Weekly NFL Power Rankings Week 9: Are the Bears Legitimate Contenders?

There are no more unbeaten teams in the NFL, but it still feels like there are only a handful of teams that can legitimately win a Super Bowl this season.

Time to make some more fan bases mad. Here are the Week 9 NFL power rankings.

NFL Power Rankings Week 9

1. San Francisco 49ers (6-1)

No change

Sure, San Francisco dropped its first loss of the season two weeks ago, but I don’t think it warrants removing them from the top spot. For starters, they were without Mike Evans, who has been crucial to this offense’s success, for the entire game. With Evans on the field this season, the 49ers convert 55.3% of third downs, but that plummets to 41.4% with Evans off the field.

Following their bye, this team is only going to get healthier, but they also just got a lot better. An already impressive pass rush just added familiar face DeForest Buckner in a trade with the Colts. To me, this is still the top team in football.

2. Buffalo Bills (6-1)

No change

The Bills offense was sloppy on Sunday. Penalties, fumbles and some truly awful play calls and clock management from Joe Brady all played a role. And yet, Buffalo scored over 30 points.

Again.

That's what you just come to expect from a Josh Allen-led offense. The defense finally showed up, though it was against a third-string quarterback. However, Buffalo got great play from safety Geno Stone and recently promoted Te’Cory Couch, while DC Jim Leonhard dialed up the blitz 61.3% of the time, the Bills' highest rate in a game all year.

3. Chicago Bears (6-2)

Change: +4

Talk about an immediate impact.

In his first game with the Bears, Jeffery Simmons made multiple key plays, including a deflected pass that led to essentially a game-sealing interception. His presence also opened up more iso situations for Montez Sweat on the outside, massively altering this pass rush. The offense, meanwhile, made Seattle's vaunted defense look pedestrian, as Caleb Williams continues to ascend.

This is a legitimate contender in the NFC.

4. Jacksonville Jaguars (5-2)

Change: +2

Defeating the Colts isn’t too much of an accomplishment these days, but Jacksonville continues to just dismantle teams. Trevor Lawrence is a legitimate MVP candidate through eight weeks, while Bhayshul Tuten has emerged as one of the top running backs in football. Hopefully he can play on Thursday, but against a third-string quarterback, he may not need to.

5. Denver Broncos (6-2)

Change: +3

Denver is coming off a massive win against Kansas City, giving them sole possession of first place in the AFC West. Give the defense a ton of credit for holding the Chiefs out of the end zone on first-and-goal with under a minute left. Bo Nix still needs to be more consistent, but the emergence of Jonah Coleman might finally give this offense a dynamic rushing attack.

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6. Kansas City Chiefs (5-2)

Change: -1

I’m not going to bump Kansas City down much following a close loss against the Broncos. Kenneth Walker has slowed down over the past two weeks, but Emmett Johnson makes plays every time he touches the football. The passing game also saw a boost with the return of Rashee Rice, while the Chiefs have been rumored to add another wide receiver ahead of next week’s trade deadline.

7. Detroit Lions (5-2)

Change: +4

I still have concerns about the Lions' defense going forward, but Jared Goff and Jahmyr Gibbs are playing lights out right now, giving them a chance to win every single week. The offense didn’t light up the scoreboard against Minnesota’s top-ranked defense, but this team made enough plays to give the Vikings their first loss of the season.

8. Seattle Seahawks (4-4)

Change: -4

Maybe last year’s Super Bowl title is still doing some heavy lifting here. But even with a 4-4 record, I still believe Seattle is a top-10 team in the league. Sam Darnold has not been very good lately, especially under pressure, and this offense really needs someone to take some of the burden off JSN.

9. Minnesota Vikings (6-1)

Change: -6

Minnesota’s defense has been saving them all year long. And they almost did it again in Detroit, holding an elite Lions offense to just 19 points. But the offense could only muster 15 points against one of the league’s worst defenses, having now failed to reach 20 points in four of seven games this year.

10. Cincinnati Bengals (5-2)

Change: -1

It wasn’t pretty, but the Bengals survived an OT thriller against the Titans on Sunday. The defense, which appeared to be turning a corner, let Cam Ward have arguably the best game of his career, while Tony Pollard ran wild. Joe Burrow and Tee Higgins saved the day, though some bad turnovers didn’t help matters. Cincinnati still has a high ceiling, but performances like what we just saw cannot happen against better competition.

11. New England Patriots (5-3)

Change: -1

New England survived a poor first half in Miami last week, but like the Bengals, they need to play better. Injuries to key players on offense didn’t help, but Drake Maye has been playing awesome since Week 4.

12. Pittsburgh Steelers (6-2)

Change: +1

Maybe I need to start giving the Steelers more credit. The defense will always be strong, the run game is fantastic and Aaron Rodgers has looked good enough.

13. Green Bay Packers (5-3)

Change: -1

Green Bay’s defense has seemingly improved each week and is on a strong trajectory with Micah Parsons back at practice. This team still cannot run the football, which could hurt them in the long haul, but perhaps a trade for Jonathan Taylor could help.

14. New York Giants (4-2-1)

Change: +1

After the Vikings abandoned ship, J.J. McCarthy has found a home in New York. Over his last six quarters, McCarthy has thrown for nearly 500 yards, while making some truly elite-level throws. Meanwhile, the run game finally looked good against the Texans two weeks ago. The addition of head coach John Harbaugh cannot be overstated.

15. Los Angeles Rams (4-4)

Change: +2

The Rams are still far from the preseason Super Bowl favorite they were anointed as, but they seem to be headed in the right direction. Between Kyren Williams, Blake Corum and 13 personnel, the Rams have a legitimate power run game paired with what can be an elite defense, especially once Myles Garrett returns.

16. Tampa Bay Buccaneers (3-5)

Change: +3

You know, part of me thinks that game in Tampa shouldn’t even really count. But the Bucs won without completing a single pass. That has to count for something, right?

Baker Mayfield has attempted just 14 passes over the last two weeks, so we really don’t know if he looks much better than he did before the injury. The defense has been lights out over the past two weeks, shutting down a then red-hot Carolina offense back in Week 7. Bucky Irving and Kenneth Gainwell have run the ball extremely well, too. If Emeka Egbuka returns and Mayfield can find anything close to his 2024 form, this team could, and should, win the division.

17. Cleveland Browns (5-3)

Change: -1

Cleveland has been one of the best stories in the NFL this season. But I’ve been waiting for their wake-up call. It happened in Pittsburgh on Sunday, as the Steelers bullied them, sacking Deshaun Watson eight times. And on the defensive side of the ball, the Browns are clearly having issues stopping the run.

18. Las Vegas Raiders (4-4)

Change: +6

The Raiders move up in the rankings, partially because of their wild win at MetLife on Sunday and partially because so many other teams have fallen. Kirk Cousins continues to play well, ranking second in passing touchdowns (19) and third in yards (2,124).

19. Atlanta Falcons (3-5)

Change: -1

Atlanta is one of the most inconsistent teams in the NFL. One week they look like a legitimate playoff contender. And the next? They lose to a team that failed to complete a single pass. Michael Penix was awful this past weekend, and the issue with this team, which they’ve run into two of the past three weeks, is glaring: They are not built to play from behind.

20. Carolina Panthers (3-4)

No change

I expected Carolina’s offense to come back down to Earth, but it’s been especially brutal over the past two weeks. The Panthers’ offensive line is a disaster right now, and the struggles to defend the run resulted in Carolina moving on from DC Ejiro Evero.

21. Houston Texans (2-5)

Change: +1

We’re now eight weeks in, and despite the talent on this roster, it’s time to accept the Texans for what they are.

A below-average football team.

The defense has taken a pretty large step back this season, which is a shame considering C.J. Stroud has bounced back. They really haven't played a complete football game all season long. We’ll see if things get better following a bye week.

22. Baltimore Ravens (4-4)

Change: -10

The Ravens would be lower if they didn’t trade for Jacoby Brissett, who should at least be able to stabilize this offense. But with the AFC North looking like a loaded division and Lamar Jackson likely out for the rest of the season, it’s getting late early for the Ravens.

23. Arizona Cardinals (3-5)

Change: +7

Fourth-quarter magic from Gardner Minshew and Tyler Allgeier?

Sure.

The Cardinals somehow came back to beat the Cowboys last week and likely wouldn’t have if they didn’t make the decision to turn to Minshew. It was a shocking win, one that may say more about the state of the Cowboys than the Cardinals.

24. Dallas Cowboys (3-5)

Change: -3

Collapse doesn’t even do it justice.

Dallas once again showed us that they are an unserious franchise. And, honestly, I’m upset I bought into the hype this offseason. They fooled me. Blowing a 17-3 lead against Arizona just cannot happen, especially the way they did it. It was also disappointing that they simply could not run the ball in this game, once again relying on the right arm of Dak Prescott. It's embarrassing that this team isn't cruising to an NFC East title right now considering the state of the division.

25. Washington Commanders (2-4-1)

No change

It was a sloppy, ugly game on Monday against the depleted Eagles. But a win is a win, and the Commanders really needed it.

26. New Orleans Saints (2-5)

Change: -3

The Saints will fight each week, but they just can’t find a way to close out games down the stretch. With a chance to get the ball back late in the fourth quarter in Paris, New Orleans let 42-year-old Aaron Rodgers scramble for a first down before jumping offsides on a field goal attempt to seal the game.

27. Tennessee Titans (1-7)

Change: +2

There's no such thing as a moral victory in the NFL, but the Titans look like a much different team over the past few weeks. They should have defeated the Bengals in Cincinnati, but it was encouraging to see Cam Ward play his best game as a pro. Brian Daboll has upped the pace as of late, which seems to have helped the offense. Meanwhile, Tony Pollard has been the hottest running back in the league over the last two weeks.

28. Philadelphia Eagles (2-6)

Change: -2

I really don’t know what else there is to say about the Eagles at this point. They’ve been the unluckiest team in football this season, but no one can overcome the injuries this team has had to deal with.

29. Miami Dolphins (1-6)

Change: -2

The Dolphins continue to play hard, but they just don’t have the talent most other teams do. The good news? This team seems to improve each and every week, while a lot of their young players are showing serious flashes (Ollie Gordon, Jacob Rodriguez, Caleb Douglas).

30. New York Jets (2-6)

Change: -2

Once again, the Jets proved that they just cannot function in late-game situations. This team obviously isn’t contending in 2026, but I do love that this is the most loaded offense they’ve had in quite some time.

31. Indianapolis Colts (2-6)

No change

If the Colts weren’t trading Jonathan Taylor (and perhaps others) before, they might as well now. Indy’s season from hell continued in Week 8, losing 42-7 to Jacksonville. This team is obviously looking toward the future, and at this point, the most interesting thing about the Colts is the question of which players will soon leave the team.

32. Los Angeles Chargers (0-7)

No change

Justin Herbert’s streak of hilariously bad interceptions continued on Sunday, throwing a pass right to Trent McDuffie. We’ve reached the point where Herbert is legitimately struggling to recognize zone coverage.

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