In this week’s edition of my Power Rankings, we take a look at where each squad stands in the running for a championship in 2024. We’ll break down all 32 teams into 5 Tiers at the Season’s halfway point. Where each team goes from here remains to be seen, but this is how I see it stacking up so far.

SUPER BOWL CONTENDERS (8)

KANSAS CITY CHIEFS, DETROIT LIONS, BUFFALO BILLS, PITTSBURGH STEELERS, BALTIMORE RAVENS, WASHINGTON COMMANDERS, GREEN BAY PACKERS, PHILADELPHIA EAGLES

Each of these squads has a real claim as a Super Bowl contender in 2024, and it’s truly a wide-open race, especially in the AFC. The Chiefs and Lions are the best teams in their respective conferences, but specifically Kansas City is living on the edge on a weekly basis and are not unbeatable. The Bills are still a powerhouse with Josh Allen playing Superman. The Steelers and Ravens will likely battle it out over the next 9 weeks for AFC North supremacy, and the winner will have an inside track to challenge the Chiefs and Bills atop the conference.

The Commanders, Packers, and Eagles each have flaws, but the path to the Super Bowl is there for each of these squads if they can knock off the dominant Lions in the playoffs. The AFC East winner, whether that’s Washington or Philly, will feel like the top contender to do just that heading into the postseason.

PLAYOFF CONTENDERS (6)

HOUSTON TEXANS, MINNESOTA VIKINGS, ATLANTA FALCONS, SAN FRANCISCO 49ERS, LOS ANGELES CHARGERS, LOS ANGELES RAMS

The Texans felt like they should be in the tier above, but their inexplicable decline along the OL and injuries to the WR corps have really decimated their chances at being a real Championship contender. While it looks like the Lions will run away with the NFC North, the Vikings bring a unique blend of confusing defense and star power on offense to make things interesting as a playoff team. The Falcons are on pace to win the NFC South handily, but the defense doesn’t inspire as much confidence to be much more than a feisty playoff squad as we sit here today. San Francisco and the LA Rams are my favorites to pull it together in the NFC West. Don’t sleep on the other LA team in the Chargers. Justin Herbert is playing lights out and they’re as well-coached as anyone in the league.

PRETENDERS (6)

CINCINATTI BENGALS, DENVER BRONCOS, SEATTLE SEAHAWKS, ARIZONA CARDINALS, TAMPA BAY BUCCANEERS, INDIANAPOLIS COLTS, CHICAGO BEARS

The Bengals have the best chance of any team in this list to move up as the season moves forward, but their poor defense and inconsistent offensive output leaves them in the Pretender Tier for me. The Broncos and Colts are both in the AFC playoff hunt, but Bo Nix’s inconsistency limits Denver’s ceiling, and the Joe Flacco-led Colts have too many issues on both sides of the ball to be considered more than a pretender. For Seattle and Arizona, the talent doesn’t quite match their division counterparts in the Tier above, but they are tough outs every week and could shock the world if they can play more consistently down the stretch. The Bears have a ton of talent on offense, and I believe in the QB, but OL issues and coaching incompetence are crushing the Bears chances to be more in 2024.

BERSERKERS (4)

NEW YORK JETS, NEW YORK GIANTS, MIAMI DOLPHINS, JACKSONVILLE JAGUARS

The two New York teams are just good enough on defense and sporadically good enough on offense to be a tough out for any opponent, and Aaron Rodgers specifically gives the Jets a chance no matter the opponent. I just don’t see them rebounding enough to make a real run at contention. The same can be said for the Dolphins, who hung tight with a really good Bills team in Week 9, but Mike McDaniel’s team just doesn’t have the magic this year to be more than a Berserker. The Jags are loaded with talent and have, in my opinion, a really good QB who needs a new coaching staff to come in and unlock him. They have proven they can be a tough out for any team, and could shake up the playoff race if they can steal a couple wins from an AFC contender.

ON TO NEXT SEASON (7)

DALLAS COWBOYS, CLEVELAND BROWNS, NEW ENGLAND PATRIOTS, TENNESSEE TITANS, LAS VEGAS RAIDERS, NEW ORLEANS SAINTS, CAROLINA PANTHERS

Losing Dak Prescott for potentially an extended period of time is a huge blow to a team already underperforming. If he was healthy, you could imagine the ‘Boys stealing a game or two from a contender and causing some chaos in the NFC. As it stands, though, it’s on to 2025. Of the squads in Cleveland, New England, Tennessee, and Las Vegas, I feel the best about the Patriots’ prospects with Drake Maye at QB. He has a chance to be a special player quickly. Cleveland has the coaching staff to win, but do they have a front office that can own up to their mistakes and move on like they need to? Tennessee and Las Vegas feel like their floating in the wind without a clear direction. It’s hard to see them rebounding in any significant way this season.

Finally, the Saints and Panthers define moribund and are lacking talent and creativity, and the leadership to make you feel good about their prospects for the future. It’s time to blow it up in New Orleans (they’ve already started by firing HC Dennis Allen) and Carolina has to figure out how to take one of the most talent-poor rosters in the league and add some real players quickly.