NFL Divisional Power Rankings, Week 9: NFC South returns to the bottom spot

Ah, the sweet smell of all 32 teams being in action in the National Football League. It’s something we haven’t seen since Week 4, and something we won’t see again until Week 13, which begins with a Thanksgiving Day tripleheader.

As for Week 8, it began on a Thursday night at SoFi Stadium and ended on Monday night in the Steel City. There were three divisional rematches as well, and quite a few memorable finishes.

With two of the teams within the division taking it on the chinstrap this week, would the NFC North remain in the top spot in these rankings — as has been the case the entire season? Is that a trick question?

Here are the latest NFL Divisional Power Rankings

8. NFC South

Last week: 7th

As the 2024 NFL season approaches the midway point, one team in this division has certainly stepped to the forefront, another is treading water, and two clubs are simply plummeting. It’s certainly worth noting that the Atlanta Falcons not only own the only winning record in the NFC South, Raheem Morris’s club is a perfect 4-0 vs. the division rivals. On Sunday, the team completed its first sweep of the Buccaneers since 2018. Still, this inconsistent club owns a negative scoring differential and is just 2-3 at home this season.

Falcons’ quarterback Kirk Cousins wouldn’t mind facing the Bucs again. In two games vs. Tampa this year, he’s thrown for a combined 785 yards and eight touchdowns, with one interception. Turnovers killed Todd Bowles’ shorthanded club once again, who lost at home for the second time in seven days. The Saints dropped their sixth game in a row (26-8 to the Chargers) and the Panthers lost for the fifth straight week (28-14 at Denver). Defense remains an afterthought when it comes to every team in this division.

7. AFC South

Last week: 8th

The distance between the reigning division champions and the rest of the AFC South continues to grow. The Houston Texans were the only one of the four clubs to win on Sunday, completing their first sweep of the Indianapolis Colts since 2016. Meanwhile, the home-standing Jaguars fell at the gun to the Packers, while the sliding Titans were steamrolled in the Motor City. It adds up to DeMeco Ryans’s club tied for the second-best record in the AFC (6-2), while Indianapolis, Jacksonville, and Tennessee are a combined 7-16.

Houston struggled with Shane Steichen’s club again, and their two wins over this division rival came by a combined five points. Colts’ quarterback Anthony Richardson had a forgettable game in many ways, and the team’s QB picture for Week 9 is being “evaluated.” The Titans were overwhelmed at Detroit. The 52-14 setback saw Tennessee give up 363 total yards and six offensive TDs, and a combined 262 yards (1 TD) on punt and kickoff returns. Jacksonville’s defense failed again, allowing 422 total yards in a 30-27 defeat.

6. AFC East

Last week: 5th

Barring a tie, someone had to win at Foxborough on Sunday. The Patriots brought a six-game losing streak into their second clash with the Jets in 2024. New York came up with a 24-3 Thursday night victory back in Week 3, and have now not won since. The skid is now up to five games after the Jets’ reeling defense gave up a touchdown late in the fourth quarter in a 25-22 setback. There’s plenty of blame to go around when it comes to the state of this franchise, hence why the Jets haven’t made a playoff appearance since 2010.

The Dolphins welcomed back Tua Tagovailoa for the first time since Week 2, and Miami totaled a season-high 27 points. However, the Miami defense gave up 279 total yards after intermission, and the ‘Fins couldn’t protect a 20-10 third-quarter lead in a 28-27 loss. McDaniel’s team is 1-3 at home this season. A big positive was the reigning AFC East champion Bills, who made it look easy at Seattle. The 31-10 victory featured 445 yards of total offense. Buffalo’s six wins are as many as the ‘Fins, Jets, and Pats combined.

5. AFC North

Last week: 6th

It was a rough two days for AFC North defenses and not a great showing by this division overall in Week 8. However, the move from sixth to fifth by this division was more of an indictment when it came to the AFC East. The Bengals are once again having season-long issues on this side of the ball, and the Browns have not recaptured that top ranking from 2023. The shocker of sorts has been Baltimore, who allowed the fewest points in the league a year ago. Even the Steelers’ defense was a bit shaky on Monday night.

Veteran Jameis Winston got the nod for Kevin Stefanski’s club vs. the Ravens, who lost Deshaun Watson for the season last week. The 10-year pro threw for 334 yards and three scores, and the Browns won for only the second time. Baltimore has allowed 209 points in eight games, after giving up an NFL-low 280 points in 2023. Cincinnati gave up the final 20 points of the game in a 37-17 loss to the Eagles. Mike Tomlin’s club survived the Giants but gave up a season-high 157 yards rushing in the 26-18 victory.

4. NFC West

Last week: 4th

Every team in the NFC West has lost four games, and the 3-4 Rams are in last place because the other three clubs sport 4-4 records. Via tiebreakers, the Cardinals own the top spot for now. Jonathan Gannon’s team beat an interconference opponent for the second time in seven days via a field goal on the final play of the game, stunning the Dolphins at Miami, 28-27. Arizona has already equaled its win totals from both 2022 and 2023 and is 2-0 vs. their NFC West rivals. The Cards were winless in division play (0-6) a year ago.

The 49ers got back to the .500 mark by holding off the visiting Cowboys on Sunday night, 30-24. San Francisco played turnover-free football and picked off Dallas’ quarterback Dak Prescott twice. Sean McVay’s club handed the Vikings their second loss in a five-day span, thanks to four TD passes from Matthew Stafford. The lone team to lose within the division was the Seahawks, who fell for the fourth time in five games after a 3-0 start. Seattle hosts the Rams on Sunday, while the Niners have the week off.

3. AFC West

Last week: 3rd

The reigning Super Bowl champions have now won 13 consecutive games (including playoffs) dating back to Week 17 of 2023. This season, Andy Reid’s club is the lone 7-0 team in the league. Still, the Kansas City Chiefs haven’t been able to shake either the Denver Broncos or the Los Angeles Chargers. There’s a long way to go, but a year ago Reid’s team was the only member of the AFC West to finish with a winning record. Eight weeks into 2024, with the exception of the Raiders, there’s significant improvement here

Antonio Pierce’s team did play Kansas City tough in a frustrating 27-20 home loss for the Silver and Black. The Raiders had their chances on numerous opportunities but imploded in the red zone on too many occasions. On the other hand, the Chargers and Broncos toyed with the visiting Saints and Panthers, respectively. Jim Harbaugh’s club came up with a 26-8 win, and has allowed an NFL-low 13.0 points per game this season. Denver handled Carolina, 28-14, and are 5-1 since dropping their first two games in ’24.

2. NFC East

Last week: 2nd

Suddenly, there is a clear divide in this division between a pair of teams headed upwards, and two others on a downward spiral. The Cowboys were back in action after some time off and were at San Francisco on Sunday night. Mike McCarthy’s team entered the week 3-0 on the road (0-3 at home). Unfortunately for Dallas, they have had their issues beating Kyle Shanahan’s club no matter where the game has been played. McCarthy’s club was outgained 223-56 on the ground, and a 30-24 loss dropped Dallas below .500. The Giants were game on Monday night at Pittsburgh, but dropped to 2-6 via a 26-18 setback.

Meanwhile, the Commanders stayed hot by cooling off the Bears in a defensive struggle. Jayden Daniels’s “Hail Mary” pass wound up in the hands of teammate Noah Brown on the final play of the game. The Eagles have now strung together three straight wins and came up with their most complete outing of the season at Cincinnati. Saquon Barkley finished with 108 of the club’s 166 rushing yards in a 37-17 triumph.

1. NFC North

Last week: 1st

For the first time since Week 4, all four teams in the division were in action. Meanwhile, for the first time since Week 2, a pair of NFC North teams lost in the same week. The Bears returned from their off-week and battled the Commanders in Washington. Matt Eberflus’s club went into the break riding a three-game winning streak and scoring a combined 95 points in those victories. They appeared to have rallied for a win on Sunday until Commanders’ rookie quarterback Jayden Daniels had his prayer of a pass answered.

At Jacksonville, the Packers once again got a solid relief performance from Malik Willis, who took over for a banged-up Jordan Love in the third quarter. The latter’s status bears watching as Matt LaFleur’s team hosts the first-place Lions. Dan Campbell’s squad humiliated the Titans and did it in all aspects. Detroit owns the NFL’s top scoring differential at plus-100. Finally, Brian Flores’ defense struggled for the second straight week, and a 30-20 Thursday night loss to the Rams dropped the once-undefeated Vikings to a quick 5-2.