NFL Rankings, Week 10: Bills, Ravens advance in AFC, Commanders continue to impress in Week 9 in NFC

The Kansas City Chiefs entered Week 9 as the league's only undefeated team and won't see the field until Monday night. The rest of the league could be seen on Sunday.

In the AFC, the Houston Texans lost on Thursday night and the Pittsburgh Steelers had a bye, leaving the only league leaders in action to be the Buffalo Bills. The Bills moved from fourth to second in the conference with their win and could move a half-game behind the Chiefs if Kansas City loses on Monday.

For the NFC, the big game in the late afternoon is the Green Bay Packers vs. Detroit Lions game. The Lions' win cemented them at the top of the conference and they have a half-game lead over the surging Washington Commanders.

The jumbled wildcard images of both conferences are becoming increasingly crowded. The Denver Broncos lost and the Los Angeles Chargers won, flipping the Wild Card spots in the AFC. The Baltimore Ravens continued their winning streak but are stuck in fifth place. The Indianapolis Colts could have advanced to the playoffs with a win on Sunday night, but were unable to pull off the victory, finishing just one game ahead of the Cincinnati Bengals. Every team with a winning record in the AFC has a playoff spot.

In the NFC Wild Card race, the Philadelphia Eagles moved from seventh to fifth place, just a half-game behind the division commanders, but then fell to sixth after the Minnesota Vikings' late win. Every team with a winning record in the NFC has a playoff spot.

The full rankings are listed below, along with key takeaways from the Week 9 results release. We will update results as they come in.

Note: Only the relevant tiebreakers are listed in the table below.

AFC rankings in Week 9

1. Kansas City Chiefs (7-0)
2. Buffalo Bills (7-2)
3. Pittsburgh Steelers (6-2)
4. Houston Texans (6-3)
5. Baltimore Ravens (6-3)
6. Los Angeles Chargers (5-3)
7. Denver Broncos (5-4)
8. Indianapolis Colts (4-5, 3-3 AFC)
9. Cincinnati Bengals (4-5, 2-3 AFC)
10. New York Jets (3-6)
11. Tennessee Titans (2-6, win over MIA)
12. Miami Dolphins (2-6, loss to TEN)
13. Cleveland Browns (2-7, 2-3 AFC)
14. Jacksonville Jaguars (2-7, 2-4 AFC)
15. Las Vegas Raiders (2-7, 2-5 AFC, .444 SoV)
16. New England Patriots (2-7, 2-5 AFC, .389 SoV)

NFC rankings in Week 9

1. Detroit Lions (7-1)
2. Washington Commander (7-2)
3. Atlanta Falcons (6-3)
4. Arizona Cardinals (5-4)
5. Minnesota Vikings (6-2, .472 SoV)
6. Philadelphia Eagles (6-2, .333 SoV)
7. Green Bay Packers (6-3)
8. Tampa Bay Buccaneers (4-4, 4-2 NFC)
9. Chicago Bears (4-4, 2-2 NFC)
10. Los Angeles Rams (4-4, win over SF, 3-4 NFC)
11. San Francisco 49ers (4-4, loss to SEA)
11. Seattle Seahawks (4-5)
13. Dallas Cowboys (3-5)
14. Carolina Panthers (2-7, 1-2 NFCS, 1-4 NFC)
15. New Orleans Saints (2-7, 1-3 NFCS, 2-4 NFC)
16. New York Giants (2-7, 1-5 NFC)

Takeaway pictures from the Week 9 playoffs

The Buffalo Bills make a statement at the top of the conference, AFC East

As we said, the Bills moved up to the second seed after their win over the Miami Dolphins, but they can also grab a huge lead in the AFC East race. A win over the second-place New York Jets puts them four games ahead in the division. With two wins over the 2-6 Dolphins, it's hard to imagine them not securing a home playoff game.

The Texans are keeping the race for the AFC South open

The Houston Texans could have taken a big lead in their division race on Thursday night, but a loss to the New York Jets left the Indianapolis Colts just two games behind on the win list. The Colts play the Minnesota Vikings on Sunday night.

All 4 NFC North teams are at or above .500

No NFL division has ever sent all four teams to the playoffs, although this was only possible a few years ago when the playoffs were expanded to seven teams per conference. The NFC North has four teams at .500 or better. The Vikings went from first place in the NFC to sixth place in less than two weeks.

Dak Prescott's injury complicates the Dallas Cowboys' path to the postseason

The Cowboys lost to the Falcons and fell even further out of the NFC East race. The bigger news was Dak Prescott's hamstring injury. He left Sunday's game in the fourth quarter and his status for Week 10 is uncertain. The Cowboys host the Eagles in Week 10 in a must-win game for Dallas.

Washington Commanders are off to a historic start

The Commanders defeated the Giants in the Meadowlands to improve to 7-2. Washington leads the NFC East and is off to its best start in 33 years. That year, Washington won its first 11 games en route to a 14-2 record and a Super Bowl victory. Jayden Daniels becomes the first rookie QB in 50 years to beat the Giants (even though wins are not a QB statistic).

Baltimore stocks go up, Denver stocks go down

When the Ravens play their best football, they are nearly unstoppable. They proved that against a seemingly decent Broncos team. Denver entered the game with a record of 5-3 and was firmly in the Wild Card race. They gave the Ravens problems in the first half, but Baltimore pulled away in the third quarter and eked out an easy win.

The Detroit Lions keep rolling

The Vikings fell one game behind with a win over the Colts, but Detroit continues to thrive. There were questions about how they would behave in bad weather in Lambeau, and they answered the bell. They benefited from Jordan Love playing a bit poorly, but they handled business to maintain their lead in the conference and secure a big head-to-head win over their division rivals.

The NFC West is balling up

The Rams pulled off a wild overtime win over the Seahawks, and that means we have all four NFC West teams within one game of each other. Things will get interesting in the coming weeks as the 49ers take on the Seahawks in Week 11 and the Cardinals take on the Seahawks in Week 12 and Week 14.

NFL teams with a winning record are in the playoffs

All NFL teams with a winning record are in a playoff spot.

How works Monday Night Football Impact on the playoff picture?

Of course, a Chiefs win keeps them in first place in the AFC at 8-0, but a loss allows the Bills to get within half a game and set up a big matchup on November 17th when Kansas City travels to Buffalo.

For the Buccaneers, they are still going strong. A win would put them one game shy of first place in the NFC South and also the Wild Card spot. If they lose, they drop from eighth place to 11th, behind the 4-4 teams.

NFL division rankings

AFC East standings

Buffalo Bills, 7-2
New York Jets, 3-6
Miami Dolphins, 2-6
New England Patriots, 2-7

AFC North standings

Pittsburgh Steelers, 6-2
Baltimore Ravens, 6-3
Cincinnati Bengals, 4-5
Cleveland Browns, 2-7

AFC South standings

Houston Texans, 6-3
Indianapolis Colts, 4-5
Tennessee Titans, 2-6
Jacksonville Jaguars, 2-7

AFC West standings

Kansas City Chiefs, 7-0
Los Angeles Chargers, 5-3
Denver Broncos, 5-4
Las Vegas Raiders, 2-7

NFC East standings

Washington Commanders, 7-2
Philadelphia Eagles, 6-2
Dallas Cowboys, 3-5
New York Giants, 2-7

NFC North standings

Detroit Lions, 7-1
Minnesota Vikings, 6-2
Green Bay Packers, 6-3
Chicago Bears, 4-4

NFC South standings

Atlanta Falcons, 6-3
Tampa Bay Buccaneers, 4-4
Carolina Panthers, 2-7 (1-2 NFCS)
New Orleans Saints, 2-7 (1-3 NFCS)

NFC West standings

Arizona Cardinals, 5-4
Los Angeles Rams, 4-4 (H2H over SF)
San Francisco 49ers, 4-4
Seattle Seahawks, 4-5