NFL Power Rankings 2019: Week 9 Standings, Team Stats and Season Review

For NFL teams that haven't had a bye week, they've reached the halfway point of their regular season. The other teams will reach that mark this week.

So, it's a good time to step back and take a look at how the season is shaking out so far. There are several teams emerging as legitimate Super Bowl contenders, while others are already looking more toward next season.

Heading into Week 9, here are the current NFL standings, power rankings and some key stats to help review the first eight weeks of the season.

NFL Standings

AFC East

New England (8-0)

Buffalo (5-2)

N.Y. Jets (1-6)

Miami (0-7)

AFC North

Baltimore (5-2)

Pittsburgh (3-4)

Cleveland (2-5)

Cincinnati (0-8)

AFC South

Indianapolis (5-2)

Houston (5-3)

Jacksonville (4-4)

Tennessee (4-4)

AFC West

Kansas City (5-3)

Oakland (3-4)

L.A. Chargers (3-5)

Denver (2-6)

NFC East

Dallas (4-3)

Philadelphia (4-4)

N.Y. Giants (2-6)

Washington (1-7)

NFC North

Green Bay (7-1)

Minnesota (6-2)

Detroit (3-3-1)

Chicago (3-4)

NFC South

New Orleans (7-1)

Carolina (4-3)

Tampa Bay (2-5)

Atlanta (1-7)

NFC West

San Francisco (7-0)

Seattle (6-2)

L.A. Rams (5-3)

Arizona (3-4-1)

Week 9 NFL Power Rankings

1. New England Patriots (8-0)

2. San Francisco 49ers (7-0)

3. New Orleans Saints (7-1)

4. Green Bay Packers (7-1)

5. Baltimore Ravens (5-2)

6. Seattle Seahawks (6-2)

7. Minnesota Vikings (6-2)

8. Indianapolis Colts (5-2)

9. Kansas City Chiefs (5-3)

10. Dallas Cowboys (4-3)

11. Houston Texans (5-3)

12. Los Angeles Rams (5-3)

13. Buffalo Bills (5-2)

14. Carolina Panthers (4-3)

15. Philadelphia Eagles (4-4)

16. Detroit Lions (3-3-1)

17. Jacksonville Jaguars (4-4)

18. Chicago Bears (3-4)

19. Tennessee Titans (4-4)

20. Arizona Cardinals (3-4-1)

21. Oakland Raiders (3-4)

22. Pittsburgh Steelers (3-4)

23. Los Angeles Chargers (3-5)

24. Cleveland Browns (2-5)

25. Denver Broncos (2-6)

26. Tampa Bay Buccaneers (2-5)

27. New York Giants (2-6)

28. New York Jets (1-6)

29. Atlanta Falcons (1-7)

30. Washington Redskins (1-7)

31. Cincinnati Bengals (0-8)

32. Miami Dolphins (0-7)

Week 9 Notable Team Stats

New England Patriots: No. 1 in Points Allowed Per Game (7.6) and Turnover Differential (+17)

How dominant is the Patriots defense this season? Well, it's on historic pace.

Excluding the three return touchdowns that the Pats have allowed while on offense and special teams, their defense is allowing only 5.4 points per game. According to ESPN.com's Bill Barnwell, there has never previously been a team to allow fewer than six points per game over its first eight contests since the AFL-NFL merger in 1970.

New England has scored four defensive touchdowns and allowed only four offensive touchdowns to opposing teams. This past Sunday, the Patriots forced takeaways on three consecutive plays in their win over the Browns, becoming the first team since 2012 to achieve that feat.

There's a reason the Patriots are 8-0 and the early favorite to repeat as Super Bowl champions because of this exceptional defensive play, and the fact they're scoring an NFL-best 31.3 points per game helps too.

San Francisco 49ers: No. 1 in Yards Allowed Per Game (224.4) and Passing Yards Allowed Per Game (128.7)

Tony Avelar/Associated Press

The Patriots were expected to be this good. The 49ers have been more of a surprise.

San Francisco is the only other undefeated team in the NFL, and it's won its first seven games for the first time since 1990. Last year, the 49ers lost seven of their first eight games and went on to finish 4-12.

And they're doing it on the strength of their defense, which has been the clear top unit in the NFC so far. The 49ers may own only two wins over teams with winning records—the Los Angeles Rams and Carolina Panthers, both of whom have three losses—but their victory over the Panthers this past Sunday was an impressive 51-13 rout.

San Francisco's schedule gets tougher in the second half, as it has games against Green Bay, New Orleans and Baltimore, as well as two against NFC West-rival Seattle. But if the 49ers defense keeps up this level of play, they should be difficult to beat.

Dallas Cowboys: No. 1 in Total Yards Per Game (437.9)

Michael Ainsworth/Associated Press

The Cowboys season so far may not seem all that impressive, considering they're 4-3 and have only a half-game lead in a lackluster NFC East. But there are reasons to believe Dallas' second half will be even better.

Through seven games, the Cowboys are racking up yards with a balanced attack. They rank third in the NFL in passing offense (291.9 yards per game) and fourth in rushing offense (146 yards per game). Dallas has also scored at least 31 points in each of its four wins.

The Cowboys' recipe for success is pretty clear. They've lost all three games in which they haven't reached the 30-point mark. If they can translate all those yards into points, they're pretty dangerous.

The NFC East is a weak division. So as long as the Cowboys can outplay the Eagles, they'll be in the playoffs. And if this offense can build momentum and keep rolling, perhaps they could topple some of the NFC powerhouses—such as the 49ers, Saints and Packers—and make a deep run into January.