NFL Week 9 Power Rankings: Broncos, Packers among Risers, Cowboys and Bengals Fall

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NFL Week 9 Power Rankings: Broncos, Packers among Risers, Cowboys and Bengals Fall

Matt Johnson · Sportsnaut

Tue, Oct 28, 2025 ·

17 min read

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Week 8 demonstrated once again why the 2025 NFL season has felt more unpredictable than usual. It also might have been a week that delivering a turning point for several franchises, with victories that could be the spark they need to get back into playoff contention.

Let's dive into our NFL Week 9 power rankings, evaluating how teams performed in Week 8. For teams on the bye week, we took a look at how they've performed so far and what's next.

1. Indianapolis Colts (1)

The Indianapolis Colts have the best record in the NFL right now, which warrants the top spot in the power rankings entering Week 9. Indianapolis' résumé—with signature wins over the Chargers and Broncos —paired with the preseason skepticism surrounding this team, explains why some remain cautious about buying in. What Shane Steichen and company keep demonstrating, however, is that they can dominate weaker competition and rise to the level of tougher opponents. Sunday's win was the latest example of that. Given the Colts' strengths, they should go into Pittsburgh next week and beat Aaron Rodgers .

2. Kansas City Chiefs (2)

The Kansas City Chiefs ' dominance continues. If they hadn't taken their foot off the break on Monday Night Football, it would've been three consecutive games with 30-plus points scored. Still, Kansas City has to feel great about the 21-0 second half. This is still a three-loss team, including that painful MNF loss to Jacksonville in Week 5. As long as Patrick Mahomes and Rashee Rice keep doing this, though, Kansas City can win every single game remaining on its schedule and be the overwhelming favorite to win the Super Bowl.

3. Green Bay Packers (6)

Jordan Love has made that ascension into the next tier of top quarterbacks, and it couldn't have come at a better time for the Green Bay Packers . The play-calling and offensive line aren't where they need to be right now, which is playing some part in this unit's penchant for three-and-outs mixed between explosive plays. Fortunately for Matt LaFleur, he has time to figure those issues out because Love and this Packers defense are playing at a top level.

4. Detroit Lions (2)

Coming out of the Week 8 bye, the Detroit Lions are starting to get healthier defensively. The time off also provides offensive coordinator John Morton and defensive coordinator Kelvin Sheppard an opportunity to make adjustments, learning from their first seven games as play-callers to better position their units moving forward. At 5-2, fielding one of the best rosters in the NFL, Detroit can quickly demonstrate in the second half of the season that it's the team to beat in the NFC.

5. Tampa Bay Buccaneers (4)

Survival. That's all Week 8 needed to be about for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers . The offense has been devastated by injuries and desperately needs some time off. So, while Baker Mayfield 's MVP campaign is taking some big hits, the Buccaneers' defense is rising to the occasion. Excellent defense is what the Buccaneers didn't have last season. If they can return from the Week 9 bye with the offensive line in better shape and both Chris Godwin and Bucky Irving returning to the field, that 6-2 record will feel even better.

6. Seattle Seahawks (5)

The Seattle Seahawks have a Super Bowl-caliber defense, especially once Devon Witherspoon and Julian Love return to the secondary. One unit that's really flying under the radar, though, is Seattle's offensive line. Heading into the Week 8 bye, the Seahawks ranked 21st in ESPN pass-block win rate (58 percent) and 12th in run-block win rate (72 percent). Last year, they were in the bottom 10. That's been one of the biggest keys to Sam Darnold playing so well this season. Now, as Seattle heads into a Week 9 matchup versus Washington , the next objective is finding a way to run the football more effectively ( 26th in Rush Success Rate ), which should help improve an offense that entered the bye with the fifth-lowest third-down conversion rate in the NFL.

7. Buffalo Bills (7)

That's something much closer to the version of the Buffalo Bills that Bills Mafia expected this season. James Cook shouldered the load for this offense early, proving instrumental in Buffalo taking a 26-3 lead. That forced Carolina to go away from the one thing it can do well, run the football, and that was all she wrote in this one-sided blowout. It's the kind of confidence builder Buffalo needs before facing the Chiefs, especially given how dominant Kansas City has looked lately.

8. Denver Broncos (9)

After throwing a pick on the opening drive, Bo Nix and this Denver Broncos offense locked in, and the rest is history. Considering how dominant the Cowboys ' offense had been until now, Sunday's win over the Cowboys felt like the most well-rounded performance by the Broncos all season. If Nix and Denver's ground game can maintain anything close to the effectiveness we've seen in the last five quarters, this could become the second-best team in the AFC. That said, we're at least a month away from buying into Nix at that level.

9. Philadelphia Eagles (10)

That's a good note for the Philadelphia Eagles to enter the bye week on. Saquon Barkley ( 174 scrimmage yards ) got going again, and Jalen Hurts had nearly as many touchdowns (four) as incompletions. Nick Sirianni has to feel particularly good about how the run game looked. Carryover will be necessary after the bye, given the upcoming stretch includes matchups at Green Bay , versus Detroit, and at Dallas .

10. Los Angeles Rams (8)

Special-teams woes and some mistakes are the reason why the Los Angeles Rams entered their bye with a 5-2 record instead of an undefeated mark. Still, Sean McVay and Les Snead have to feel great about this team sitting near the top of the NFC West given the injuries suffered by Puka Nacua , Rob Havenstein and Ahkello Witherspoon . Los Angeles is one of the most well-rounded teams in the NFL right now, boasting a top-10 defense and offense. We'll find out quickly just where the Rams rank among the top NFC teams, as they face the 49ers , Seahawks and Buccaneers in November.

11. New England Patriots (11)

Drake Maye had one thing left to prove nationally entering Week 9: could he maintain that All-Pro-level play against a top-shelf defense? He proved he could do just that on Sunday. Equally meaningful for the New England Patriots , TreVeyon Henderson 's breakout game has arrived. This five-game win streak has provided a litany of reasons why New England looks like a very good team right now — and one that's legitimately capable of winning 11 games.

12. Los Angeles Chargers (15)

Moving the Los Angeles Chargers up this many spots in our NFL power rankings is more about the return of Joe Alt than the Thursday Night Football victory over Minnesota . As that game demonstrated, though, getting the standout blindside protector back on the field actually gives Justin Herbert time to throw to this excellent cast of weapons, and it helps out the run game. Plus, the Chargers' defense seems to be getting back on track. Los Angeles has three very winnable games (at Titans, vs. Steelers , and at Jaguars ) ahead, so there is a path to an 8-3 record entering the bye week.

13. Houston Texans (21)

Winning that game without Nico Collins feels monumental for the Houston Texans . C.J. Stroud certainly benefited from the fact that the 49ers' front seven has been decimated by injuries, but he still played extremely well on Sunday against a game plan from one of the league's top defensive coordinators. Houston is now 3-1 in its last four games and if it can win at home next week versus Denver, this is a playoff contender again.

14. San Francisco 49ers (13)

A week later, it feels like that victory over Atlanta says a lot more about the Falcons than it does the San Francisco 49ers. This looked like an injury-plagued team on Sunday in Houston and the issues up front, resulting in a non-existent run game, reared their ugly head again for San Francisco. There's still a 5-3 record, but there are still some tough matchups remaining on the schedule and the defense is clearly regressing.

15. Chicago Bears (14)

The Chicago Bears have no one but themselves to blame for Sunday's loss. Poor decision-making before halftime cost Chicago points, and the situational play didn't get any better with a chance to win the game in the closing seconds, as Caleb Williams came up inches short on his goal-line dive and then threw way off the mark on fourth-and-goal to lose the game. With the way this Bears defense is performing and the inconsistency of this offense in the first year of the Caleb Williams–Ben Johnson pairing, there's an outside shot Chicago loses next week to the Bengals .

16. Jacksonville Jaguars (18)

It's not hard to see what went wrong for the Jacksonville Jaguars during their two-game losing streak before the bye. The defense couldn't generate takeaways after recording 14 in its first five games , and the offensive line allowed 14 sacks while the rushing attack mustered just 76.5 rushing yards per game . Those takeaways had masked other issues — drops and inconsistency from Trevor Lawrence — that are now glaring. If those areas don't improve quickly coming out of the bye, Jacksonville could lose three of its next four games.

17. Pittsburgh Steelers (13)

The Pittsburgh Steelers finally have above-average quarterback play and it's not going to matter. There's a real possibility of this Steelers defense being bad enough to allow the Baltimore Ravens to steal the AFC North with a second-half revival. It's a shame for Aaron Rodgers, because he's played very well this season and is making this passing game work despite only having one true reliable wide receiver. With a looming matchup versus Indianapolis in Week 9, the Steelers will likely at .500 next Sunday.

18. Dallas Cowboys (16)

Dak Prescott and this Dallas Cowboys offense need to be near-flawless to overcome the defense. They were nothing close to that on Sunday. There's every reason to believe this passing attack will rebound quickly, especially next week on Monday Night Football versus Arizona . However, no matter who Jerry Jones acquires at the NFL trade deadline, this defense won't be good enough to make the playoffs.

19. Washington Commanders (19)

The lone bright spot that could've come out of that ugly Monday Night Football loss for the Washington Commanders, Terry McLaurin 's return, was wiped out by the Pro Bowl wideout exiting again with a quad injury. Jayden Daniels could return in Week 9, but the Commanders are now two games below .500 and entering a two-game stretch that will almost certainly result in a 3-7 record. Realistically, Washington will be 4-7 entering its bye week.

20. Baltimore Ravens (26)

The Baltimore Ravens might finally be turning a corner, which is very unfortuante for the rest of the AFC North. It wasn't a banner performance by any means, but a victory without Lamar Jackson against Chicago is a significant step forward.

21. Carolina Panthers (20)

The only path to victory for the Carolina Panthers in Week 8 was stopping the run and getting a big game from Rico Dowdle . James Cook put up 200 rushing yards in three quarters, and Carolina found itself down three scores quickly. Sunday was a game that put the Panthers back in their place as a league-average team that can win when things are going right. That doesn't bode well for a Week 9 matchup at Lambeau Field.

22. Atlanta Falcons (17)

We're going to need an explanation from Zac Robinson on why the Atlanta Falcons abandoned the run game so early. Facing one of the league's worst defenses, Atlanta put the ball far too much in Kirk Cousins ' hands when it was still a close game. Unsurprisingly, especially with Drake London out, he looked just as bad as he did last season. Of course, it's also worth recognizing how bad the Falcons' offensive line has been over the last two games — going from beating the Commanders and Bills to dropping games against San Francisco and Miami . It'll only get worse from here with the Patriots and Colts up next.

23. Arizona Cardinals (25)

The Arizona Cardinals have a -1 point differential this season, better than multiple four-win teams (Bears, Panthers, Jaguars, and Chargers) and just behind the five-win 49ers and Eagles. Remarkably, Arizona has outscored its opponents by 44 points through the first three quarters of games but has been outscored by 45 points in the fourth. This is a good team that implodes in the final 15 minutes. Given that Kyler Murray will return as the starter in Week 9, even though Jacoby Brissett has been more effective so far, it's hard to see significant improvement coming for the Cardinals.

24. Minnesota Vikings (23)

It's now beyond time to panic with the Minnesota Vikings . The bye week is already behind them, and it's pretty evident, seven games into the season, that there isn't a reliable starting-caliber quarterback on this roster. Earlier in the season, that could be masked a bit more because of the defense. Now, with the pass rush regressing, the secondary has been exposed, and Minnesota's defense has been just as bad as its quarterback play in the last month. Even worse for the Vikings, they have a 3-4 record before a stretch against the Lions, Ravens, Bears, Packers, Seahawks, Commanders, and Cowboys. A losing record now feels inevitable.

25. Cincinnati Bengals (22)

New quarterback, same team. The Cincinnati Bengals are a carbon copy of what we saw last season—a team that needs to score on nearly every possession because its defense might give up just as many scoring drives. The fact that nothing has changed is an indictment of the entire organization. At this point, trading Trey Hendrickson and waving the white flag on this version of the team might be the best idea. Then again, it's hard to imagine this front office and coaching staff executing the kind of draft-and-develop approach necessary to turn this Bengals defense around.

26. Miami Dolphins (31)

That will probably go down as the best performance of the season for the Miami Dolphins . Defensively, this unit played extremely well and took full advantage of Atlanta abandoning the run far too early. De'Von Achane and Tua Tagovailoa capitalized on that, putting Miami up 24-3 and making this a Week 8 blowout that no one saw coming. This win probably won't be enough to save Mike McDaniel's job long term, but it's promising to see the fight this team showed on the road.

27. New York Giants (24)

The life was taken out of the New York Giants ' season immediately after the Cam Skattebo injury. He was more than just an excellent running back — the rookie was the heart of this Giants team. With him done for the season, there will be far too much of this offense placed on Jaxson Dart 's shoulders. The only hope now is for Dart to stay healthy, for Skattebo to make a full recovery, and for a new Giants coaching staff to be in place next season.

28. New Orleans Saints (28)

The Spencer Rattler era ends as quickly as it seemed to be taking off. He wasn't entirely to blame for all the turnovers committed by this New Orleans Saints offense in Sunday's 20-point home loss, but we can't fault Kellen Moore for making a change. At 1-7 with the NFL trade deadline nearing, it seems increasingly likely that Rashid Shaheed , Brandin Cooks and a few veterans could be off this roster in the near future.

29. Las Vegas Raiders (29)

The one hope for the Las Vegas Raiders to be a competitive team this season and win seven to nine games was having an above-average offense. Instead, Geno Smith has suddenly regressed to the player he was in New York. Brock Bowers is dealing with a serious knee injury, and neither Smith nor Ashton Jeanty stands much chance behind this struggling offensive line. Coming out of the bye, without an offensive turnaround, the Raiders might only win two more games this season. Smith has a low passer rating, ranks near the bottom in the league for interceptions (tied for most with 10), and has been benched recently after poor performances, leaving the team in a difficult position offensively.

30. Cleveland Browns (27)

There's just nothing inspiring about watching Dillon Gabriel at quarterback. It wouldn't have made a difference if Shedeur Sanders or Joe Flacco were under center on Sunday — the Cleveland Browns defense didn't perform well enough to win. Still, Gabriel hasn't shown the physical tools that starting-caliber quarterbacks need. With a matchup next week against the Jets , Cleveland's defense should absolutely rebound in a win.

31. New York Jets (32)

Aaron Glenn gets his first win as a head coach, and the New York Jets deliver their best offensive performance since the regular-season opener. Glenn's team, led by Justin Fields , showed real fight on Sunday afternoon in Cincinnati, responding to a 14-point deficit in the fourth quarter with 15 unanswered points and a timely defensive stop for that elusive victory. This is still one of the worst NFL teams in 2025, but Glenn and the Jets finally delivered a performance that gives fans a little hope for the future.

32. Tennessee Titans (30)

The Tennessee Titans are in a class of their own as the worst team in the NFL. It legitimately took another franchise finding unique ways to give the game away, in the form of 14 points, for Tennessee to win its lone game this season. Outside of that, this has looked like by far the worst roster and worst-coached team in the league. Cam Ward deserves so much better than this.

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