NFL power rankings: Bills, Packers rise; Ravens, Cowboys struggle ahead of Week 9
By Vinnie Iyer,
9 hours ago
With Week 8 almost in the rearview and Week 9 of the 2024 NFL regular season fast approaching, all 32 teams will have reached the halfway point.
Some teams have had smashing first halves and are looking to build momentum going into the playoffs. Others have had frustrating efforts and are looking to rebound and finish strong in the second half.
At the critical midway juncture, here's going around the league for Sporting News' weekly update on the NFL's hierarchy to see which teams are setting the pace, lagging behind, and intersecting somewhere in the middle.
The Chiefs are methodical about taking care of their opponents, finishing them off however they need to offensively and recovering from whatever lapses they might have defensively. The back-to-back Super Bowl champions remain scary because it's clear they're saving something in the tank for the playoffs again.
The Lions looked sharp again offensively by spreading the ball around in a different way to keep Jared Goff hyper-efficient. They should be considered strong NFC favorites after knocking off Minnesota and dropping 50 on Tennessee in back-to-back weeks.
The Bills know themselves again offensively. They can pound away on the ground and take calculated, favorable deep shots with Josh Allen, which has been huge for him cutting out the turnovers. The defense keeps coming through for Sean McDermott despite its shorthandedness.
4. Green Bay Packers 6-2 (6)
The Packers need to worry about Jordan Love's health and interceptions again, but they're fortunate to have a well-schemed team that allowed Malik Willis to play supersub in Jacksonville with the game on the line.
The Texans keep doing what they need to do vs. weaker opponents in the AFC South. The running game and defense have become bigger assets in taking pressure off C.J. Stroud.
The Commanders saw Jayden Daniels add to his already immense rookie legend with a Hail Mary to beat the Bears, but they're not in position to win that game or many others without Dan Quinn's work to make the defense look a lot more daunting.
The Steelers have a big opportunity to build on their sudden AFC North lead with more starring play from Russell Wilson and the running game to let the defense tee off at home on the Giants on Monday night.
8. Philadelphia Eagles 5-2 (10)
Jalen Hurts needed a get-well game for his prolific rushing and sharper downfield passing, and he was ready to take over against the Bengals until the Eagles had an insurmountable lead and a third straight victory.
9. Minnesota Vikings 5-2 (3)
The Vikings have come back to earth against some tougher offenses with their defense not being in the same position to force turnovers. Now, they need to worry about their offense with left tackle Christian Darrisaw (knee) out for the season.
The Ravens take a hard fall in the rankings, as they didn't seem prepared for the revamped Browns on the road. They are getting a little too enamored with the pass early in games with Lamar Jackson playing so well, but they need to run more to help protect their terrible pass defense.
11. San Francisco 49ers 4-4 (13)
The 49ers dug themselves out of some injury-riddled offensive concerns thanks to Brock Purdy doing whatever it takes with George Kittle. Kyle Shanahan was also forced to trust rising rookies Ricky Pearsall and Isaac Guerendo at critical times vs. the Cowboys.
The Falcons are in the groove with Kirk Cousins pushing all the right passing buttons. Credit Raheem Morris, too, for getting the defense to stay in attack mode and look for game-changing takeaways.
The Broncos should now get more attention because of Bo Nix assuming complete command of Sean Payton's offense. They're taking the first big step, beating up on bad teams and proving they're far removed from being one.
14. Chicago Bears 4-3 (11)
Caleb Williams and the Bears can perform well when they are getting the running game going, but they seemed a little rusty passing after the bye. They just need to emotionally pick up the pieces from a victory being wrestled away by a miracle throw.
The Chargers don't get many style points for how they win with tough defense, a solid running game, and flashes from Justin Herbert, but they are effective and will keep at least putting pressure on the Broncos as the top AFC West wild-card option.
16. Arizona Cardinals 4-4 (21)
Kyler Murray is back freewheeling, and something clicked while locking into Marvin Harrison Jr. like he did Trey McBride last season. The bigger story might be the even-improving second-half pass defense from Jonathan Gannon's group.
17. Tampa Bay Buccaneers 4-4 (12)
The Buccaneers are game to keep passing and work their offense as best they can with Baker Mayfield missing his favorite wide receivers, but they can no longer compensate for their pass defense deficiencies against strong offensive opponents like Atlanta.
18. Seattle Seahawks 4-4 (14)
The Seahawks' run defense issues have been lingering all season, and they got steamrolled by the Bills through ground and air. The offense also seems lost without DK Metcalf (knee) dominating as the go-to guy for Geno Smith.
The Rams got Matthew Stafford's favorite two receivers healthy, and both Puka Nacua and Cooper Kupp delivered for the QB in a throwback to last year's second-half surge. The winning can continue, at least in favorable matchups.
The Cowboys' defense is lost without Micah Parsons (ankle), and they just don't make enough clutch plays vs. the run or pass, which led to the disaster in San Francisco. Dak Prescott and CeeDee Lamb have been game to play catch-up mode well, but the comebacks needed are getting too big.
The Colts are getting sloppy play from Anthony Richardson, and it's costing them in close games. Shane Steichen needs more time to give AR a full second-year evaluation, but like the Browns, Indianapolis might need to go to Joe Flacco to save its fading playoff hopes.
The Bengals started well against the Eagles, but then Joe Burrow, minus Tee Higgins (quad) again, got into a funk and couldn't outduel Jalen Hurts.
23. New York Giants 2-5 (27)
The Giants have put Daniel Jones on notice that he needs to improve his play under Brian Daboll or they will turn to other in-house QB options. Playing the Steelers defense doesn't seem like a good spot to help him.
24. Miami Dolphins 2-5 (24)
The Dolphins saw their entire offense wake up from Tua Tagavoiloa, with the running backs doing the most damage to steal the show from Tyreek Hill and Jaylen Waddle. Unfortunately, Miami's pass defense went into the tank vs. Kyler Murray.
The Jaguars have flashed much better with Trevor Lawrence the past two weeks, streamlining their key offensive weapons with Brian Thomas Jr., Evan Engram, and Tank Bigsby. They still need a lot more out of a young defense to win again.
The Browns hinted at what could have been this season had their quarterback play with Deshaun Watson been above average. Jameis Winston became their 2023 Flacco with sharp pocket passing to his key receivers against a vulnerable Ravens' pass defense. Winston's fiery intangibles have been a great fit with the team, too.
The Saints marched to a different QB, Jake Haener, trying to get something done midgame against the Chargers, but even a gritty defensive effort didn't hold up in Los Angeles. Dennis Allen is getting closer to the end of his tenure.
28. Las Vegas Raiders 2-6 (26)
The Raiders tried to keep up with the Chiefs, as Gardner Minshew started again and played OK, but their run and tight end defense remain their biggest obstacles to having any kind of consistent success.
29. New England Patriots 2-6 (30)
The Patriots were called out for being "soft" by coach Jerod Mayo. He shouldn't say anything like that again after they fought hard until the winning end against the Jets. They went back to the formula of running well and playing clutch defense, led by a revived Rhamondre Stevenson. The bummer was losing Drake Maye to a concussion after a good start.
What was that? The Jets shouldn't be losing when they are playing rather well against lesser opponents, but it happened against the Patriots, who were ready to be relentless to the finish, taking advantage of some more key mental and physical lapses.
The Titans have gotten some offensive spark from Mason Rudolph, but that doesn't make up for the fact their defense, which had been hanging in there well, fell apart at every seam in Detroit.
32. Carolina Panthers 1-7 (31)
The Panthers have proved that defense is a much bigger issue than even their shaky quarterback play, but they at least need to be encouraged that the benching of Bryce Young has led to him playing a little better.
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