The AFC hierarchy appears to be sorting itself out, as there are now three teams atop the conference with a 7-2 record, and other teams in the 'good not great' tier are distancing themselves from the middle and bottom tiers in the conference.
There is a lot that can change between now and when the playoffs roll around, but it's not likely that any radical change will happen. The Denver Broncos are riding a six-game winning streak after another game-winning field goal by Wil Lutz.
Right now, the Broncos have as good of a shot as any team in the NFL to earn the top seed in their respective conference for the playoffs. Let's dive into our latest AFC power rankings now that Week 9 is in the books.
NFL Power Rankings: Denver Broncos approaching no. 1 status in the AFC
16. Tennessee Titans (1-8)
The Tennessee Titans truly can't do anything well besides lose, as they are again headed toward the first overall pick in the NFL Draft, which could honestly benefit this team in the long run.
15. New York Jets (1-7)
The New York Jets earned their first win of the season last week against the Cincinnati Bengals, but they are still 1-7, so let's not get too excited. The Jets need to totally rebuild this roster for 2026 and beyond.
14. Miami Dolphins (2-7)
The Miami Dolphins have gotten to work: they parted ways with former GM Chris Grier and also just traded Jaelan Phillips, so the much-needed chance is coming for this franchise in a world of pain.
13. Cleveland Browns (2-6)
Defensively, the Browns have something special, but it's been the offense that has brought things down, and this has been the case for multiple years now. Cleveland has to draft a QB next April.
12. Cincinnati Bengals (3-6)
Another brutal loss for the Cincinnati Bengals puts a nail in the coffin on what they were hoping would be a season where they could hang around the .500 mark before a hopeful Joe Burrow return.
11. Las Vegas Raiders (2-6)
Another bad loss for the Las Vegas Raiders tells us nothing new - this team is going to struggle each week and won't have any remaining wins come easy. Geno Smith has already thrown 11 interceptions.
10. Houston Texans (3-5)
CJ Stroud left the Texans' Week 9 loss due to a concussion on a clean hit by Broncos' CB Kris Abrams-Draine, but the Texans may have been able to win this one had Stroud not left the game.
9. Baltimore Ravens (3-5)
Now winners of two games in a row, the Baltimore Ravens might be making a run here in the coming weeks, as their schedule lightens up a bit.
8. Jacksonville Jaguars (5-3)
A nice win over the Las Vegas Raiders in Week 9 has the Jaguars at a solid 5-3 record, but the main thing keeping this team down, at the moment, is the QB position. Trevor Lawrence just hasn't been that good this year.
7. Pittsburgh Steelers (5-3)
This was a great win for the Pittsburgh Steelers, as they snap their two-game losing streak and get to 5-3 after a defensive turnover party against the Indianapolis Colts. Pittsburgh is a playoff team.
6. Kansas City Chiefs (5-4)
The Kansas City Chiefs are now 5-4 on the season after a shaky loss to the Buffalo Bills and are also now two games behind the Denver Broncos in the AFC West.
5. Los Angeles Chargers (6-3)
A too close to call type of win for the LA Chargers gets them to 6-3 on the season, but they may have lost left tackle Joe Alt, as he suffered another ankle injury.
4. Buffalo Bills (6-2)
Good for the Buffalo Bills. After a two-game losing streak to drop to 4-2, the Bills are now winners of two in a row and keep their regular season dominance over the Chiefs going.
3. New England Patriots (7-2)
A sixth win in a row for the New England Patriots keeps their insane, Cinderella-type season alive. Drake Maye is playing like an MVP, and the defense has been very solid. New England is third in our power rankings.
2. Denver Broncos (7-2)
It was another fourth quarter comeback for Bo Nix and the Denver Broncos, as they also improve to 7-2 and win their sixth game in a row. Denver is two games clear of the Chiefs in the AFC West and have a suffocating pass rush.
1. Indianapolis Colts (7-2)
The Indianapolis Colts still stand atop our AFC power rankings. The Colts did lose in Week 9 to the Pittsburgh Steelers, but their complete body of work this year has been outstanding, so it's probably not a wise idea to overreact to a team that lost and dropped to 7-2.