bengals. The Jets were scoring 18 points per game before the Week 8 clash, where they dropped 39 on this Cincinnati team.
Maybe Next Year
23. Cleveland Browns - The inconsistent offense reared its head in the blowout loss to the Patriots. There is an incredible defense in Cleveland that is going to waste due to a lack of offensive production. Hopefully, they can iron out a few wrinkles during the bye week.
24. New York Giants - Yes, they were annihilated by Philadelphia. Yes, they lost Cam Skattebo for the year with a dislocated ankle. The goal this year was to figure out if you have “the guy” at quarterback (the most crucial position in all of sports), and New York has done that with Jaxson Dart. They may not make much noise in the second half of 2025. But in 2026, with a healthy Malik Nabers, Cam Skattebo, and Dart in his second year, the NFC East will be wide open.
25. Baltimore Ravens - The Baltimore slide will continue until we see a resurgence from this team. They did have an impressive win over Chicago, but that was by and large due to errant throws from Caleb Williams, and the Bears’ offense looked pitiful in the second half. Derrick Henry seems to be the only good thing happening to this team at the moment.
26. Atlanta Falcons - Similar to the Cleveland Browns, the defense is the main attraction in Atlanta. Some would argue that having Kirk Cousins in would benefit the Falcons’ offense (ahem, Caleb Barton on the Fan Feed Pod), but that was not the case. With both the Buccaneers and Panthers ahead of them in a tough NFC, it’s looking grim. There is something very wrong with the Falcons’ offense, and Penix needs to come back with a vengeance.
27. Arizona Cardinals - I hope that the Cardinals used the bye week to finally figure out how to use Marvin Harrison Jr. effectively in the pass game. He was drafted 4th overall and has looked like a bust in this system, primarily because of his improper usage. This can be a fun team with explosive pieces, like MHJ, Trey McBride, and yes, even Kyler Murray at times. Right now, it looks like another year down the drain as they sit at 2-5, and 4th in the NFC West.
28. Miami Dolphins - I’m not sure if the massive upset over the Falcons in Week 8 was a turning point for the Dolphins, or a blight on Atlanta, but it’s probably the latter. The Mike McDaniel experiment is all but over, and they should be sellers of key pieces before the trade deadline.
29. Las Vegas Raiders - This team had the makings of incredible achievements… in the preseason. Drafting Ashton Jeanty and beating New England in Week 1 had Raider Nation at the highest of highs, but it has genuinely been abysmal since, with their only other win coming against a winless (at the time) Titans team.
30. New York Jets - In two games this year (Week 1 vs Pittsburgh, Week 8 vs Cincinnati), the Jets have put up astronomical offensive numbers. Between those weeks, it has looked like a completely different team. A single win on the season, coming against a Joe Burrow-less Bengals team, is nothing to write home about, but maybe they can use that momentum as a building block for 2026.
31. New Orleans Saints - There is a ton of talent in this offense: Rashid Shaheed, Chris Olave, Alvin Kamara, Juwan Johnson, Taysom Hill, etc. The only thing missing? QB1. Until they trade for (again; see Derek Carr), or draft their quarterback, this is likely where this team will reside. They didn’t stand a chance against the Buccaneers in Week 8.
32. Tennessee Titans - Everyone in this building except Cam Ward can leave. Is it too late to ask for Derrick Henry back? The Titans were exciting because they drafted Ward #1 overall in 2025, but having a guy without giving him weapons or a defense is a recipe for disaster. We are in the “disaster” part of their story. Let’s see who they grab at #1 in the draft in 2026.
