NFL

2018 NFL Power Rankings: Week 9

The Rams have set themselves apart from the field through the first half of the regular season. How does the rest of the league stack up?

We're just about at the halfway point of the NFL regular season, and not surprisingly, there have been some surprises.

The Los Angeles Rams top our nERD power ratings, and while that may not have necessarily shocked people in August, it has hard to imagine many of them expected them to be head and shoulders above the rest of the league. Our models had them ranked sixth before the year, but now, the ratings suggest the Rams are way ahead of every other team.

That includes the Kansas City Chiefs, who are second and a bit more surprising. They started the year at 16th in nERD, but thanks to a brilliant start from quarterback Patrick Mahomes, the NFL's best offense by Net Expected Points (NEP) had made Kansas City a Super Bowl contender.

The Chiefs' 14-spot improvement since Week 1 is the fourth-biggest in the league, while the Colts lead this category by virtue of being average instead of terrible.

Team Rank Change from Week 1
Indianapolis Colts 14 +18
Chicago Bears 5 +16
Denver Broncos 10 +15
Kansas City Chiefs 2 +14
Cincinnati Bengals 16 +11


The Jaguars and Eagles are among the teams have who moved in the other direction since the start of the season.

TeamRankChange from Week 1
Minnesota Vikings12-10
Atlanta Falcons22-10
Arizona Cardinals31-11
Philadelphia Eagles13-12
San Francisco 49ers29-14
Jacksonville Jaguars23-16