Midseason NFL Power Rankings: Cardinals and Titans Hitting Heights

We take a look at the NFL power rankings at the half-way stage of the season, with the Arizona Cardinals flying and the Tennessee Titans finding form.

Well, here we are the the half-way stage of the 2021/22 NFL season. After 9 weeks of intense football action, we are here to outline the NFL power rankings heading into Week 10 and the business end of the season.

As with every week, Week 9 had its fair share of action-packed matchups, upsets, star performances and controversies. Below are our power rankings based on performances in Week 9 combined with performances throughout the season so far.

League Leaders

1. Arizona Cardinals (8-1)

2. Tampa Bay Buccaneers (6-2)

3. Tennessee Titans (7-2)

4. Los Angeles Rams (7-2)

5. Green Bay Packers (7-2)

6. Baltimore Ravens (6-2)

7. Dallas Cowboys (6-2)

The Cardinals have been the surprise story this season. After 9 weeks, they have already matched their season total of 9 wins in the 2020/21 campaign. Kliff Kingsbury and his men are doing an incredible job, with their recent 31-17 victory against San Francisco summing the season up so far.

The other feel-good story of the NFL season so far has been Tennessee’s gradual rise in the league rankings. Without star man Derrick Henry, Tennessee managed to brush aside the Rams on Sunday Night Football. Things are looking good for the Titans.

Sunday’s defeat to the Broncos has Dallas clinging on to ‘league leader’ status. They are fifth in the NFC and will hope to progress as the weeks go on.

Contenders

8. Buffalo Bills (5-3)

9. Los Angeles Chargers (5-3)

10. New Orleans Saints (5-3)

11. Cleveland Browns (5-4)

12. Kansas City Chiefs (5-4)

13. New England Patriots (5-4)

14. Pittsburgh Steelers (5-3)

15. Las Vegas Raiders (5-3)

16. Denver Broncos (5-4)

17. Cincinnati Bengals (5-4)

18. Indianapolis Colts (4-5)

A shock defeat for Buffalo in Jacksonville has resulted in their fall to second-favorite for this season’s Super Bowl at DraftKings, behind Tampa Bay.

A Week 10 matchup between the Browns and the Patriots could prove to be a vital game with a look ahead to the playoffs. Cleveland beat the Bengals and New England beat the Jets, with both franchises now looking to build from this.

The Chiefs have struggled after 9 weeks, with nobody really expecting them to have lost 4 games already this season. Defeats for the Bills and the Saints have left them sitting just outside the ‘league leaders’ spots as we head into Week 10.

The Middle Pack

19. Atlanta Falcons (4-4)

20. Seattle Seahawks (3-5)

21. Minnesota Vikings (3-5)

22. Carolina Panthers (4-5)

23. New York Giants (3-6)

24. San Francisco 49ers (3-5)

25. Philadelphia Eagles (3-6)

26. Chicago Bears (3-6)

The Falcons’ dramatic victory against New Orleans in Week 9 threw them straight back into playoff contention. Seattle’s bye week gives them the chance to re-assemble and fight to become contenders once again.

The Chicago Bears narrowly missed out on victory when they met the Pittsburgh Steelers in Week 9. On the other hand, the Giants managed to secure their third win of the season against the Raiders.

Any of the teams in ‘the middle pack’ could pick up form in the coming weeks – there’s still time for that playoff push in the second half of the season.

Out of Contention

27. Jacksonville Jaguars (2-6)

28. Washington Football Team (2-6)

29. New York Jets (2-6)

30. Miami Dolphins (2-7)

31. Houston Texans (1-8)

32. Detroit Lions (0-8)

The Jacksonville Jaguars may have pulled off the upset of Week 9 after a cagey 9-6 victory against the NFL heavyweights from Buffalo. That puts them at the top of our ‘out of contention’ teams.

It seems maybe too early to rule any teams out, but do we really think the likes of the Houston Texans and New York Jets have any chance this year? And as for the Lions, they are yet to even find their first win.