Now that Week 8 of the 2026 NFL season is in the books, it’s time for an incredibly meaningful and serious exercise: NFL Power Rankings! What differentiates these rankings from all others is that they’re THE only truly accurate ones in the entire universe. Hard to believe, I know. But it’s true. Let’s take a look at how all 32 teams stack up.
BLG’S WEEK 9 POWER RANKINGS
1 – Chicago Bears (LW: 5) – The Bears going into Seattle and dominating the reigning Super Bowl champions was really impressive. This team looks like a force
to be reckoned with, especially after adding Jeffery Simmons to their defense. Overall strong combination of talent and coaching.
2 – San Francisco 49ers (LW: 2) – The 49ers had a solid bye with Seattle (NFC West threat) and Minnesota (No. 1 seed threat) losing. They’ll host a spunky Raiders team in Week 9.
3 – Buffalo Bills (Last Week: 3) – The Bills have lost one game this season and it was by three points to a division rival. As their conference’s only one-loss team, they have a navigable path to the No. 1 seed in the AFC playoff picture.
4 – Kansas City Chiefs (LW: 1) – Make that two straight losses for the Chiefs. This team needs some help ahead of the NFL trade deadline and they’ll probably make some moves to get it.
5 – Detroit Lions (LW: 7) – The Lions are the only NFC North team yet to lose a game in their very competitive division. They continue to be ravaged by injuries but they shouldn’t be slept on.
6 – Minnesota Vikings (LW: 4) – The Vikings weren’t going to stay undefeated with how inept their offense has been. Their defense is going to make teams really earn wins over them, though.
7 – Jacksonville Jaguars (LW: 9) – The Jags own the NFL’s best point differential at +85. The next closest team is the 49ers at +58. Jacksonville also ranks second in DVOA. They’re a real title contender.
8 – Seattle Seahawks (LW: 6) – If the season ended today, which it doesn’t, the Seahawks would actually be on the outside looking in with seven teams ahead of them in the NFC playoff picture. This is still a good team but they’re not an elite team like they were last year.
9 – Cincinnati Bengals (LW: 8) – Despite being 12.5-point home favorites, the Bengals needed overtime to beat the lowly Titans. Not really ideal to allow Cam Ward to log the third-best passer rating of his career against your defense.
10 – New England Patriots (LW: 11) – It has not been a great vibes season for the Pats but they’re 4-1 in their last five games. Drake Maye has thrown 14 touchdowns to two interceptions for a 122.2 passer rating during that stretch.
11 – Los Angeles Rams (LW: 12) – The Rams are benefiting from a softer part of their schedule. It also sounds like Myles Garrett could be back soon. Maybe they’ll make a run.
12 – Denver Broncos (LW: 13) – Unfortunately, Sean Payton is a pretty good coach. The Broncos are tied for the NFL’s best record against the spread this season, a sign that this team is outperforming their expectations.
13 – Las Vegas Raiders (LW: 15) – The Raiders broke their four-game losing streak with a thrilling win over the Jets. Very interested to see how they fare over their next three games: at San Francisco, vs. Seattle, at Denver. That stretch will be a litmus test for just how real this team is.
14 – Green Bay Packers (LW: 16) – The Packers are lacking a signature win over a good team this season. They’ve beaten lesser competition but have yet to come out on top against a big dog. (I’m not counting the Bears game that Tyson Bagent started.)
15 – Pittsburgh Steelers (LW: 20) – Do we have to take the Steelers seriously? They’re currently the top team in the AFC North, though Cincy’s ceiling appears to be higher.
16 – Baltimore Ravens (LW: 10) – Oof. The Ravens are taking a big fall here after losing both Lamar Jackson and Tyler Huntley to injury. Undrafted rookie Joe Fagnano might start in Week 9 even though he’s banged up as well. Not looking good.
17 – Dallas Cowboys (LW: 14) – The Dallas defense is a joke and Brian Schottenheimer is doing a bad job. That being said, Dak Prescott deserves more blame than he’s getting. The Cowboys actually got a stop in overtime after the Cardinals got the ball first. Only needing to move into Brandon Aubrey’s long field goal range while playing at home, Prescott oversaw a drive that netted -5 yards in three plays and resulted in a punt. That’s a gotta have it moment for the highest paid quarterback in the NFL and he came up extremely small in a huge spot. Hardly the first time!
18 – New York Giants (LW: 18) – The G-Men are returning from their bye as road betting favorites in Philly for the first time since 2009. New York is also looking to boost their roster with more talent ahead of the NFL trade deadline. They just might win the NFC East.
19 – Cleveland Browns (LW: 17) – The Browns had a chance to make people take them more seriously by beating the Steelers in Pittsburgh. They did not come close to making it happen.
20 – Tampa Bay Buccaneers (LW: 22) – Obligatory mention of the Bucs winning in Week 8 despite not completing a pass. The Bucs are perhaps following the 2024 Eagles script of just running the hell out of the ball. Not a bad strategy if teams can’t stop it!
21 – Carolina Panthers (LW: 19) – Two of the three Panthers’ win this season have come against depth quarterbacks (Cooper Rush and Tanner McKee). They’re not scaring anybody.
22 – Atlanta Falcons (LW: 21) – I continue to maintain that the Falcons are the NFL’s most unpredictable team on a weekly basis. They followed up an impressive Week 7 over the 49ers by losing to a team that couldn’t even complete a single pass against them.
23 – Arizona Cardinals (LW: 27) – Minshew Mania is running wild on you, brother! The Cards are one win away from surpassing their 2026 projected win total (3.5 games) with nine games left to play. Props to Mike LaFleur for helping his team overachieve expectations.
24 – New Orleans Saints (LW: 23) – The Saints are returning from their bye to host the Sheuder Sanders-led Browns. We’ll see if Kellen Moore can make a run in a weak NFC South.
25 – Houston Texans (LW: 24) – The Texans are returning from their bye to play the Bolts in California. If Houston can’t win this game, stick a fork in them.
26 – Washington Commanders (LW: 28) – The Commanders didn’t exactly look amazing in a win over the Eagles but, hey, they bought some time to keep their season alive in a weak division. We’ll see if they can build on this victory with the Rams, Giants (massive game in the NFC East), and Bengals up next.
27 – Miami Dolphins (LW 29) – After losing their first three games by double digits, the Dolphins’ last four games have been decided by one possession (1-3 in that stretch). Progress?
28 – New York Jets (LW: 30) – The Jets aren’t good but they’ve at least played some entertaining games this season.
29 – Philadelphia Eagles (LW: 25) – The Eagles are pitiful. I have my doubts that Nick Sirianni is going to survive a failure this massive.
30 – Tennessee Titans (LW: 31) – Taking the Bengals to overtime feels like a moral victory for this group.
31 – Indianapolis Colts (LW: 26) – Tanking doesn’t do the Colts much good since they don’t their own their first-round pick in the 2027 NFL Draft. But they’ll still get higher picks in the other rounds.
32 – Los Angeles Chargers (LW: 32) – Five of the Chargers’ seven losses have come by more than one possession. They haven’t even really been competitive.
