Week 9 in the NFL was full of some lopsided results. Eight games saw the winning team ahead by at least two possessions. Only three games going into Monday night were decided by four points or less.
There’s some separation happening as the second half of the 2026 regular season is here. The best teams are playing better, while the worst teams seem to have attrition pile up against them.
Five teams — the Steelers, Bengals, Broncos, Bears and Lions — all have winning streaks of four or more games. Five other teams — the Jets, Ravens, Colts, Chargers and Eagles all have losing streaks of four or more games.
Putting all that into a blender, here’s looking at how all 32 teams stack up against each other going into Week 10:
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NFL Power Rankings
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1. Buffalo Bills 6-1 (previous ranking: 1)
The Bills go into Monday night’s game against the Vikings averaging a league-best 33.3 points per game, about a field goal ahead of the Bengals. They will face a Minnesota defense giving up a league-low 13.3 points per game. The key will be how well Josh Allen can run vs. the blitz.
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2. San Francisco 49ers 7-1 (2)
Christian McCaffrey is surging toward the Hall of Fame after getting up to 18 career games with a rushing and receiving TD. The running game is less efficient than usual, but he has stayed healthy and effective thanks to emerging rookie steal Kaelon Black. The 49ers are up to eight receivers with scoring receptions from Brock Purdy this season.
3. Chicago Bears 7-2 (4)
The Bears somehow survived five turnovers against the Buccaneers because of their defense staying dominant in one area. They went into Sunday night allowing opponents to convert at only 23.8 percent on third down, and they held the Buccaneers to 2-for-12 (16.7 percent)
4. Denver Broncos 7-2 (3)
Bo Nix doesn’t blow away anyone with big numbers, but he had a classic game in Carolina, spreading his 25 completions over eight players. Rushing for only 82 yards on the Panthers is worrisome, but they have found their versatile lead back in rookie Jonah Coleman.
5. Kansas City Chiefs 6-2 (6)
Patrick Mahomes and Travis Kelce are up to connecting for 9,360 passing/receiving yards, a new record for a quarterback and tight end combination. Kenneth Walker III is on pace for 24 total TDs and can challenge the single-season franchise record of 27.
6. Jacksonville Jaguars 6-2 (7)
The Jaguars are up to plus-9 in turnover differential to lead the NFL. No wonder their average margin of victory is 13.8 points per game. Jacksonville is running away with the AFC South, so it’s just now a matter of whether it can lock down the No. 1 seed.
7. Minnesota Vikings 5-1 (5)
The Vikings average only 20 points per game, which ranks them near the 10 worst teams in the NFL. They will hope Carson Wentz provides a spark again vs. the Bills with struggling Kyler Murray out. They can’t win the high-scoring NFC North if that number doesn’t improve soon.
8. Pittsburgh Steelers 6-2 (8)
The Steelers are more confident they can win big in Aaron Rodgers’ presumed final season. He’s on pace to hit 27 touchdown passes for the 12th time in his career, but he would like to increase his career-low 6.5 yards per passing attempt.
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9. Seattle Seahawks 5-4 (9)
The Seahawks got back to their ideal 50-50 offense to dominate the Cardinals, with 28 Drew Lock passes to match the number of non-Lock runs. The result was 120 rushing yards, finding the right groove with Zach Charbonnet and rookie Jadarian Price, with the latter becoming a receiving factor.
10. Detroit Lions 6-2 (11)
The Lions’ once-maligned defense has allowed only a total of 62 points during their four-game winning streak. They will get a good test against the Patriots in Munich, Germany, in Week 10, where Jared Goff needs to shake off back-to-back sub 200-yard, one-INT games.
11. Cincinnati Bengals 6-2 (12)
Joe Burrow, after picking apart the Falcons downfield in Spain, is up to a league-leading 74.0 completion percentage while still averaging a robust 8.0 yards per attempt. He’s on pace for 5,070 passing yards and 49 TDs, which would be one of the all-time great passing seasons.
MORE: Joe Burrow, Jordan Love among four QBs who boosted MVP chances
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12. Green Bay Packers 6-3 (14)
The Packers have proved once again Matt LaFleur is locked into their offensive strengths in a given season. They got up to 32 runs to match Jordan Love’s 32 dropbacks in New England, but only because Love passed them to big plays and a big lead. This team is playing great complementary football, because jumping ahead also lets them tee off with pressure to force turnovers. Just wait if Micah Parsons can return.
13. Los Angeles Rams 5-4 (13)
The Rams have become very reliant on Puka Nacua to move the ball and Myles Garrett to clean up for their defense. But Nacua cannot shake injury issues and Garrett is just returning from his long absence. Nacua accounted for more than half of their offensive yards (170 of 334) against the Commanders to save the day. If he’s out again, L.A. would have some real issues.
14. New England Patriots 5-4 (10)
The Patriots, in their five wins, have seen Drake Maye throw a combined two interceptions. In their four losses, he has thrown a combined 9 interceptions. He’s starting to press and force the issue in the passing game as the defense keeps struggling, not a good formula.
15. New York Giants 5-2-1 (15)
The Giants keep getting breaks in the schedule, where even some combination of J.J. McCarthy and Jameis Winston can give them a QB edge. They are winning several battles of attrition, just outlasting opponents, but they should not apologize for how much mental toughness John Harbaugh has instilled in them. So much for knocking him for the Ravens’ blown leads.
16. Cleveland Browns 5-4 (16)
The Browns’ aggressive nature with first-year coach Todd Monken should be applauded. Even though they didn’t win the overtime game in New Orleans, seeing their passing game click so much with Shedeur Sanders is inspiring. Making the playoffs is less important than finding out whether Sanders can be their franchise QB.
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17. Dallas Cowboys 4-5 (23)
The Cowboys are a roller coaster with Brian Schottenheimer and their lack of reliable defense never makes a lead safe, especially when they get too enamored with Dak Prescott’s passing. They outlasted the Colts with near-perfect balance, with 37 Prescott dropbacks matched by 34 total runs. That’s the formula the Cowboys need: A lot more Javonte Williams.
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18. Houston Texans 3-5 (26)
C.J. Stroud lit up the Chargers for 384 yards and 5 TDs, bringing him up to an average of 281 yards per game and on pace for 34 TDs. He’s averaging 8.0 yards per attempt with a 112.1 passer rating. He’s all but locked up his lucrative second contract.
19. Las Vegas Raiders 4-5 (18)
The Raiders went to San Francisco, allowing an average of 146.4 rushing yards per game, the second-highest total in the NFL. They gave up 190 to a 49ers combination led by McCaffrey and rookie Kaelon Black. They also only ran for 24. That kind of disparity doesn’t add up to winning games.
20. Baltimore Ravens 4-5 (17)
The Ravens might be trying to move Derrick Henry, but they can’t expect to be competitive without a mobile quarterback and with a shaky offensive line. They also need some semblance of a running game to keep from overexposing Jesse Minter’s struggling defense. If Henry is traded, it would be waving the white flag in trying to be respectable the rest of the way.
21. Tampa Bay Buccaneers 3-6 (19)
The Buccaneers dropped to 1-6 in games outside the NFC South after losing a tough one in Chicago on Sunday night. They remain the NFL’s top rushing offense, averaging 163.9 yards per game. They will hope to rev up the passing game after a needed Week 10 bye.
22. Atlanta Falcons 3-6 (20)
The Falcons, in losing to the Bengals in Madrid, saw Bijan Robinson post his first (exact) 100-yard rushing game since Week 4. When he hits the century mark, they are 2-1 and 1-5 otherwise. Michael Penix Jr. needs to be more consistent again after his hot start.
23. New Orleans Saints 3-5 (27)
The Saints finally marched away with a home victory, working hard in overtime with a gritty Tyler Shough leading the offense to cool off the hot seat (a little) for Kellen Moore. Brandon Staley, however, may not be safe, as the defense is giving up an average of 27 points per game.
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24. Arizona Cardinals 3-6 (21)
The Cardinals traded Brissett, which was the right move. They got a win from Gardner Minshew in Dallas, which was the right move. But after Minshew was ripped in Seattle, the next right move is starting rookie Carson Beck.
25. Carolina Panthers 3-5 (22)
The Panthers’ big defensive issue, with or without now-fired former defensive coordinator Ejiro Evero, has been staying on the field too much after third down. Opponents have converted around 54 percent against them. The Broncos were 6-for-10, even when held to 82 rushing yards by a horrible run defense.
26. Washington Commanders 2-5-1 (24)
The Commanders seem to have lost some trust in Jayden Daniels as a downfield passer without Terry McLaurin in David Blough’s offense. The aggressive decision-making from Dan Quinn in Daniels’ rookie season has been replaced with tentative, not-to-lose coaching, and it keeps costing the team. Sadly, it will also likely cost Quinn his job soon.
27. Philadelphia Eagles 2-7 (25)
The Eagles have gone through Tanner McKee and Joe Milton III behind Jalen Hurts and have lost seven consecutive games. They are playing for next year in this unbelievable injury mess of a season. That means it’s time to see what they have in rookie Cole Payton. Nick Sirianni should still be safe to keep his job, but he needs to play Payton with nothing left to lose.
28. New York Jets 2-7 (28)
Geno Smith had operated with a touchdown pass in seven consecutive games until the Garrett Wilson-less clunker in Kansas City, in which he rated a season-low 70.4. With the Jets free-falling out any wild-card contention, it might be time soon to evaluate rookie Cade Klubnik.
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29. Indianapolis Colts 2-7 (29)
Daniel Jones and Jonathan Taylor each had a fourth-quarter turnover in a close loss to the Cowboys, which sums up the season for Shane Steichen’s offense. Have both the QB and running back played their last down in Indianapolis? Backups Seth McGowan and Anthony Richardson may soon shake things up further.
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30. Tennessee Titans 1-7 (31)
The Titans hope the bye will lead to better play from Cam Ward in the second half of the season. He had his first two-TD pass game of the season and also ended a five-game interception streak in the Week 8 overtime thriller vs. the Bengals. The rub is facing the first-place Jaguars in two of the next three games.
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31. Miami Dolphins 1-7 (30)
The Dolphins, as expected, with their limited and inexperienced receiving corps, is No. 32 in the NFL with an average of only 164.8 passing yards per game. Malik Willis is doing all he can, but this is leading to having their pick of a franchise QB in the 2027 draft.
32. Los Angeles Chargers 0-8 (32)
Justin Herbert increased his league-high interception total to 11 against the Texans. DJ Uiagalelei proved in mopup duty, however, why the Chargers are stuck, unable to make a real QB change. Losing key offensive line and receiving help are factors, but the ugliness has gotten to be too consistent.
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