- For the first time in a month, the No. 1 spot has not changed hands.
- After a 4-0 weekend, the AFC East made modest gains.
- An NFC South team was the week’s biggest mover, but not in the direction it would have hoped for.
NFL power rankings entering Week 9 of the 2025 season (previous rank in parentheses):
1. Kansas City Chiefs (1): Rekindled TE Travis Kelce is a microcosm for a rekindled dynasty, one that’s won five of six heading into the teeth of its schedule − starting Sunday at Buffalo.
2. Green Bay Packers (4): Christian Watson returned, with significant effect, Sunday night, and fellow WR Jayden Reed shouldn’t be too far behind for an offense seemingly loaded with 1A weapons − even if a No. 1 receiver has yet to emerge. An already accelerating team could be poised to hit another gear.
3. Los Angeles Rams (2): They made a very nice pick-up Monday, acquring CB Roger McCreary to fortify a defense lacking for little but depth − a forward-thinking move that basically seems to have January in mind.
5. Detroit Lions (5): They haven’t lost at home this season. They haven’t lost at home to the Vikings since the 2020 season.
8. Philadelphia Eagles (8): Their bye comes at a terrible time after the offense put up 59 points and nearly 800 yards over the past two weeks. Their bye also comes at an ideal time given RB Saquon Barkley left Sunday’s win hobbled by a groin injury.
11. Tampa Bay Buccaneers (10): An injury-riddled offense has really hit the skids the past two weeks, both in terms of output and mistakes made. The bye arrives right on time even as the Bucs begin pulling away in the NFC South.
12. Pittsburgh Steelers (11): Are the wheels coming off here? The league’s worst (by far) pass defense will next be charged with slowing down the high-powered Indy offense. And Sunday night provided further evidence this offense isn’t built to overcome even moderate deficits.
17. Chicago Bears (13): Their league-high 16 takeaways have greatly contributed to the fact that the Bears’ average starting field position is their own 33-yard line, best in the league. Coulda used one of those turnovers Sunday in Baltimore.
19. Dallas Cowboys (17): Remember when Jerry Jones cited an emphasis on stopping the run as a reason to move on from DE Micah Parsons and reconfigure this defense? Seems to be going great, Dallas surrendering nearly 168 rushing yards per game over the past five weeks.
20. Baltimore Ravens (25): Now 15-3 all-time following a bye week, coach John Harbaugh faces a big game Thursday night − will QB Lamar Jackson actually play in his native South Florida? − before another mini-bye.
21. Washington Commanders (19): Monday night’s loss dropped them to 13th place in the NFC − if only two games behind the Niners, who currently hold the conference’s final wild-card spot. The return of QB Jayden Daniels will obviously help, but this offense also has a lot of other issues to address.
24. New York Giants (24): Not only is the loss of injured RB Cam Skattebo bad for the offense and bad for business, it’s also very likely going to be bad for the development of rookie QB Jaxson Dart as his arsenal continues to dwindle.
26. Cleveland Browns (27): Sacks became an official individual statistic in 1982. Before Sunday, no player had ever had a five-sack performance − in a double-digit loss. DE Myles Garrett just continues to distinguish himself … in the darkness.
32. Tennessee Titans (30): Johnny Hekker, one of the best specialists who’s ever lived, booted his 1,000th career punt Sunday. He might reach 2,000 by season’s end.
