Just like that, Week 9 is in the books, and the Green Bay Packers rolled to a 45-27 win over the reigning AFC champion New England Patriots. Despite a very ugly start to the 2026 season, Green Bay finds itself with a 6-3 record, and actually trending upward.
The national media has noticed the Packers’ marked improvement, with Jordan Love starting to find his way into MVP conversations. Xavier McKinney and Evan Williams are also entering the national conversation, after both recording interceptions
in Sunday’s win, with McKinney hauling in two picks in the effort.
To that point, Green Bay’s win over New England may have been the most complete game in all facets. Jordan Love was dealing, the rushing attack totaled over 100 yards as a team, the Packers defense got home for 4 sacks — also forcing 4 turnovers — and Trey Smack was 3 for 3 on field goals and 4 for 4 on extra points. Even further, Green Bay only committed 3 penalties for 14 yards in the game, a far cry from the team that was leading the league for most of the season.
The Packers have won back-to-back games, and 5 of its last 6 contests. With the drubbing of New England, Green Bay has started to knock on the door of being one of the top teams in most outlets’ power rankings around the league. Let’s take a look at where the Packers stand after Week 9 around the NFL, prior to the trade deadline:
NFL Power Rankings Entering Week 10:
Sports Illustrated: 5th
Sports Illustrated’s Conor Orr was the highest on Green Bay after Week 9, shooting them up into the top 5 after ranking them at 8th one week ago. Orr writes:
“Here’s why I love what I do (honestly): I spent all offseason studying the run game, heavier personnel packages and the increased usage of 21 personnel. Jordan Love is going to come out and throw for 5,000 yards (seriously) with no running game to speak of whatsoever and the Packers are one of the best teams in the NFL.”
USA Today: 7th
NFL.com: 8th
The Athletic: 9th
Fox Sports: 9th
CBS Sports: 10th
Yahoo Sports: 10th
Bleacher Report: 11th
ESPN: 11th
Pro Football Talk: 11th
Even in the lowest-ranked piece, PFT notes Green Bay is certainly on the rise with Micah Parsons’ impending return. Should the Packers make any sort of trade at the deadline, whether it be offensive line, defensive line, linebacker, or running back, the sports world is buzzing about the team in Titletown.
