While the Detroit Lions earned an impressive victory at Lambeau Field in their showdown game against the Green Bay Packers, the undefeated Kansas City Chiefs remain No. 1 in the On SI NFL Power Rankings.
Kansas City, the two-time defending Super Bowl champions, improved to 8-0 by holding off the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in overtime on Monday. They are the sixth reigning Super Bowl champion to win each of their first eight games. The Lions are No. 2 and the Baltimore Ravens moved up to No. 3 after crushing the Denver Broncos.
Two big games highlight the Week 10 schedule, with the No. 8 Pittsburgh Steelers visiting the No. 6 Washington Commanders, and the Lions playing at the seventh-ranked Houston Texans.
Here are this week’s rankings.
The Panthers snapped a five-game losing streak by taking down the Saints 23-22. They wouldn’t have done it if not for a strong outing by second-year quarterback Bryce Young, who took another step forward after showing some positive signs against the Broncos. Other young play-makers, like rookie tight end JT Sanders, are starting to shine, inspiring at least a little bit of hope for the future. â€"Tim Weaver, Carolina Panthers on SI
The Patriots lost 20-17 in overtime at Tennessee, falling to 2-7 on the season. But they saw more of Drake Maye’s playmaking ability as he finished with 206 passing yards and 95 rushing yards. This season is about development, and they have to be thrilled with what they’re seeing from their rookie quarterback. â€"Evan Massey, New England Patriots on SI
The Raiders fired embattled OC Luke Getsy this week. Thankfully for coach Antonio Pierce, they enter their bye week on the hunt for answers. Tied for the worst record in the NFL, the Silver and Black are beat up and needed the bye as much for rest and healing as for evaluating and changing their approach. â€"Hondo S. Carpenter, Las Vegas Raiders On SI
The Giants suffered their first season sweep of the divisional series against the Commanders since 2021 in what is the latest blow to a season that is just about down the drain. New York packed a four-game losing streak for its trip to Germany to play the Panthers. â€"Patricia Traina, New York Giants On SI
The Jaguars keep playing contenders tough in close games but just can't finish. The Jaguars are 1-5 in one-score games after blowing a comeback bid against the Eagles. Jacksonville let this one get away by falling behind 22-0 and throwing an end-zone interception in the final moments. â€"John Shipley, Jacksonville Jaguars On SI
Rock bottom after the loss to the Panthers. Changes in firing coach Dennis Allen. However, this change is just the beginning of more significant changes for the franchise after a seventh consecutive loss. The process began at the trade deadline, with the Saints sending cornerback Marshon Lattimore to the Commanders. â€"Kyle Mosley, New Orleans Saints On SI
The Titans get a much-needed win by beating the Patriots in overtime, but it doesn't hide the fact that this team is injured beyond belief and lacks the talent that most of their opponents will have in the coming weeks. Up next are the Chargers, who are fighting for a wild card spot. â€" Jeremy Brener, Tennessee Titans On SI
The Browns are getting the true Jameis Winston experience. After he dazzled in a win over the Ravens and gave Cleveland fans hope, Winston was awful in Cleveland's 27-10 loss to the Chargers, throwing three interceptions before a garbage-time touchdown. The Browns were 6-3 through nine games in 2023 but sit at 2-7 going into the bye this season. Their playoff hopes are unofficially over, and the coaching staff has a huge task in front of them to keep the locker room together during an incredibly frustrating season. â€"Brendan Gulick, Cleveland Browns On SI
The season sank further with their loss at Buffalo, but they played well enough that it offered some measure of optimism that a turnaround could be coming soon. The question now is whether the hole the team has dug will be too deep to have any shot at the rallying into the playoffs. â€"Alain Poupart, Miami Dolphins On SI
Receiver Garrett Wilson made the catch of the year and the Jets played their best offensive half in about a month in their upset win over Houston. The defense sacked C.J. Stroud so many times that he may still be feeling the pressure. Having snapped a five-game losing streak, the Jets have a chance to get on a roll with games against the Cardinals and Colts before their bye. â€"Matthew Postins, New York Jets On SI
The Colts' quarterback room rotated this week, but Joe Flacco orchestrated one of the worst offensive performances of the Shane Steichen era in a 21-13 loss at Minnesota. The passing game wasn't working, and the Vikings’ defense keyed in on Jonathan Taylor. The defense, however, is giving the Colts chances to win. â€"Jake Arthur, Indianapolis Colts On SI
The disappointing season continues for the Cowboys, who have lost three in a row to fall to 3-5. Dak Prescott is on injured reserve with a hamstring injury, CeeDee Lamb is down to one arm after suffering a sprained AC joint and the team has to face the surging Eagles on Sunday. The Cowboys tried to energize the offense by sending a fourth-round pick to Carolina for Jonathan Mingo, but many think they were fleeced â€" especially when the Chiefs only gave up a fifth for DeAndre Hopkins. It’s been a rough two months in Big D ... and the “D†is for disaster. â€"Josh Sanchez, Dallas Cowboys On SI
The Bears' loss against Arizona was far worse than the one to the Commanders on a Hail Mary because of injuries to right tackle Darnell Wright and defensive tackle Andrew Billings and also because they were physically manhandled. But the good news? They play three consecutive games at Soldier Field where they have won eight in a row. â€"Gene Chamberlain, Chicago Bears On SI
With Joe Burrow throwing five touchdown passes, the Bengals handled the Raiders, but they'll face a much greater challenge against the Ravens on Thursday. The Bengals entered Week 9 with a 3-5 record. They have a chance to save their season in a 106-hour span. Beating the Raiders was step one. Finding a way past Lamar Jackson and the Ravens is step two. â€"James Rapien, Cincinnati Bengals On SI
The Broncos are coming off a 41-10 spanking at the hands of Lamar Jackson and Derrick Henry, but this too shall pass. Look for Bo Nix and Sean Payton to bounce back, though that rebound had better come quickly with Denver playing at the undefeated Chiefs on Sunday. â€"Chad Jensen, Denver Broncos On SI
By beating the Seahawks in overtime in Week 9, the Rams earned their third consecutive victory and have begun to grow into a dangerous team on both sides of the ball. With a chance to win the NFC West â€" they trail the Cardinals by a half-game â€" they are only getting better as the year goes on. â€"Tom Cavanaugh, Los Angeles Rams on SI
Everyone will point the finger at Geno Smith for two fourth-quarter interceptions in an overtime loss to the Rams, but the Seahawks have done a terrible job supporting their quarterback while losing five out of six games. Changing to Sam Howell won't magically make things better. For the team to have any shot at getting back into contention, the coaching staff has to find a way to improve protection for Smith and establish an effective ground game â€" and fast. â€"Corbin Smith, Seattle Seahawks On SI
Is something brewing in the desert? The Cardinals are winners of their last three games and claimed sole possession of first place in the NFC West by blasting the Bears 29-9. Kyler Murray had a fairly pedestrian outing while Arizona’s rushing attack (213 yards) and defense dominated. Don't look now, but Jonathan Gannon's squad is getting hot. â€"Donnie Druin, Arizona Cardinals On SI
Jim Harbaugh's recipe is working for the Chargers. Gone are the days of “Chargering†resulting in wild losses. Winners of three of four since the Week 5 bye and in the driver’s seat for a playoff spot, Justin Herbert has thrown five touchdowns with no interceptions over that four-game stretch while his ankle returned to 100 percent. An elite defense that ranks first in scoring (12.6) has Joey Bosa back and playing well. There’s a reason Bill Cowher is all-in on Harbaugh’s Chargers. â€"Chris Roling, Los Angeles Chargers on SI
The Buccaneers admirably hung with the best team in football, but a different coaching decision after a late touchdown could have gotten them the win at the undefeated Chiefs. At 4-5 and two games behind the Falcons in the AFC South, the Buccaneers will have quite a hole to dig out of if they can’t beat the 49ers at home on Sunday. â€"River Wells, Tampa Bay Buccaneers on SI
The Falcons’ dormant pass rush finally woke up against the Cowboys. The Falcons upped their total number of sacks on the season by 50 percent after getting to Cowboys quarterbacks three times. The Falcons looked like the superior team in every facet of the game, which says as much about the state of the Cowboys as it does the Falcons. â€"Scott Kennedy, Atlanta Falcons on SI
The 49ers had the week off and could get Christian McCaffrey back for Sunday against the Buccaneers; San Francisco opened his practice window on Monday. If his Achilles tendons don't flare up, he presumably will play. But it remains to be seen if McCaffrey can propel the 49ers to the playoffs after their slow start. â€"Grant Cohn, San Francisco 49ers On SI
The Packers lost their big game against the Lions, which is the appropriate way to write the sentence. The Lions are really good â€" I have them No. 1 in these rankings â€" but the Packers were so busy punching themselves in the gut that the Lions didn’t have to land a knockout. That Detroit handled the elements infinitely better than Green Bay is a black eye on all involved. â€"Bill Huber, Green Bay Packers on SI
If you just go by the 28-23 final score, it looked as though the Eagles had a tight battle against the lowly Jaguars. The reality, however, is that the Eagles raced to a 22-0 lead and then let off the gas. With four consecutive wins since the bye, Philadelphia is starting to look like one of a handful of genuine Super Bowl contenders. â€"Scott Neville, Philadelphia Eagles On SI
Coming off their bye, the Steelers will take a three-game winning streak into Sunday’s showdown at the Commanders. This game is as big as they come. A win would keep them in first place in the AFC North ahead of a home game against the rival Ravens next week. â€"Noah Strackbein, Pittsburgh Steelers On SI
The Texans certainly slipped up on Thursday against the Jets. While the loss is concerning, they will have time and cushion in the standings to be able to improve from it. Up next is a big test against the Lions, where a win will catapult them back into the contender conversation. â€"Jeremy Brener, Houston Texans On SI
The Commanders showed growth from their first matchup against the Giants in Week 2 and pulled off their first season sweep of the division rival since 2021 â€" and became the first team with a rookie QB to sweep New York in 50 years. They’ll face a bigger test on Sunday when they host the Steelers. â€"David Harrison, Washington Commanders On SI
The Vikings were dominant in every aspect of the win over the Colts. They ran the ball efficiently, Sam Darnold spread the ball around to Justin Jefferson, Jordan Addison, T.J. Hockenson and Josh Oliver, and the defense put a stranglehold on Joe Flacco and Jonathan Taylor. If Darnold can avoid the big mistakes, the Vikings could be very tough to slow down. â€"Joe Nelson, Minnesota Vikings On SI
The Bills survived a nail-biter in their divisional bout against the Dolphins, improving to 7-2 on the (unexpected) leg of Tyler Bass. QB Josh Allen continues to be extremely effective at managing each game and creating plays when scrambling. The AFC East is all but locked up, but the team will need to see improved play from its defense, particularly against the run, if it wants to parlay its (projected) fifth consecutive divisional crown into meaningful postseason success. â€"Kyle Silagyi, Buffalo Bills on SI
After a humbling loss the week before, the Ravens showed no mercy in their 41-10 beatdown of the Broncos. Lamar Jackson, Derrick Henry and Zay Flowers were sensational on offense, and the defense finally put together a complete game. Thursday's game against the Bengals looms large as the Ravens look to complete the sweep of their division rivals. â€"Jonathan Alfano, Baltimore Ravens On SI
The Lions looked like the team that played all their games outdoors, as they played a much cleaner game than the Packers in an impressive 24-14 victory at rainy Green Bay. Jared Goff avoided the major mistake and Kerby Joseph, who had a pivotal flip-six, is making a case for being the best safety in the NFL. The defense got a lift on Tuesday with the acquisition of pass rusher Za’Darius Smith. â€"John Maakaron, Detroit Lions On SI
The Chiefs survived two scares on Monday night, withstanding an overtime nail-biter and the temporary loss of Patrick Mahomes while marching to 8-0. With 14 catches for 100 yards from Travis Kelce, eight for 86 and two touchdowns from DeAndre Hopkins and 27 carries for 106 yards and a game-winning score from Kareem Hunt, Mahomes and the veterans carried KC’s offense in prime time. â€"Joshua Brisco, Kansas City Chiefs On SI