We are halfway through the 2022-23 NFL season and the race for the top seed in both conferences has heated up.
After a strong NFL trade deadline, playoff contenders are now looking to score important wins for potential playoff matchups on the road to a potential Super Bowl run. Not every contender was looking good in the ninth week, although a few major ups and downs rocked the latest rankings.
Here’s our Week 9 NFL Power Rankings.
32. Carolina Panthers (2-7)
Carolina lost a heartbreaker in week 8. On Sunday, his loss to Cincinnati was anything but close. This is not a good team.
31. Pittsburgh Steelers (2-6)
Pittsburgh had a bye week so they don’t go up or down, but this is a bad football team 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 decided to appoint Jeff Saturday as interim head coach after Frank Reich was sacked. Irse is rivaling Dan Snyder as the worst boss in the NFL.
29. Detroit Lions (2-6)
In the end, Detroit got a major upset victory over the Green Bay Packers. I have doubts about their viability for the rest of the year, but Sunday was an important step in the right direction.
28. Houston Texans (1-6-1)
Houston put up a really good fight against the undefeated Eagles on Thursday, but there just isn’t enough talent here to be ready to take the next step.
27. Las Vegas Raiders (2-6)
Raiders are done. It’s unbelievable to think how many 17-point leads they’ve gotten over the past few weeks. This is just a bad football team.
26. New Orleans Saints (3-6)
The Saints are battling a ton of injuries, but no one ever told them they should drop their first-round pick in 2023. The outlook for the future is extremely bleak.
25. Green Bay Packers (3-6)
What a disaster the Packers are. Aaron Rodgers may look to his arms as the reason for his struggle, but it 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 goodbye week and thank goodness. They move up the power rankings as several teams blew it up on Sunday.
22. Jacksonville Jaguars (3-6)
It was a good comeback on the Raiders on Sunday. That being said, this team still has a long way to go before we can crown them as NFL contenders.
21. Washington Commanders (4-5)
The Commanders almost made a big upset on Sunday against Minnesota, but made a lot of disappointing coaching decisions. If this coaching staff doesn’t improve then whoever the owner is, it won’t matter.
20. La Ram (3-5)
This is one of the most disappointing teams in the NFL. The coaching staff has been poor, the quarterback game is disappointing, and the offensive line is terrific.
19. Chicago Bears (3-6)
The Bears finally trust who they have at quarterback and Justin Fields has played very well with Chicago with just a few playmates.
18. Cleveland Browns (3-5)
A goodbye week for the Browns means they are closer to the return of Deshan Watson. As crazy as it is, this team isn’t one to shy away from NFL controversy.
17. Atlanta Falcons (4-5)
Atlanta had no business in their last-second loss to LA on Sunday, and yet they have been one of the most competitive teams all year. Kudos to Arthur Smith and his staff.
16. LA Chargers (5-3)
The Chargers are disappointed. They have too much talent to expect to win over and over again on Sunday, and yet Atlanta almost let the upsets.
15. New England Patriots (5-4)
Can we stop blaming Mack Jones for the Patriots’ shortcomings? playcalling is a mess and it doesn’t help anyone. An emphatic win over Indy does little to establish 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 Tanhill is nothing to be ashamed of.
13. NY Giants (6-2)
A bye week for the Giants, and a very winable game against Houston on Sunday. Time will tell if they play against their opponent or not.
12. Tampa Bay Books (4-5)
As good as the comeback was for the Books, it was more about Ram’s folly in the closing minutes. This team still needs to show a lot on offense if they’re going to win the NFC South and be NFL power again.
11. New York Jets (6-3)
How about jets? New York scored an impressive victory, where their second-overall quarterback outperformed the MVP candidate. This Jets team is for real people.
10. Cincinnati Bengals (5-4)
What are Bengals? His offensive line has been one of the worst in the NFL, yet he dominated a poor Panthers team on Sunday. They still need to find out how good this crime is.
9. Miami Dolphins (6-3)
Another great offensive day for Tua and the receiving corps, and another big win to help their playoff chances in a loaded AFC.
8. San Francisco 49ers (4-4)
A goodbye week for the 49ers is a great time to get healthy. It’s a dangerous football team when they’re playing as well as they can.
7. Baltimore Ravens (6-3)
Baltimore is looking for ways to win and is at the forefront of the AFC North. In the end, it’s hard to see him as a true NFL contender if he can’t get healthy in skill positions.
6. Seattle Seahawks (6-3)
Another win in the NFC West for the Seahawks and Seattle is looking like a true NFL contender at the start of the year. Is Pete Carroll the 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 his team, even if they miss obj too.
4. Buffalo Bill (6-2)
Bills have been looking very bad over the past few weeks and have been cleared this month due to a lighter schedule. The Jets’ loss and the way they lost was a big reason for the three-team drop.
3. Minnesota Vikings (7-1)
The Vikings keep looking for ways to win the one-score game. As impressive as it is, their schedule gets a lot tougher this month and we’ll see how well this group really does.
2. Philadelphia Eagles (8-0)
The Eagles have blown their entire schedule so far. Jalen Hurts is an MVP candidate but this is the darkest team in the NFL.
1. Kansas City Chiefs (6-2)
I put more stock in the Chiefs’ comeback victory over a physical Titans team than the Eagles who ousted the Texans. Patrick Mahomes is arguably also the MVP of the NFL right now.
