NFL Power Rankings Week 9: Division Standings and Latest 2018-19 Super Bowl Odds

It's never fun to describe a week of NFL action as uneventful, yet here we are on the way to Week 9. 

The Week 8 slate didn't make any major changes to the outlook in most areas, from Super Bowl odds to overall standings in the power rankings. 

Both marquee matchups played out in unsurprising fashion. The Los Angeles Rams held off a furious rally from Aaron Rodgers and the Green Bay Packers, while the New Orleans Saints once again got it done by taking down the Minnesota Vikings. 

In the wake of a ho-hum week as fans get accustomed to the new hierarchy, here's how everything stands. 

2018 NFL Power Rankings and Super Bowl Odds

Rank	Team (SB odds)
1	Los Angeles Rams (14-5)
2	New England Patriots (11-2)
3	Kansas City Chiefs (6-1)
4	New Orleans Saints (8-1)
5	Los Angeles Chargers (16-1)
6	Washington Redskins (33-1)
7	Carolina Panthers (28-1)
8	Cincinnati Bengals (45-1)
9	Minnesota Vikings (12-1)
10	Houston Texans (25-1)
11	Seattle Seahawks (50-1)
12	Philadelphia Eagles (25-1)
13	Green Bay Packers (25-1)
14	Pittsburgh Steelers (18-1)
15	Chicago Bears (33-1)
16	Baltimore Ravens (25-1)
17	Dallas Cowboys (45-1)
18	Tennessee Titans (80-1)
19	Detroit Lions (50-1)
20	Miami Dolphins (150-1)
21	Jacksonville Jaguars (40-1)
22	Denver Broncos (100-1)
23	Atlanta Falcons (40-1)
24	Tampa Bay Buccaneers (125-1)
25	New York Jets (150-1)
26	Indianapolis Colts (1500-1)
27	Cleveland Browns (150-1)
28	Arizona Cardinals (500-1)
29	Oakland Raiders (300-1)
30	San Francisco 49ers (500-1)
31	New York Giants (250-1)
32	Buffalo Bills (400-1)

Odds courtesy of OddsShark. 

Division Standings

AFC East

• New England 5-2 
• Miami 4-4 
• N.Y. Jets 3-5 
• Buffalo 2-5 

AFC North

• Pittsburgh 4-2-1
• Cincinnati 5-3 
• Baltimore 4-4 
• Cleveland 2-5-1

AFC South

• Houston 5-3 
• Tennessee 3-4 
• Indianapolis 3-5 
• Jacksonville 3-5 

AFC West

• Kansas City 7-1 
• L.A. Chargers 5-2 
• Denver 3-5 
• Oakland 1-6 

NFC East

• Washington 5-2 
• Philadelphia 4-4 
• Dallas 3-4 
• N.Y. Giants 1-7 

NFC North

• Chicago 4-3 
• Minnesota 4-3-1
• Green Bay 3-3-1
• Detroit 3-4 

NFC South

• New Orleans 6-1 
• Carolina 5-2 
• Atlanta 3-4 
• Tampa Bay 3-4 

NFC West

• L.A. Rams 8-0 
• Seattle 4-3 
• Arizona 2-6 
• San Francisco 1-7 

Time to Buy In: Houston Texans (25-1)

Matt Patterson/Associated Press

Would-be bettors can once again count on the AFC South. 

There, quietly, the Houston Texans lead the division on the back of five consecutive wins. This is hardly getting any press, but taking down a surging Indianapolis team, a would-be contender like Jacksonville and surviving Dallas in overtime as part of the streak doesn't look too bad. 

Now keep in mind two of the losses for a five-win team came on the road in New England and Tennessee each by seven or fewer points. 

That certainly sounds like a contender, right? 

All the Texans did in Week 8 on a Thursday game was blow away Miami, 42-23 behind five touchdown passes by Deshaun Watson. While the national spotlight shines on someone like Patrick Mahomes, Watson is just going about his business: 

Watson has a top-five wideout in DeAndre Hopkins and a J.J. Watt-led defense that has 21 sacks and allowed more than 20 points just twice over the five-game tear. 

The rest of the schedule isn't too tough, either. The Texans get the rest of a weak division again and also get cupcakes like Cleveland and the New York Jets, so the playoffs seem like a formality at this point—the quarterback and strong defense make it seem like postseason wins are possible. 

Jump Ship: Baltimore Ravens (25-1)

Nell Redmond/Associated Press

The Baltimore Ravens are who we thought they were. 

Those Ravens entered the season with a mediocre-looking offense despite a revamped set of wideouts and a passable defense that didn't match some of the units that came before it. 

Now the Ravens sit at .500 after two straight losses, the most concerning point being they came up short against a pair of contenders. 

In Week 7, Baltimore went down at the hands of New Orleans, 24-23. This past weekend, the Ravens hardly showed up against the Carolina Panthers, losing 36-21 while Joe Flacco bumbled his way to 192 passing yards with one touchdown and two interceptions. 

That Ravens defense coughed up two passing scores and two more on the ground, getting gashed for 154 yards on 4.7 per carry. One of the veteran leaders put it best: 

It doesn't get any better for the Ravens, not with matchups against Pittsburgh, Cincinnati, Kansas City and the Los Angeles Chargers on the menu. Feel free to add in Cleveland, a team they already lost to in overtime. 

Point is, the Ravens don't do any one thing in spectacular fashion and have limited upside as a result. An 8-8 finish to the season or so looks predictable enough, which would be quite disappointing given the vulnerable nature of the AFC North this year. 

Underrated Grab: Seattle Seahawks (50-1)

Paul Sancya/Associated Press

This again. 

The Seattle Seahawks always seem to start a season slow before going on a tear. Last year it was a 1-2 start before winning nine games. This year it's losing two to start the season before winning four of five. 

Four of five, with the only loss a 33-31 outcome against the still-undefeated Los Angeles Rams. 

Not bad, considering the Legion of Boom is now defunct and the roster underwent a major overhaul during the offseason that drummed up headlines like this: 

"At the beginning of [the] season, we were just a young team trying to mesh together. Now we're hitting our groove," defensive end Quinton Jefferson said, according to Matt Calkins of the Seattle Times. "You can just feel the energy, feel the vibe, feel the connection—it feels good."

Indeed, Seattle has won two more in a row, the last one a trip to Detroit for a 28-14 win thanks to a 14-of-17 effort from Russell Wilson that featured three touchdown passes. Lead back Chris Carson rumbled for 105 yards and a score on 4.2 yards per carry. 

Carson is a good example of why the Seahawks are still the Seahawks—the 2017 seventh-round pick is a gem with 457 yards over six games. 

While Seattle won't catch the Rams in the NFC West, it has already shown it can play with them and any other contenders this year. As the train keeps rolling, the Seahawks might only get better.