2018 NFL Power Rankings: Week 9
Teams Ranked 12th to 1st
| Rank | Team | nERD | Rec | Playoff Odds | Off. NEP Rank | Def. NEP Rank | Change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 12 | Minnesota Vikings | 1.72 | 4-3-1 | 37.4% | 20 | 9 | -1 |
| 11 | Carolina Panthers | 3.23 | 5-2 | 66.2% | 8 | 18 | +2 |
| 10 | Denver Broncos | 3.58 | 3-5 | 17.1% | 17 | 8 | 0 |
| 9 | New Orleans Saints | 3.93 | 6-1 | 89.8% | 3 | 26 | -3 |
| 8 | Seattle Seahawks | 3.98 | 4-3 | 53.4% | 18 | 5 | +1 |
| 7 | Los Angeles Chargers | 4.66 | 5-2 | 75.6% | 4 | 23 | -2 |
| 6 | Pittsburgh Steelers | 4.84 | 4-2-1 | 69.7% | 12 | 13 | +1 |
| 5 | Chicago Bears | 6.45 | 4-3 | 63.3% | 6 | 7 | +3 |
| 4 | New England Patriots | 6.84 | 6-2 | 98.9% | 5 | 12 | 0 |
| 3 | Baltimore Ravens | 7.14 | 4-4 | 42.7% | 11 | 2 | -1 |
| 2 | Kansas City Chiefs | 7.7 | 7-1 | 99.8% | 1 | 28 | +1 |
| 1 | Los Angeles Rams | 12.43 | 8-0 | 99.9% | 2 | 16 | 0 |
As mentioned, it would not surprise anyone to know that the Rams top our rankings and are the best team in the league. What might be less obvious is the fact that it's not particularly close.
The Chiefs have been terrific this season, but only on one side of the ball. The Rams have been nearly as good offensively (behind them by just 7.4 points worth of NEP) but have also combined this offense with adequate play on the other side. The Los Angeles defense has been 62.2 points of NEP better the Kansas City's.
All this has put 4.7 points worth of nERD behind the two clubs, which is more than the separation between Kansas City and 11th-ranked Carolina.
The Rams are also the only team whose nERD score is two standard deviations above the mean. There is a lot of football left, but as far as the first half of 2018 went, it was truly Los Angeles and everyone else.
