NFL Week 9 Power Rankings: Bills Take No. 1
By Brian Hradsky
The Buffalo Bills move to No. 1 in the NFL Week 9 power rankings after beating the Baltimore Ravens 36–10. The San Francisco 49ers stay second after their bye, and the Chicago Bears move to third after a 34–17 Monday night win over the Seattle Seahawks. The Minnesota Vikings drop from first to seventh after the Detroit Lions ended their unbeaten start.
These rankings weigh record, strength of opponent, head-to-head results and how teams are playing now. Movement is measured against NFL Sports Blog’s Week 8 rankings, and all records include Monday night’s result. The 49ers, Houston Texans, New Orleans Saints and New York Giants were idle in Week 8.
1. Buffalo Bills (6–1) — Up 2
Buffalo took control on its first drive against Baltimore and never gave it back in a 36–10 win. Josh Allen became the franchise leader in touchdown passes, and the defense generated pressure without giving the Ravens room to catch up. The Bills have won three in a row and can make the No. 1 case stronger Monday at Minnesota.
2. San Francisco 49ers (6–1) — No change
San Francisco was idle in Week 8 and stays second with a plus-58 point differential. The 49ers are 3–0 in the NFC West, a useful advantage over two teams chasing from 4–4. Buffalo did enough to go first this week; San Francisco did not have to play to retain a place near the top.
3. Chicago Bears (6–2) — Up 3
The Bears opened Monday night with an 80-yard touchdown drive and answered when Seattle cut the lead to three in the fourth quarter. Seattle converted one of 11 third downs, and Jeffery Simmons gave Chicago an immediate boost on defense and special teams. The Bears are 3–1 on the road, though their 0–2 division record leaves work to do in the NFC North.
4. Denver Broncos (6–2) — Up 7
Denver took the AFC West lead by putting up 15 unanswered points in the fourth quarter against Kansas City. Bo Nix and Jonah Coleman delivered the decisive drive, and Malcolm Roach closed it out with a sack. The Broncos have won four straight, although their plus-7 differential shows how often they have needed late execution.
5. Jacksonville Jaguars (5–2) — Up 4
Jacksonville led Indianapolis 28–0 at halftime and finished with a 42–7 win. The Jaguars have outscored opponents by 85 points, and their rushing game produced a season high to complement Trevor Lawrence’s three touchdown passes. Indianapolis presented a favorable matchup, but the size and timing of the win support the move up.
6. Detroit Lions (5–2) — Up 2
Detroit handed Minnesota its first loss and became 2–0 in the NFC North. Jahmyr Gibbs powered a 230-yard rushing effort, and Jared Goff found Jameson Williams when the Lions needed a late answer. The head-to-head win gives Detroit the edge here this week even though Minnesota has the better record.
7. Minnesota Vikings (6–1) — Down 6
The Vikings still have a plus-47 differential and a defense that has allowed 93 points in seven games. Detroit exposed a problem on the ground, though, with 164 second-half rushing yards and enough control to run out the clock. The home game against Buffalo offers a fast chance to restore the case for No. 1.
8. Pittsburgh Steelers (6–2) — Up 2
Pittsburgh ran through Cleveland early, then sacked Deshaun Watson eight times in a 27–6 win. Four straight victories and a 4–0 home record make the Steelers more convincing than they were a month ago. The run game and pass rush are also strengths that work well together once Pittsburgh gets ahead.
9. Cincinnati Bengals (5–2) — Down 4
Joe Burrow passed for 462 yards and five touchdowns and ran for the overtime winner against Tennessee. Three interceptions and 36 points allowed explain why the Bengals slide despite a third straight victory. Cincinnati has the weapons to stay in any game, but it should need fewer late heroics against a 1–7 opponent.
10. Kansas City Chiefs (5–2) — Down 6
The Chiefs have dropped two straight after losing an 11-point fourth-quarter lead at Denver. They still have a plus-36 point differential and a 3–1 AFC West record. Finishing drives without pre-snap penalties would help Kansas City turn that underlying strength into wins again.
11. Green Bay Packers (5–3) — Up 2
Jordan Love threw three touchdown passes against Carolina, and the defense sacked Bryce Young six times. Green Bay has won four of its past five, but Carolina got back to one possession after trailing 27–10. The Packers can keep climbing if they pair their best passing stretches with better late control.
12. New England Patriots (5–3) — Up 2
Drake Maye supplied three touchdowns in a comeback win over Miami, including two long scoring throws. New England is 3–0 in the AFC East and 4–1 in its past five games. The next step is making its offense less reliant on a few explosive gains to decide close games.
13. Cleveland Browns (5–3) — Down 1
Cleveland’s record keeps it in the upper half, but a minus-34 point differential and a 27–6 loss to Pittsburgh are hard to overlook. The Browns gave up eight sacks even as Watson passed for 324 yards. Cleveland needs the yardage to lead to more points and fewer long-yardage setbacks.
14. New York Giants (4–2–1) — Up 2
The Giants were idle and rise as several teams immediately ahead of them stumbled. New York has outscored opponents by just two points on the season. The record gives the Giants an opening in the NFC East, while the narrow scoring margin keeps the evaluation cautious.
15. Los Angeles Rams (4–4) — Up 3
Two straight wins and a plus-26 differential give the Rams a stronger profile than their .500 record suggests. Against the Chargers, they turned a 9–3 deficit into a 24–9 win with a late first-half drive, a long run and two interceptions. Their 0–2 division record limits how far they can climb until they beat an NFC West opponent.
16. Seattle Seahawks (4–4) — Down 9
The Chiefs win still counts in Seattle’s favor, but a home loss to Chicago exposed the limits of an offense that converted one of 11 third downs. Seattle has a plus-26 differential and was within three in the fourth quarter Monday. That makes the inconsistency, rather than the talent level, the biggest question.
17. Las Vegas Raiders (4–4) — Up 5
Las Vegas stopped a four-game skid with a 38–33 comeback against the Jets. Brock Bowers caught two touchdowns and Dylan Laube scored on a kickoff return, helping the Raiders offset 439 yards allowed. There was enough offense to move up, with run defense still a reason to be cautious.
18. Tampa Bay Buccaneers (3–5) — Up 2
Tampa Bay rushed for 325 yards and intercepted four passes in a 16–0 shutout of Atlanta. Rain shaped the game, but the Buccaneers deserve credit for turning their adjustment into a franchise rushing record. The next test is whether their offense can carry that momentum into a game that asks more of the passing attack.
19. Baltimore Ravens (4–4) — Down 4
Baltimore lost Lamar Jackson and Tyler Huntley to injuries during a 36–10 defeat at Buffalo. That context matters, but the Ravens still have to address an offense that had trouble against extra rushers and did not get a catch from Zay Flowers. The ranking can move again once the quarterback situation and the protection response are clearer.
20. Dallas Cowboys (3–5) — Down 1
Dallas had a chance to put away Arizona before allowing 20 fourth-quarter points and losing in overtime. The Cowboys could still have won after the tying score, but their overtime possession ended without a first down. A defense that closes either sequence would change the result and the outlook.
21. Carolina Panthers (3–4) — No change
Carolina made a game of it late at Lambeau Field, but the Panthers had only 87 first-half yards and allowed six sacks. The offense showed some fight with a fourth-down touchdown to Jalen Coker. It needs earlier answers to pressure to make those second-half possessions count for more.
22. Arizona Cardinals (3–5) — Up 6
Gardner Minshew II threw three touchdowns in relief, and Tyler Allgeier ran for 147 yards in a comeback win at Dallas. The defense gave Arizona another possession in overtime, and Chad Ryland converted it into a win. The Cardinals make a sizable jump after finishing a game they had little margin to salvage.
23. Washington Commanders (2–4–1) — Up 6
Washington scored 27 straight points after spotting Philadelphia a 10–0 lead. Jayden Daniels helped jump-start the offense, and five sacks kept the Eagles from answering. It was a sharper performance after the bye, although Washington needs to repeat it against stronger opposition to keep climbing.
24. Atlanta Falcons (3–5) — Down 7
The Falcons had no answer for Tampa Bay’s ground game and turned the ball over four times in a 16–0 loss. Heavy rain made the passing game difficult, but the Buccaneers found a way to produce sustained offense under the same conditions. Atlanta needs a better response when opponents can dictate how the game is played.
25. Houston Texans (2–5) — Down 2
Houston was idle, and Jacksonville’s win widened the AFC South gap to three games. The Texans remain ahead of the division’s other two losing teams in this ranking, but the bye supplied no new evidence for a bigger move. Their quickest route back into contention is to start closing the games still on their schedule.
26. New Orleans Saints (2–5) — No change
New Orleans was idle and holds its spot. A week off can help a team make corrections, but the Saints have yet to show those corrections on the field. At 2–5, they need a win to turn the break into progress in a division where both Tampa Bay and Atlanta are 3–5.
27. New York Jets (2–6) — Down 3
The Jets gained 439 yards and scored on their first six possessions but still lost 38–33 to Las Vegas. They scored touchdowns on two of six red-zone trips while the Raiders converted all four. Braelon Allen’s 147 rushing yards are a positive; giving up a kick return and losing the red-zone battle outweighed them.
28. Philadelphia Eagles (2–6) — Down 1
Philadelphia scored the first 10 points at Washington, then allowed 27 unanswered in its sixth straight defeat. Tanner McKee started, and the offense could not sustain its early success against a pass rush that finished with five sacks. The Eagles need longer stretches of clean offense before the opening lead means much for their ranking.
29. Indianapolis professional football team (2–6) — Down 4
Indianapolis fell behind 28–0 at halftime and lost 42–7 in Jacksonville. The defense gave up a season high in rushing yards to the Jaguars, while the offense helped widen the deficit with a pick-six just before halftime. Four straight losses put Indianapolis near the bottom heading into Week 9.
30. Tennessee Titans (1–7) — Up 1
Cam Ward passed for a career-high 304 yards, and Tennessee pushed Cincinnati to overtime. Amani Hooker’s three interceptions gave the Titans chances to turn that effort into a win. Tennessee earns a small move up for the competitive performance, with its record still reflecting how rarely those chances have become wins.
31. Miami Dolphins (1–6) — Down 1
Miami kept New England within reach in rainy conditions but gave up touchdown passes of 43 and 48 yards. Those two plays made the difference in a game the Dolphins lost by five. The defense needs to limit that kind of damage while the offense is still searching for enough scoring to close games.
32. Los Angeles Chargers (0–7) — No change
Three early field goals gave the Chargers a 9–3 lead against the Rams, but they did not score again. Two interceptions and no touchdowns kept them from capitalizing on the strong start. The only winless team needs to finish drives before it can move out of last place.
Brian’s Take
The most useful test in Week 9 is Buffalo at Minnesota because both teams can use the matchup to address an open question. Buffalo gets a chance to keep its offense moving against a defense that has allowed 93 points in seven games, while Minnesota must show it can regain control after Detroit dictated the second half on the ground. Chicago and Denver earned their places near the top with strong finishes, but the Monday matchup offers the clearest chance for one of the 6–1 teams to separate itself.