NFC East: Cowboys | Giants | Eagles | Commanders
NFC North: Bears | Lions | Packers | Vikings
NFC South: Falcons | Panthers | Saints | Buccaneers
NFC West: Cardinals | Rams | 49ers | Seahawks
AFC East: Bills | Dolphins | Patriots | Jets
AFC North: Ravens | Bengals | Browns | Steelers
AFC South: Texans | Colts | Jaguars | Titans
AFC West: Broncos | Chiefs | Raiders | Chargers
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The Jaguars were the quietest team in the NFL this past offseason.
It was odd. They were coming off a 13-4 season and general manager James Gladstone had let everyone know he would be aggressive. The Travis Hunter trade in 2025 and his comments afterward — “I know every step that I didn’t take that related to fear, I regretted,” he said — set a foundation for his approach. Then, in the offseason, nobody spent less money than the Jaguars in free agency, and they didn’t have a first-round draft pick.
Apparently, Gladstone saw a market inefficiency in the pre-deadline trade market, and was waiting to spring his plan on everyone.
The Jaguars could look around the NFL and see there was no definitive Super Bowl favorite. So they decided to become one. Jacksonville made a series of trades Monday to get safety Jessie Bates III, and defensive tackles Davon Godchaux and Jordan Davis before Tuesday’s deadline. The Jaguars were the No. 1 team in DVOA and led the NFL in point differential before those trades. Now they’re much, much better.
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Godchaux and Davis replace DaVon Hamilton, the excellent defensive tackle who was the key driver in the Jaguars having the top run defense in football before he suffered a season-ending quad injury in Week 8. Bates gives Jacksonville an excellent playmaker on the back end. That goes with an offense that is fourth in the NFL in points scored, fifth in EPA (expected points added) per play and sixth in DVOA.
The Jaguars gave up a lot. They sent off a 2027 first-round pick and two second-round picks in the deals. And nobody in Jacksonville will care about the draft picks if this ends in a Super Bowl. And it might. That’s why Jacksonville takes over the top spot in the power rankings. The Jaguars already looked like a Super Bowl contender before the trades. Now they look like the favorite. After three decades of waiting to make a Super Bowl, the Jaguars are pushing hard to get the job done this season.
Quarterback Trevor Lawrence and head coach Liam Coen have the Jacksonville Jaguars off to a 6-2 start, and the roster got better before the trade deadline.
(Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)
Here are the NFL power rankings after Week 9:
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1. Jacksonville Jaguars (6-2, Last week: 3)
It has already been a year for unexpected champions. Indiana, one of the worst power conference programs in college football history, won the national title with an undefeated season. Michigan men’s basketball won a title for the first time since 1989. The New York Knicks won the NBA championship, their first since 1973. The Milwaukee Brewers won their first World Series in their 57th season.
The Jaguars saw that and wanted to join the fun. They are one of four franchises, along with the Lions, Browns and Texans, to never make a Super Bowl. But the Jaguars saw an opportunity and pushed a lot of chips in on trades to upgrade the defense. They also have the third-easiest remaining schedule, according to DVOA, giving them a good shot at the top seed in the AFC. Pulling off what the Hoosiers, Wolverines, Knicks and Brewers did in 2026 and giving their fans a celebration for a lifetime is now realistically on the table.
2. San Francisco 49ers (7-1, LW: 1)
The 49ers didn’t do anything to fall out of the top spot. The Jaguars’ moves just gave them precedence, for now. The 49ers continued to look fantastic in Week 9, forcing five second-half turnovers by the Raiders. Their defense has been a major surprise and the Niners should continue to be good now that Nick Bosa is back in the lineup and DeForest Buckner is aboard via a trade.
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Last season, Kyle Shanahan was a great NFL Coach of the Year candidate but was overlooked because that award often goes to coaches in their first year on the job and to coaches on teams that outperform preseason expectations. But for a second straight season the 49ers are winning despite major injuries. The job Shanahan has done with the 49ers should not be ignored again.
3. Buffalo Bills (7-1, LW: 2)
It’s fair to look at Buffalo’s last two opponents and be skeptical of the Bills’ defensive hot streak, but there has been improvement. The Bills allowed 144 yards and 10 points to the Ravens two weeks ago, and 178 yards and six points against Minnesota on Monday night. That came against Joe Fagnano and Carson Wentz, but it’s still two dominant performances in a row. For a defense that had been near the bottom of the league before that, it’s at least possible that Buffalo is figuring some things out on that side of the ball. That would help them in an increasingly challenging AFC. With other AFC contenders making moves, most notably the Jaguars, it will be interesting to see what the Bills do to improve before the deadline.
4. Chicago Bears (7-2, LW: 4)
The Bears still got to 27 points and did enough to beat the Buccaneers on Sunday night, but it was startling to see Chicago struggle as much as it did. After scoring touchdowns on their first two drives, the Bears’ next 10 possessions were: four interceptions, a fumble, four punts and a field goal. Winning with that type of slump is notable. The Bears came up with the one play they needed, a 38-yard pass to a wide-open Colston Loveland, to get the game-winning field goal.
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It was particularly strange to see Caleb Williams throw four interceptions, considering he had never thrown more than two in an NFL game. But he never lost confidence, which allowed him to hit Loveland when the Bears needed it. “I’ll never not throw the ball,” Williams said. “I could throw 100 picks in one game. If it comes down to it, I’m going to throw that pass that I threw to Colston, or if it’s a tighter window, I’m going to rip it in there.”
5. Cincinnati Bengals (6-2, LW: 5)
The Bengals had an odd game Sunday. They were torching the Falcons in the first half and then were content to take the air out of the ball in the second half. They had just 26 offensive plays in the second half and 19 of those came with them leading by at least 14 points. That’s how Joe Burrow had just seven attempts and 32 passing yards after going 18 of 22 for 239 yards in the first half.
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Volume was a hang-up for Burrow in the second half Sunday, but efficiency hasn’t been an issue. He is completing 74% of his passes and has a shot to challenge Drew Brees’ single-season completion record of 74.4%. His completion percentage over expectation (CPOE), a metric that measures a quarterback’s accuracy, is a league-best 9.7, which is 3 points better than anyone else, according to RBSDM.com. Burrow is having a special season and will be in the MVP conversation until the end.
6. Kansas City Chiefs (6-2, LW: 7)
The most promising part of the Chiefs’ win on Sunday against the Jets might be that Chris Jones and George Karlaftis each had two sacks. Karlaftis had two sacks for the season before Sunday, Jones had just half of a sack, and that’s a big reason the Chiefs’ pass rush ranked near the bottom of the league. Even with five sacks as a team Sunday, Kansas City still has just 14 sacks. That’s the fourth-lowest mark in the NFL.
The Chiefs have been doing fine on defense without much of a pass rush, ranking top 10 in yards and points allowed. But it’s hard to be a top-10 defense while ranking in the bottom five in sacks. Perhaps the performance against the Jets will get the pass rush going, and in turn boost a defense that has already played well.
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7. Denver Broncos (7-2, LW: 9)
The coin flipped on the Broncos’ side again, as they won an NFL-record 16th straight one-score regular-season game. They have 22 wins, counting postseason, since the start of last season and an astonishing 18 of them have been by one score. The Broncos had fewer yards and first downs than the Panthers but won 26-21.
After seeing it happen so often, the Broncos believe this is not luck.
“Well, when it keeps happening, I think our league is what it is,” Broncos head coach Sean Payton said, according to the team’s transcripts. “When those things keep falling your way, that’s not by accident.”
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One thing working in Denver’s favor is its schedule. DVOA says the Broncos have the second-easiest remaining schedule, while AFC West rival Kansas City is the sixth-toughest.
8. Green Bay Packers (6-3, LW: 14)
Whatever was happening the first three weeks of the season with the Packers, they’re far beyond that. Green Bay is 5-1 since a slow start. Since Week 4 it is fifth in EPA per play on offense and third in EPA per play allowed on defense. The Packers take a jump in the rankings for two reasons: The offense looked great again against the Patriots on Sunday, and Micah Parsons’ return is looming for the defense. It is very easy to forget that when Parsons tore his ACL last season the Packers were 9-3-1 and leading in the second half at Denver. And Green Bay has been playing much better on defense the past six games.
Josh Jacobs’ broken finger could have a negative effect. He will have finger surgery and miss a maximum of three weeks, according to CBS Sports’ Matt Zenitz. The Packers’ running game has been horrible all season but a little better with Jacobs. Taking a step back in the run game could also affect the passing game, which has been cooking with Jordan Love turning Matthew Golden and Christian Watson into one of the NFL’s top receiving duos.
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9. Detroit Lions (6-2, LW: 8)
Is the Lions’ defense good? It has been better recently. For the third straight game the Lions’ opponent failed to top 17 points. Two of those games happened against the offensively challenged Vikings and Dolphins; the third game in that streak was against the Packers. Advanced metrics are kind to the Lions’ defense over the past three weeks too, as Detroit is eighth in EPA per play allowed and fifth in success rate allowed. Star safety Brian Branch returned from an Achilles injury three games ago, and it’s not a coincidence the Lions’ defense is much better with him back. The Lions have held opponents to 21 or fewer points in four straight games, the first time that has happened since 2016, according to the team’s site.
The Lions allowed just 228 yards and 12 first downs Sunday, and while that was against Miami, it’s still a lot better than Detroit looked on defense early in the season.
“We’ve cleaned a lot up,” Lions head coach Dan Campbell said, via the team’s site. “Guys are trusting what they’re being taught, they’re executing it and with that execution comes confidence.”
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10. Seattle Seahawks (5-4, LW: 10)
Having a reliable backup quarterback in Drew Lock allows the Seahawks to take their time on Sam Darnold’s return from a quad injury. Seahawks head coach Mike Macdonald told Seattle Sports 710AM that Seattle plans to start Lock again to give Darnold another week to heal. Lock filled in for Darnold on Sunday and was fine in a 17-3 win over the Cardinals. He didn’t turn the ball over and didn’t take a sack, which is a big key for any Seattle quarterback as long as the defense is playing as it usually does. Lock has thrown 76 passes this season without an interception.
“I know that’s a big thing for me going into every week,” Lock said, via The Athletic. “Knowing that we can control the game with the run, operate on third downs well, keep the ball in our hands.”
Lock suffered an oblique injury Sunday but the Seahawks believe he’ll be fine for their next game against the Raiders.
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11. Minnesota Vikings (6-2, LW: 6)
It’s hard to remember the last time a team that was 6-2 with one of the top two defenses in the NFL felt this hopeless. Monday night’s performance was absolutely deflating for the Vikings. Carson Wentz took over for an injured Kyler Murray, who had been struggling so much that everyone wondered if him sitting out Monday was a “soft benching.” Then Wentz went 8 of 25 for 81 yards, two interceptions and an 8.9 passer rating. It was one of the worst quarterback performances in recent memory. For the second straight season, the Vikings cannot find one quarterback to get Justin Jefferson the ball. And the common denominator through all those quarterbacks, head coach Kevin O’Connell, needs to be questioned too.
The Vikings shouldn’t completely fade away because the defense will keep them in every game. That was good enough for a 6-0 start. But the offense is simply too poor for the Vikings to remain in the top 10 of these power rankings.
12. Los Angeles Rams (5-4, LW: 12)
Puka Nacua’s knee injury is a massive blow for the Rams and their worst nightmare because receiver depth was the weakest part of the roster. Davante Adams is on injured reserve and Nacua is likely to join him, without a clear idea on when either player will be back. In a competitive NFC — there are three viable wild-card contenders in the NFC North, another in the NFC West outside of the Rams and only three spots for all of them — that dearth puts the Rams in danger of missing the playoffs.
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Nacua was the fulcrum of the Rams’ offense. On Sunday, he had 150 receiving yards and nobody else had more than 20. He got 19 of the Rams’ 41 targets. Nobody other than Nacua and Adams has more than 287 receiving yards this season. The Nacua injury looks like the one the Rams couldn’t afford to have happen.
13. Pittsburgh Steelers (6-2, LW: 13)
The Steelers can take a huge step toward the AFC North title. They play the Bengals on Sunday night and will have a big rest edge. They’re coming off a bye while the Bengals will play right after having a game in Spain, which is a tough turnaround. With a win the Steelers will clinch the head-to-head tiebreaker over the Bengals because of a season sweep.
In the first meeting, the Steelers won 30-27 and outgained the Bengals 411-352. They allowed Joe Burrow to throw for 282 yards and three touchdowns but also got 292 passing yards from Aaron Rodgers, 127 rushing yards from Jaylen Warren and took advantage of a muffed punt and a huge roughing the punter penalty by Cincinnati in the second half. Sunday’s rematch will go a long way in determining the division champion.
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14. New England Patriots (5-4, LW: 11)
Christian Gonzalez is a good cornerback who had a horrific game against the Packers. He allowed 105 yards to Matthew Golden and 82 to Christian Watson, according to Next Gen Stats. He’s the first player to give up 80 yards to two different players in the same game since at least 2018, according to Next Gen Stats. He had allowed only 196 yards in coverage over his first six games combined, according to NGS.
Gonzalez should rebound but it was a shockingly bad game from him.
“When your best players don’t play good, you don’t have much of a chance in this league,” Patriots head coach Mike Vrabel said, according to the team’s transcripts. “So, we expect a lot more. He expects a lot more. We need more from him and everybody else. It wasn’t just him.”
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15. Houston Texans (3-5, LW: 19)
The Texans’ playoff odds are up to 43.9%, according to DVOA, and they’d be a team that nobody would want to face in the postseason. Their defense hasn’t been great but the talent is there and it could emerge as a top-five unit in the second half. The real difference in the overall team is quarterback C.J. Stroud playing like he did as a rookie.
Stroud had five touchdowns Sunday, and even if that came against the Chargers, he has mostly had a good season. He’s up to 10th among quarterbacks in adjusted EPA per play. The next three QBs on the list are Caleb Williams, Patrick Mahomes and Matthew Stafford.
“I beat myself up a lot when I don’t do great, so I’m going to enjoy this and celebrate with my friends, family and teammates because I know what it feels like to throw a couple interceptions,” Stroud said, via Texans Wire. “So, you need to be positive towards yourself.”
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16. New York Giants (5-2-1, LW: 15)
When linebacker Arvell Reese, who was projected by some to go second overall in the NFL Draft, fell to the Giants at No. 5 everyone knew it was a great pick. Especially the Giants.
“He’s gotten better every single year, playing off the ball and on the ball, so he does both,” Giants head coach John Harbaugh said after the draft, according to the team’s site. “Probably why he was our highest-rated non-quarterback player in the draft. He’s an exciting player. We are fired up to have him.”
Reese is now the favorite at about the midseason point to win NFL Defensive Rookie of the Year. On Sunday, he had 12 tackles and three sacks and was probably the best player on the field in the Giants’ 19-11 win against the Eagles. For the season, he has 68 tackles and 4.5 sacks. He’s going to be a star. The Cardinals took a running back instead of Reese in the draft. The Giants should thank them.
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17. Tampa Bay Buccaneers (3-6, LW: 18)
The Buccaneers’ loss to the Bears might be the most impressive performance the NFC South has had in many weeks. That says something about the division, but Tampa Bay went into Chicago to face one of the NFL’s hottest teams and, after a slow start, shut down its offense and was tied until the final seconds of the game, when the Bears kicked a game-winning field goal. Had head coach Todd Bowles been more aggressive on some of his decisions to kick short field goals, perhaps Tampa Bay would have won.
Bowles’ game management might be an issue in the Buccaneers’ quest for a division title but there are things coming together. The run game, led by Bucky Irving, leads the NFL in yardage and is second in yards per carry. The defense now ranks first in DVOA. Another factor in Tampa Bay’s favor: It faces, by far, the easiest remaining schedule in the NFL, according to DVOA. The Bucs, who are three games under .500, look like the best pick to win that division and host a playoff game.
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18. Cleveland Browns (5-4, LW: 16)
The Browns are going back to Deshaun Watson at quarterback, according to ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler, even after Shedeur Sanders had multiple clutch drives against the Saints and came a 2-point conversion in overtime of leading a big road win over the Saints. Sanders wasn’t perfect, but Watson hasn’t been either. Sanders had a 112.3 passer rating on Sunday. Watson’s passer rating this season is 91.2 and he has taken a league-high 33 sacks.
Browns head coach Todd Monken wouldn’t reveal his decision Monday, but apparently the Browns believe in quarterback wins so Watson will take his job back after missing last week (concussion protocol). If the Browns do go back to Watson it will lead to a quarterback controversy every time Watson struggles. Monken praised Sanders after Sunday’s game.
“He wasn’t perfect. I wasn’t perfect,” Monken said after the game, via USA Today. “But for a guy that really hasn’t taken snaps with the ones in 10 weeks … to come in there and continue to battle — really, really proud of him.”
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19. Las Vegas Raiders (4-5, LW: 17)
The Raiders were fairly good on defense early in the season, but that probably had to do with facing the Dolphins and Chargers. After giving up 414 yards and 38 points to the 49ers, the Raiders are 32nd in the NFL in yards and points allowed per game. They’re allowing 6.1 yards per play, which is tied for the worst mark in the NFL.
There’s not much hope of being a playoff contender with a defense that bad. This leads to questions over what the team should do, specifically as it pertains to making a quarterback switch to Fernando Mendoza. Kirk Cousins didn’t make a great statement to keep his job with three second-half interceptions against the 49ers. That adds to the trade rumors following Cousins.
“It feels a little bit out of my hands, and I’ll let the decision-makers make the decisions and react accordingly,” Cousins said after the game about trade talk, according to Sporting News. “I love it here and love the guys here.”
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20. Dallas Cowboys (4-5, LW: 25)
With 1:37 left in Sunday’s game, the Cowboys fell behind a Colts team that had previously traded two of its best players and was embarrassed 42-7 by the Jaguars the week before. The Cowboys won, with a huge 46-yard completion to Ryan Flournoy leading to a game-winning touchdown, but it was still a performance that showed the Cowboys are not capable of being much better than they’ve been this season. Had they lost, there would have been serious questions about whether players like George Pickens should be traded from a 3-6 team. Instead, the Cowboys stayed alive in the NFC East.
If there was a positive that gives hope for a better second half, Dallas’ defense played its best game of the season. It came against an Indianapolis offense that has been miserable, but Dallas will take progress where it can get it. The Cowboys allowed a season-low 271 yards. The Colts had 70 net yards and seven points (on a 19-yard drive after a turnover) through their first eight drives. Rookie safety Caleb Downs had a long-awaited impact with a sack and a game-sealing interception. The Cowboys’ defense isn’t suddenly good, but at least there can be optimism it’s getting better.
21. Carolina Panthers (3-5, LW: 20)
The Panthers have lost three in a row and we’re probably seeing who they truly are. Carolina passed for at least 262 yards in each of its first five games. Over the last three games it hasn’t topped 257. Those MVP chants for Bryce Young seem like a long time ago. The Panthers’ defense hasn’t been great all season, but it has been worse lately, allowing at least 26 points in three straight games. Multiple injuries have played a part in the slump.
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And yet, the Panthers are tied for first place in the division and should be in the race all season because nobody else in the NFC South seems capable of separating from the pack.
“We’ve got everything in front of us,” defensive tackle Tershawn Wharton told the team’s site. “So, it’s just exciting. It really does seem like there’s like a sense of hope, like there’s not despair around here. Like you feel like you’re on the right track.”
22. New Orleans Saints (3-5, LW: 26)
The Saints started 1-4, got close wins over the Giants and Browns (they needed to stop a 2-point conversion in overtime to beat the Browns, using backup quarterback Shedeur Sanders, at home) and all of a sudden New Orleans is tied for first place.
The Saints still haven’t shown much, but they could end up being the best team in the division. Receiver Jordyn Tyson, the eighth overall draft pick, made his debut Sunday after recovering from a hamstring injury. He had just 30 yards but he will make an impact as the season goes on. Also, running back Travis Etienne Jr. will return at some point from a hamstring injury. Those two players can transform an offense that desperately needs playmakers other than Chris Olave. In a bad division, that might be enough to get the Saints to the top.
23. Baltimore Ravens (4-5, LW: 22)
Expecting Jacoby Brissett to save the season ignores that quarterback hasn’t been the only problem in Baltimore. The Ravens’ defense has stumbled badly when the team needed it to lead the way. Baltimore has lost four straight, giving up 35, 36 and 33 points the past three games. It is 26th in EPA allowed per play over those three games, including 28th in EPA per pass dropback allowed. Edge rusher Trey Hendrickson, Baltimore’s major offseason addition after nixing the Maxx Crosby trade, has just two sacks as he continues to play through a finger injury.
There’s an argument to be made that the defense has been bad because the offense can’t sustain drives. Baltimore has 68 and 55 passing yards its last two games. Brissett will help that situation. But the Ravens need to start executing Jesse Minter’s defense much better.
24. Washington Commanders (2-5-1, LW: 23)
Jayden Daniels set the stakes for Thursday night’s game against the Giants, when asked after the team’s loss to the Rams whether time is running out to get back in the NFC East race.
“Yeah. I think next week is a must-win,” Daniels told reporters after the game.
He’s right. With a win, the Commanders would be two games behind the Giants for first place and hold the tiebreaker, since the teams tied in their first meeting. That’s not easy, but Washington wouldn’t be dead. If the Commanders lose, they’d be four games back and not have the tiebreaker, which would probably be impossible to overcome. It might not matter because the Commanders aren’t very good — they’re 20th in DVOA with matching ranks of 20th on offense and defense — but at least with a win they’d have something to keep playing for.
25. Atlanta Falcons (3-6, LW: 21)
The trade of safety Jessie Bates III was interesting. On one hand, the Falcons shouldn’t turn down a second-round and fifth-round draft pick from Jacksonville for Bates, who is a very good player but also on the last year of his contract. That’s exceptional value for a team that is three games under .500. It also goes against the general code of the NFL in that teams don’t generally sell when they can still make the playoffs. The Falcons might be bad but so is the rest of the NFC South. They’re just a half-game out of first place.
The trade made great sense from a big-picture perspective, but head coach Kevin Stefanski now faces a challenge: to get the team to still play like it’s in the race to win a division championship even after trading away one of its best players.
26. Arizona Cardinals (3-6, LW: 24)
Jacoby Brissett was benched and traded, and the Cardinals’ job was going to go to Gardner Minshew for a few weeks before the team turned to rookie Carson Beck. That timetable might speed up. Minshew is feared to have a torn UCL in his throwing elbow and could miss the rest of the season, according to NFL Media.
That would press Beck into the lineup, and presumably a couple of games earlier than the team wants. The Cardinals’ next two games are against the Rams and Chiefs, two talented and well-coached defenses. After that comes a three-game homestand against the Commanders, Eagles and Jets. Week 12 seemed like the right spot for Beck to get his first start, but Minshew’s injury could change that. Beck, the first pick of the third round in this year’s NFL Draft, had an intriguing performance in the Hall of Fame Game to start the preseason, but that isn’t exactly stellar competition. The Cardinals will apparently get to see if he can follow that up in the regular season, whether they’re ready for his debut or not.
27. Miami Dolphins (1-7, LW: 27)
The story of the Dolphins’ loss to the Lions on Sunday was familiar to their season. There were plenty of mistakes, like 11 penalties that contributed to the offense not scoring a touchdown. QB Malik Willis was inconsistent. Miami faded in the second half. It did things a bad team generally does to lose games.
But the Dolphins’ defense played very well, limiting a very good Lions offense to 19 points. And there is still fight from a team whose playoff hopes were nil before the season even started.
“I’m encouraged with this team,” Dolphins head coach Jeff Hafley said, according to the Palm Beach Post. “I’m encouraged the way they work. I’m encouraged because we’ve challenged them to play the game a certain way. I’m encouraged because we’ve asked them to practice a certain way. I’m encouraged because, in my opinion, the Detroit Lions are probably the most physical team in the world. … And that’s the way they coach and that’s the way we play. And I would say we went toe to toe with them.”
28. Tennessee Titans (1-7, LW: 28)
The question for the Titans will be what their team looks like after the trade deadline. They went into the bye after a win over the Colts, a three-point loss to the Browns and an overtime loss to the Bengals. That’s progress for a Titans team that didn’t have much to be excited about during an 0-5 start.
The focus of the second half of the season will remain quarterback Cam Ward and whether he can keep showing signs of progress. He had 304 yards and two touchdowns against the Bengals, and Hall of Fame quarterback Kurt Warner proclaimed it Ward’s “best game as a pro.”
“If you want to see good quarterback play and the steps that it takes to be good, there’s a lot of that stuff in this video, and I hope there’s a bunch of people watching it,” Warner said, via Titans Wire.
29. Philadelphia Eagles (2-7, LW: 29)
Switching to Joe Milton at quarterback didn’t work out in a frustrating 19-11 loss to the Giants. Milton had 169 yards passing, never completing a pass of more than 20 yards, and took seven sacks. The Eagles scored one touchdown on 13 possessions. It’s not a surprise that Milton didn’t play well, especially with all the injuries around him, but it was another reminder that this Eagles season is going nowhere. It won’t get better with defensive tackle Jordan Davis off to the Jaguars, who paid the hefty price of a 2027 first-round pick and a 2029 second-round pick for him.
The offense in particular has been terrible and Eagles head coach Nick Sirianni didn’t rule out changes to his staff. Offensive coordinator Sean Mannion hasn’t been any better than last season’s coordinator, Kevin Patullo, and his job status is a topic of conversation in Philadelphia.
“We’ll talk,” Sirianni said of potential changes, via Roundtable Sports. “Obviously, right now my job is to be there for our guys and to go watch the tape and go look through everything. I’ll do anything I can to help this team win football games. I’ll look at myself internally first and then go from there.”
30. New York Jets (2-7, LW: 30)
The Jets lost 35-12 to the Chiefs, were outgained 391-229, outscored 21-0 in the second half and had 58 yards in the second half.
“We were playing with a lot of fight and spirit,” Jets quarterback Geno Smith said, according to the team’s site. “I thought the same thing in the second half, but I think it just got away from us.”
There are no Jets fans, or anyone who watched the Chiefs game, who would agree with Smith. The fight has left the Jets, who are 1-7 since a season-opening win over the Titans. Aaron Glenn’s status as head coach seems to be a week-to-week proposition, and everyone knows he’s almost certainly not coming back in 2027. Don’t expect many more wins this season.
31. Indianapolis Colts (2-7, LW: 31)
Cornerback Sauce Gardner gave up the game-turning play, a 46-yard catch to Ryan Flournoy in the final two minutes that led to a go-ahead Cowboys touchdown. Receiver Josh Downs had 24 yards on three catches and said “I stunk today,” via the team’s site. Jonathan Taylor lost his fourth fumble of the season. Daniel Jones didn’t have 50 yards passing against a suspect Cowboys defense until the final 1:30 of the first half. He finished with a 70.7 passer rating.
Everything is bad for the Colts right now. They had a chance to beat the Cowboys to at least save some pride, but made too many mistakes. It was disheartening how many of those mistakes came from their high-priced players. The trade deadline will likely see more players shipped off, and the Colts’ season will get even more depressing.
“That’s unacceptable,” Gardner said of giving up the catch to Flournoy, according to the team’s site. “I gotta be better. I gotta make the play, no matter what plays I made before that. At the end of the day, that’s when my best is required.”
32. Los Angeles Chargers (0-8, LW: 32)
Justin Herbert has six touchdowns and 11 interceptions this season. In every other NFL season he has thrown at least twice as many touchdowns as interceptions. He has never had a passer rating in a season below 93.4; this season it’s 70.4. Herbert’s precipitous drop, at age 28, is hard to believe. His offensive line isn’t good. LA allowed eight sacks Sunday to Houston. Herbert’s receivers have either been ineffective, or in Ladd McConkey’s case, injured most of the season. Offensive coordinator Mike McDaniel is clearly a bad fit for the talent on hand. Still, Herbert’s play has been unfathomably bad.
And now he has an injury to his middle left finger that forced him out of Sunday’s game. If he misses time, the Chargers could get even worse with DJ Uiagalelei replacing him. If Herbert plays, he simply is lost this season. In an honest moment last week on the “St. Brown Podcast,” Rams safety Quentin Lake spoke about Herbert’s inexplicable struggles.
“He was throwing deli meat out there,” Lake said, comments he later apologized to Herbert for. “Bro, he’s seeing ghosts. I don’t know what’s going on, but we knew we were going to get a couple [interceptions]. At least one.”
