Welcome to the Week 9 Power Rankings!

Not much has changed at the top heading into the halfway turn of the 2024 NFL Season, with each of the top 4 squads remaining in their Week 8 slots. A lot of people are moving the Detroit Lions to number 1 this week, and deservedly so. They continue to prove they have a complete roster that can win in multiple ways and decimate opponents no matter their talent level. Even so, I cannot in good conscience move them ahead of the undefeated Kansas City Chiefs, who continue to win despite the ugly film and box score. They have proven too many times over that they can get the job done even if it appears their opponent has the edge. Mahomes is the ultimate cheat code.

The Green Bay Packers have a chance to make real noise this week against their high-flying division rival (DET) and prove they belong in the conversation as the best team in the NFC. Just behind them, the Pittsburgh Steelers continue to improve on offense with each passing week and they are playing complimentary team football in all 3 phases better than almost everyone else right now. They’re a top 5 team heading into their Bye Week.

The Houston Texans have been decimated by injuries at WR and poor OL play, but CJ Stroud is really struggling in his sophomore season and they’re too inconsistent to keep up at the top of these rankings right now. I was majorly impressed by the Philadelphia Eagles dominant win over Cincy in Week 8. Jaylen Hurts is playing inspired football with AJ Brown back healthy and Saquon Barkley creating explosives in the running game. I still believe in this Minnesota Vikings squad too, despite back-to-back losses. They’re a real player in the NFC.

The Atlanta Falcons should be far and away the favorite in the NFC South after completing the season sweep of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers and playing complimentary offense while doing so. The NFC West is a real dog fight, with San Francisco, Seattle, and Arizona all sitting together at the top with 4 wins and 4 losses, and the suddenly spunky Los Angeles Rams sitting just a game behind at 3-4. This division could come down to the wire, although San Fran would still be my favorite to figure things out in the 2nd half of the year.

You can’t tell the story of the 2024 season without including the AFC West’s surprising Denver Broncos and Los Angeles Chargers. Both squads should have eyes set on the playoffs in an AFC that all of a sudden is much more wide-open than anticipated heading into the year. The Colts likewise have their eyes set on a run at the division after switching from Anthony Richardson to Joe Flacco at QB and watching the Texans flounder mid-season. The team the Texans just lost to on Thursday Night Football, the New York Jets, aren’t out of it yet either, despite sitting at a mere 3-6, the schedule softens up considerably, and the defense specifically looked invigorated against HOU.

The Cincinnati Bengals and the Dallas Cowboys have a very similar vibe in 2024. Two amazing QBs leading high-powered offenses that tend to go to sleep for stretches and that are getting almost zero help from their defenses. Week 9 wins are a must if they want to get back in the AFC Wild Card race. The Miami Dolphins feel like a team that could bounce back too with Tua Tagovoiloa back and all the talent on offense.

Questions abound for the moribund squads hanging out in the bottom 4th of these Power Rankings. Did the Browns find a sustainable spark in going from Deshaun Watson (IR – Achilles rupture) to Jameis Winston? Does Derek Carr’s return fix what ails the Saints? Which of the NFL bottom feeders like the Patriots, Titans, and Panthers will be major sellers at the NFL Trade Deadline? The answers to these questions will be worth tracking in the coming weeks, despite the season slipping away from these teams early.

Check out the full rankings below and be sure to check back next week to track all the movement in my weekly FFSN Power Rankings!

1. KANSAS CITY CHIEFS (7-0) | Previous: 1

2. DETROIT LIONS (6-1) | Previous: 2

3. BUFFALO BILLS (6-2) | Previous: 3

4. GREEN BAY PACKERS (6-2) | Previous: 4

5. PITTSBURGH STEELERS (6-2) | Previous: 8

6. WASHINGTON COMMANDERS (6-2) | Previous: 9

7. HOUSTON TEXANS (6-3) – Played on TNF | Previous: 6

8. BALTIMORE RAVENS (5-3) | Previous: 7

9. PHILADELPHIA EAGLES (5-2) | Previous: 12

10. MINNESOTA VIKINGS (6-2) | Previous: 5

11. ATLANTA FALCONS (5-3) | Previous: 15

12. SAN FRANCISCO 49ERS (4-4) | Previous: 11

13. SEATTLE SEAHAWKS (4-4) | Previous: 14

14. DENVER BRONCOS (5-3) | Previous: 17

15. TAMPA BAY BUCCANEERS (4-4) | Previous: 10

16. INDIANAPOLIS COLTS (4-4) | Previous: 16

17. CHICAGO BEARS (4-3) | Previous: 13

18. LOS ANGELES RAMS (3-4) | Previous: 19

19. LOS ANGELES CHARGERS (4-3) | Previous: 20

20. NEW YORK JETS (3-6) – Played on TNF | Previous: 21

21. CINCINNATI BENGALS (3-5) | Previous: 18

22. ARIZONA CARDINALS (4-4) | Previous: 23

23. DALLAS COWBOYS (3-4) | Previous: 22

24. NEW YORK GIANTS (2-6) | Previous: 24

25. MIAMI DOLPHINS (2-5) | Previous: 25

26. NEW ORLEANS SAINTS (2-6) | Previous: 26

27. CLEVELAND BROWNS (2-6) | Previous: 30

28. JACKSONVILLE JAGUARS (2-6) | Previous: 27

29. NEW ENGLAND PATRIOTS (2-6) | Previous: 31

30. LAS VEGAS RAIDERS (2-6) | Previous: 29

31. TENNESSEE TITANS (1-6) | Previous: 28

32. CAROLINA PANTHERS (1-7) | Previous: 32