2024 NFL Power Rankings Entering Week 9

Following an injury-riddled and chalky seventh week of the NFL season, football fans were rewarded with high totals and show-stopping finishes in Week 8.

The highlight of the week -- and perhaps the season -- came when Jayden Daniels launched a game-winning hail mary as the clock expired on Caleb Williams and the Chicago Bears.

Jameis Winston started his first NFL game in over two years and made good on the second-chance opportunity, tossing for 334 yards and 3 touchdowns in a 29-24 upset win over the Baltimore Ravens.

The Miami Dolphins (2-5), Cincinnati Bengals (3-5), New York Jets (2-6), and Dallas Cowboys (3-4) -- four teams that were considered Super Bowl contenders at the start of the year -- all saw their playoff hopes diminish further after losing in Week 8. The Kansas City Chiefs (7-0), meanwhile, extended their perfect record and sit in the driver's seat of their conference, boasting +200 AFC Championship odds.

The Pittsburgh Steelers and San Francisco 49ers are on bye this week. Some key matchups to look out for include Dallas at Atlanta Falcons, Los Angeles Rams at Seattle Seahawks, and Detroit Lions at Green Bay Packers.

With that, let's check out our NFL Power Rankings -- which are powered by numberFire's nERD-based rankings -- as we look ahead to Week 9.

All NFL odds come from FanDuel Sportsbook.

NFL Power Rankings (Week 9)

Teams Ranked 32nd to 23rd

The Carolina Panthers (1-7) continue to get bullied by opponents and traded Diontae Johnson to the Ravens earlier this afternoon. We'll touch further on Baltimore later, but their offense continues to get scarier and scarier.

The Cowboys (3-4) are in shambles, as evidenced by their 10.7% playoff chance and 30th schedule-adjusted ranking, per numberFire. Dallas' next four games are as follows: at Atlanta, vs. Philadelphia Eagles, vs. Houston Texans, and at Washington. If they can make good on those two NFC East matchups, they'll stay very much alive. Otherwise, it could be a wrap for the 'Boys.

Tua Tagovailoa returned to action this past Sunday and resuscitated the Miami Dolphins' offense. Tua helped the team notch 27 points, marking the first time the Dolphins exceeded 15 points since Week 1. But that wasn't enough as the Arizona Cardinals overtook them with a 28-27 victory. The Dolphins now sit at 2-5 and are looking down the barrel of a road date with the Buffalo Bills. Similar to Dallas, time is running out for this team to make a bold comeback.

Teams Ranked 22nd to 13th

It's been tough sledding for the Bengals, who enter Week 9 with a lackluster 3-5 record. We tried to excuse their first four losses of the season as all were dropped by six points or fewer and three of those contests came against the Ravens, Chiefs, and Commanders. However, a 37-17 loss to the Eagles over the weekend doesn't inspire us with much hope. Neither does their 26th-ranked schedule-adjusted defense. With that said, Joe Burrow and company have rarely been known for their hot starts. While this team no longer has the luxury of dropping those fifty-fifty games, their path to a Wild Card spot remains open, and they'll have a chance to bounce back against the Las Vegas Raiders this weekend.

numberFire doesn't see any value in backing Cincinnati's current +124 playoff odds -- though it is of note that the market still views them as a contender.

We have every right to continue to hold out some hope for the Bengals. The Jets, on the other hand, are total dust. Firing Robert Saleh and trading for Davante Adams hasn't stopped this team from losing five straight. They hit a new low this weekend, losing a very winnable game against the New England Patriots.

With AFC teams such as the Dolphins, Jets, and Bengals flailing, the door is somehow wide open for the Indianapolis Colts (4-4) to make it to the postseason. The Colts not only benefit from those underperforming AFC groups, but they also tout the eighth-easiest remaining strength of schedule, per Tankathon. Indy's camp is well aware of the potential for a playoff push; they just announced the team is benching Anthony Richardson in favor of Joe Flacco.

Teams Ranked 12th to 1st

I can't say I was expecting to see the Denver Broncos (5-3) on this tier, especially at the midway point of the season. Entering Week 3, the then 0-2 Broncos placed 28th in our power rankings. Sean Payton's group has since won five of their last six. Denver's top-ranked schedule-adjusted defense can carry them far, but their next three games are at Ravens, at Chiefs, and vs. Falcons. They'll wrap up the regular season with a visit to Cincinnati and a home date against the Chiefs. If you're a Broncos fan, you're probably hoping that Kansas City will have already clinched home field advantage by the time we get to that finale.

Another week, another power ranking that accounts for each NFC North group in our top tier. The Bears (4-3) lost a heartbreaker on Sunday while the Minnesota Vikings (5-2) dropped their second straight in Week 8. The Lions (6-1) will visit the Packers (6-2) this weekend for a game that favors Detroit by 3.5 points and is showing a massive 48.5 over/under. You can get Detroit's NFC North odds at -130.

The Chiefs (+450), Ravens (+650), Lions (+650), and 49ers (+750) are dominating the Super Bowl odds market. Notably, numberFire (8.7%) sees a hair of value in Buffalo's +1100 Super Bowl odds (8.3% implied probability), as well as Washington's +2500 odds (3.85%), which are down from numberFire's 4.4% mark.

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The above author is a FanDuel employee and is not eligible to compete in public daily fantasy contests or place sports betting wagers on FanDuel. The advice provided by the author does not necessarily represent the views of FanDuel. Taking the author's advice will not guarantee a successful outcome. You should use your own judgment when participating in daily fantasy contests or placing sports wagers.