NFL Power Rankings Week 9: Updated 2018 Regular-Season Standings

Monday Night Football brought no surprises in terms of outcome, with the Buffalo Bills falling to the New England Patriots. However, the shock came with Tom Brady throwing no touchdowns on the game and Devin McCourty returning a pick-six 84 yards for a touchdown.

That capped off Week 8—a week with not a single upset. All teams with better records won, and most teams won by a fair margin. The closest and most exciting game took place between the undefeated Los Angeles Rams and the Green Bay Packers—with the Rams triumphing on a fumble.

With that being said, Week 8 didn’t change much in terms of power rankings. Injuries affected some teams more than others, while others stayed in the same general area as last week’s power rankings.

Here’s a look at the division standings following Week 8, as well as the power rankings for Week 9, with explanations on a few standings.

NFL Division Standings After Week 8

AFC East

1. New England Patriots (6-2)

2. Miami Dolphins (4-4)

3. New York Jets (3-5)

4. Buffalo Bills (2-6)

AFC North

1. Pittsburgh Steelers (4-2-1)

2. Cincinnati Bengals (5-3)

3. Baltimore Ravens (4-4)

4. Cleveland Browns (2-5-1)

AFC South

1. Houston Texans (5-3)

2. Tennessee Titans (3-4)

3. Jacksonville Jaguars (3-5)

4. Indianapolis Colts (3-5)

AFC West

1. Kansas City Chiefs (7-1)

2. Los Angeles Chargers (5-2)

3. Denver Broncos (3-5)

4. Oakland Raiders (1-6)

NFC East

1. Washington Redskins (5-2)

2. Philadelphia Eagles (4-4)

3. Dallas Cowboys (3-4)

4. New York Giants (1-7)

NFC North

1. Chicago Bears (4-3)

2. Minnesota Vikings (4-3-1)

3. Green Bay Packers (3-3-1)

4. Detroit Lions (3-4)

NFC South

1. New Orleans Saints (6-1)

2. Carolina Panthers (5-2)

3. Atlanta Falcons (3-4)

4. Tampa Bay Buccaneers (3-4)

NFC West

1. Los Angeles Rams (8-0)

2. Seattle Seahawks (4-3)

3. Arizona Cardinals (2-6)

4. San Francisco 49ers (1-7)

Week 9 Power Rankings

1. Los Angeles Rams (8-0)

2. Kansas City Chiefs (7-1)

3. New England Patriots (6-2)

4. New Orleans Saints (6-1)

5. Los Angeles Chargers (5-2)

6. Washington Redskins (5-2)

7. Pittsburgh Steelers (4-2-1)

8. Cincinnati Bengals (5-3)

9. Carolina Panthers (5-2)

10. Minnesota Vikings (4-3-1)

11. Houston Texans (5-3)

12. Baltimore Ravens (4-4)

13. Green Bay Packers (3-3-1)

14. Philadelphia Eagles (4-4)

15. Chicago Bears (4-3)

16. Denver Broncos (3-5)

17. Seattle Seahawks (4-3)

18. Detroit Lions (3-4)

19. Jacksonville Jaguars (3-5)

20. Tampa Bay Buccaneers (3-4)

21. Miami Dolphins (4-4)

22. Dallas Cowboys (3-4)

23. Tennessee Titans (3-4)

24. Indianapolis Colts (3-5)

25. New York Jets (3-5)

26. Atlanta Falcons (3-4)

27. Cleveland Browns (2-5-1)

28. New York Giants (1-7)

29. Buffalo Bills (2-6)

30. Arizona Cardinals (2-6)

31. Oakland Raiders (1-6)

32. San Francisco 49ers (1-7)

Green Bay Packers at No. 13 despite having only three wins 

Aaron Rodgers and the Green Bay Packers have not been at peak performance so far this season, with only three wins going into Week 9. While landing at No. 13 in the Week 9 power rankings might seem high, taking a closer look at the Packers might prove why they’re worth keeping faith in.

Two of the Packers' three losses have come to top teams—the Washington Redskins and the Los Angeles Rams. Green Bay lost to the undefeated Rams by only 2, and it would have had a chance to win the game had Ty Montgomery not fumbled the ball on the kickoff return. Rodgers would have had two minutes to get the ball into field-goal range, and his success in stressful situations boded well for the Packers in that moment.

Beyond almost beating the only undefeated team in the league, the Packers' tie was against a Minnesota team that had Kirk Cousins throwing over 400 yards and four touchdowns. Stefon Diggs and Adam Thielen joined him with over 100 yards each and combined for three touchdowns.

Needless to say, Green Bay has faltered against top-notch teams. Rodgers has thrown for over 2,000 yards and 13 touchdowns this season—with only one interception. Additionally, nine different players on the team have scored at least one touchdown, showing the depth potential the Packers have. Wideout Davante Adams leads the pack with almost 700 yards and six touchdowns.

This Packers team has the ability to make some noise but is playing one of the tougher schedules in their division, leaving them at third in the NFC North. They barely trail Minnesota and Chicago—who they beat by one in the season opener. It wouldn’t take the Packers very much to take charge of their division.

Houston Texans rocket up to No. 10 but could be higher

The Texans have added another win to their winning streak, reaching five straight at number one in the AFC South. Despite their 5-3 record, they fall outside of the top-10—and are ranked below teams with fewer wins—as a result of the season-ending injury to wide receiver Will Fuller. 

It is not a surprise that DeAndre Hopkins has excelled this season as a top-10 receiver almost every week—with close to 800 receiving yards and six touchdowns. However, joining him was wideout Will Fuller and, more recently, tight end Jordan Thomas.

Prior to tearing his ACL, Fuller was providing the team with more depth at the receiver position with his 500 plus yards and four touchdowns. Now, he leaves Houston scrambling to find a new target for Deshaun Watson. Thomas also proved himself a potentially worthy target; catching two touchdowns in Houston’s 42-23 domination of Miami on Sunday.

Watson has thrown for over 200 yards on the season, paired with 15 touchdowns. Where the young quarterback falters slightly is controlling the ball, as he’s thrown seven interceptions and fumbled three times so far the season. Even with these mistakes, Watson hasn’t thrown an interception in the past two games—the two games where the Texans have won by the largest margins.

It is unclear what the future holds for a Texans team that just lost one of their only other receivers besides Hopkins. However, if Watson can continue on this upward trajectory, and the Texans can somehow finesse another wideout, Houston can be a top playoff contender.