NFL Power Rankings Week 9: Aaron Rodgers' first full season with the Jets is already unraveling

If you thought the New York Jets' 2-6 start to 2024 was a disaster, you simply do not know the scope of what Aaron Rodgers will face over the next few weeks. It can and probably will get worse.

Next Sunday, the Jets host the 6-2 Houston Texans, who have established themselves as a firm AFC heavyweight. After that, they go on the road to face Kyler Murray's upstart Arizona Cardinals. You could feasibly see a win against the Indianapolis Colts in mid-November, but that's probably only if a struggling Anthony Richardson doesn't play. Maybe they will get up off the mat against the Seattle Seahawks, but I have a hunch: Geno Smith will be leading a desperate Seattle team. Yikes.

I can keep going for a Jets squad that has no discernible identity, but I think you get the point. This catastrophe has unraveled and will probably only continue unraveling.

Naturally, the Jets are a major point of discussion in For The Win's Week 9 NFL power rankings. Let's see where New York and the rest of the league stand as we near November.

32. Carolina Panthers

Last week's rank: 31

Bryce Young showed some signs of life in his return to the starting lineup. He also threw a pair of interceptions and failed to suggest he's a better full-time option for the Panthers than 37-year-old Andy Dalton, which, yeesh. -- Christian D'Andrea

31. Tennessee Titans

Last week's rank: 29

Tennessee went from tied at 14 to trailing 28-14 in a span of 74 seconds Sunday. Things did not get better from there. The Detroit Lions rolled to a 52-14 victory despite outgaining Detroit 416 yards to 225. But hey, the New England Patriots won, pushing the Titans one loss closer to a franchise quarterback at the top of next spring's draft. -- CD

30. New England Patriots

Last week's rank: 32

A week after Jerod Mayo received weird backlash for calling the Patriots "soft," they backed him up by pounding the Jets. I mean that literally. New England won a division game in which it saw roughly 150 combined passing yards from Drake Maye and Jacoby Brissett. Folks, Mayo can coach. -- Robert Zeglinski

29. Las Vegas Raiders

Last week's rank: 27

Las Vegas poked the bear this offseason with its Kermit the Frog/Patrick Mahomes preseason mash-up. But the Raiders managed to limit Mahomes's damage in Week 8. Not enough to win, but hey, in 2024, that's progress. -- CD

28. Jacksonville Jaguars

Last week's rank: 28

Is it too early to have THAT conversation about Trevor Lawrence? Because, nearly four years into his NFL career, it doesn't seem readily apparent the once-Golden Boy is gaining any meaningful traction. There are many other extenuating factors baked into the Jaguars' 2-6 start, but none matter as much as Lawrence failing to pull his weight as the hopeful face of the franchise. -- RZ

27. Indianapolis Colts

Last week's rank: 25

Anthony Richardson is a poorly-moored cannon, equally capable of devastating opponents or his own offense. His 44 percent completion rate is one of the lowest for a full-time quarterback this millennium. But hey, Jonathan Taylor returned and looked decent, so that's something. -- CD

26. New Orleans Saints

Last week's rank: 22

Spencer Rattler has yet to throw for at least 200 yards on a single Sunday, while the Saints have allowed at least 26 points in five straight games. And at the moment, New Orleans has negative $72.6 million in salary cap space for 2025. This team is an animated, decrepit husk from the Sean Payton-Drew Brees glory days. -- RZ

25. Cleveland Browns

Last week's rank: 30

Deshaun Watson, who once faced more than 20 allegations of sexual misconduct in what the NFL would later characterize as "predatory behavior," has yet to throw for 300 yards in 19 separate Browns starts. It took Jameis Winston one whole game to eclipse him in this regard. Gee, I wonder who the problem is in Cleveland? -- RZ

24. New York Giants

Last week's rank: 24

There's bad, then there's "getting repeatedly roasted downfield by wideouts like Van Jefferson and Calvin Austin" bad. New York landed in the second bucket last night as it trudges toward the end of the Daniel Jones era. But hey, Dexter Lawrence is pretty good! -- CD

23. New York Jets

Last week's rank: 23

Aaron Rodgers is really, really gonna want to keep his teammates away from media headlines this week. Rodgers's play hasn't been terrible, but he was promised to New York as a savior and has a worse record (2-6) than Zach Wilson did (4-4) at this point last season. -- CD

22. Miami Dolphins

Last week's rank: 26

Tua Tagovailoa's return made the Dolphins appear more watchable and cohesive, but Miami's usually stout defense -- which is 13th in expected points added per play (EPA) -- let it down en route to its fifth loss of the season. What cruel irony for an unmoored organization. -- RZ

21. Dallas Cowboys

Last week's rank: 18

Sunday night delivered the fakest (and most enjoyable) of Cowboys rallies. After falling behind by 17 points, Dallas finally woke up in the fourth quarter to give the 49ers a real scare. With a chance to take the lead and win the game in the final moments, Dak Prescott then promptly threw four straight incompletions to turn it over on downs. You couldn't possibly script expected Cowboys' misery any better. -- RZ

20. Cincinnati Bengals

Last week's rank: 17

The Eagles squashed Cincinnati's quest to get to .500, and now the margin of error is razor-thin over the final nine games. The Bengals had found a way to glean more from less defensively under coordinator Lou Anarumo, but the magic escaped him early in 2024. His unit ranks 27th in expected points added (EPA) allowed this fall. -- CD

19. Los Angeles Rams

Last week's rank: 20

Matthew Stafford is a gamer, and at this rate, we're talking about a future Hall of Famer. That's the only conclusion after watching the wily veteran cut up a Brian Flores Minnesota defense that, up until last Thursday night, had flummoxed everyone. Even more encouraging for the Rams was Puka Nacua's performance, who caught seven passes for over 100 yards in his first game back from injury. Don't write these Rams off yet. They might have a few more tricks up their sleeve. -- RZ

18. Arizona Cardinals

Last week's rank: 19

Arizona ruined Tua Tagovailoa's comeback and turned an unwanted Patriots kicker, Chad Ryland, into a hero. The New England castoff drilled a 57-yard kick and a 34-yard game-winner to help erase a nine-point Miami fourth-quarter lead. Oh, and Kyler Murray's first 300-plus-yard passing game since 2022 helped, too. -- CD

17. Denver Broncos

Last week's rank: 21

Denver is 5-3 in an uninspiring way -- just one of those victories came over a team with more than two wins through eight weeks. But Bo Nix is showing signs of life after shredding the intermediate range against the Carolina Panthers. Nix went eight for 11 on throws between 10 and 25 yards downfield in a 28-14 win. -- CD

16. Los Angeles Chargers

Last week's rank: 16

Jim Harbaugh's Chargers have the NFL's second-best defense in EPA per play and a bruising running game. It should be no surprise they are 4-3. What this team accomplishes, though, will likely hinge on whether they can unleash Justin Herbert's explosive passing efforts again. Herbert has just one game of at least 300 passing yards all season. -- RZ

15. Seattle Seahawks

Last week's rank: 14

DK Metcalf was missed, to say the least. Without the Seahawks' best receiver in the fold, Seattle managed just five total first downs in the first half against the Bills, all of which came on one drive that ended with center Connor Williams tripping Geno Smith into a fumble. That was enough for the Bills to build what eventually became an "insurmountable" 14-3 lead. The vibes are off in the Pacific Northwest, and it might be time to give up on a consistent rebound in 2024. -- RZ

14. Philadelphia Eagles

Last week's rank: 15

Philadelphia needed a statement win amidst a confusing season and got one, dusting the Bengals thanks to a 27-7 point differential in the second half. Jalen Hurts had four touchdowns in his best game of the season so far, but the more important development may have been a defense that put the clamps on Joe Burrow, albeit on a day when he didn't have Tee Higgins in the lineup. -- CD

13. Chicago Bears

Last week's rank: 11

Caleb Williams shook off a terrible start to lead a second-half comeback from a 12-0 deficit, engineering a 62-yard touchdown drive to take a 15-12 lead. This didn't matter because of what came next, but at least this time, the Bears' heartbreaking failure wasn't (entirely) the quarterback's fault. -- CD

12. San Francisco 49ers

Last week's rank: 13

San Francisco stabilized with a win, but its failure to put away a disheveled Cowboys team was far from a good look. But Brock Purdy stabilized by spamming throws to George Kittle, and the 49ers' defense came through when needed to keep this team's Super Bowl window open. -- CD

11. Washington Commanders

Last week's rank: 12

In the first episode of their new rivalry, Jayden Daniels outplayed Caleb Williams. But the manner in which Washington seemingly did everything to give the Bears a chance pre-Hail Mary is disconcerting. For example, how does it manage only 18 points despite amassing nearly 500 yards of production? Putting up a fat zero in the red zone is abysmal for an offense of this caliber. And why is Dan Quinn punting on fourth and inches late in the fourth quarter? These are questions the Commanders will have to answer as they play all three other NFC East division rivals over the next month. -- RZ

10. Pittsburgh Steelers

Last week's rank: 10

Russell Wilson spammed lightly underthrown deep balls for the second straight week and watched his wideouts adjust for big gains. It's not a perfect strategy, but it works so it certainly isn't a stupid one. He still looks slightly uncomfortable on the move, but it's tough to argue with Mike Tomlin's decision to start him over Justin Fields. -- CD

9. Tampa Bay Buccaneers

Last week's rank: 7

Baker Mayfield rode Cade Otton as long as he could Sunday, but the absence of Mike Evans and Chris Godwin ultimately led to a second-straight loss in Tampa. Even if Evans returns, the Bucs' shoddy pass defense feels like a fatal flaw come playoff time. -- CD

8. Atlanta Falcons

Last week's rank: 9

Kirk Cousins is maximizing his weapons in Atlanta, turning Drake London into a true WR1, reviving Kyle Pitts' value, and making Darnell Mooney shine again. That hasn't put the Falcons in the circle of trust yet, but Tampa Bay's injury woes have carved a clear path to the top of the NFC South. --CD

7. Minnesota Vikings

Last week's rank: 4

With two straight losses, the bloom is finally off the rose for Sam Darnold's Vikings. But it's not the offense letting Minnesota down. It's Brian Flores' previously confusing defense that has now allowed at least 30 points in two consecutive games. The idea behind the Vikings being a legitimate contender was always predicted around Flores' unit being dominant. That calculus changes if he can't get the Vikings' defense to find its form again. -- RZ

6. Houston Texans

Last week's rank: 8

I continue to find myself uninspired by the Texans' win profile. In no way, shape, or form should an ostensible contender beat a team led by Anthony Richardson by just three points. There is something missing in the secret sauce for Houston. But hey, the Texans are 6-2, and these are all problems for the future Texans. So, for now (gets up on top of a medium-sized slide at the playground): weeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee. -- RZ

5. Green Bay Packers

Last week's rank: 5

Green Bay is either building experience in winning close games or failing to inspire confidence by letting teams like the Jaguars hang around. Ultimately, Malik Willis led this week's comeback effort, and Matt LaFleur furthered his legend as one of the most effective offense minds in the game. -- CD

4. Buffalo Bills

Last week's rank: 6

No one beats up on bottom-feeders quite like Sean McDermott's Bills. That's now back-to-back games where this group won by at least three touchdowns. The question for the Bills, as it always will be with Josh Allen, is how they fare with contenders. Because the last two times they played real teams, the Baltimore Ravens destroyed them, and the Texans beat them with moderately less stupidity. (Looks at the schedule) Oh, hey, Patrick Mahomes is coming to town in a few weeks! -- RZ

3. Baltimore Ravens

Last week's rank: 3

The Browns got their post-Deshaun Watson boost, and the Ravens played victim thanks, in part, to a dropped Kyle Hamilton interception that would have ended the game. Was that a sign of defensive struggles to come? Or is it merely a blip for a team aimed toward the postseason breakthrough it's spent the last decade chasing? -- CD

2. Detroit Lions

Last week's rank: 2

The Lions scored 52 points with less than 230 yards of offense on Sunday. That is not a typo. It speaks to the strength and balance of this Detroit team that it can dominate this much with an all-worldly special teams performance in the return and punting game. Even without Aidan Hutchinson, the Lions have clearly separated themselves from the NFC pack. Though, with this kind of opportunity, they should still make a trade for a pass-rusher sooner rather than later. -- RZ

1. Kansas City Chiefs

Last week's rank: 1

Patrick Mahomes didn't quite get the revenge performance he may have hoped against a Raiders team that mocked him this preseason, but a win's a win, and Kansas City's the only undefeated team left standing. DeAndre Hopkins had a light lift in his Chiefs debut, but his emergence in the passing game could be the key to a Chiefs' three-peat. -- CD

This article originally appeared on For The Win: NFL Power Rankings Week 9: Aaron Rodgers' first full season with the Jets is already unraveling