There is a pretty notable middle class in the NFL this year. Many of these teams can do a few things well, but they're far from complete, and it's reflected in the records. Now that Week 9 is about in the books, we can analyze the entire NFL hierarchy.
And no matter what happens on Monday Night Football, there will still be seven teams after Week 9 that have five wins. It's not a bad spot to be in, but it's not a great spot, either. Many of these teams will get into the postseason, but others are going to fall short.
Let's power rank the seven five-win teams in the NFL through the first nine weeks of the 2025 season.
Power ranking every five-win team in the NFL after Week 9 action
7. Carolina Panthers (5-4)
How about the Carolina Panthers? This team just has not gone away and are making notable strides under second-year head coach Dave Canales. It'll be interesting to see how many more wins the Panthers can stack, but it's been a solid season thus far, and it's a year where things could finally be getting on the right track for the future. It's not super clear if Bryce Young is truly the guy, but the overall foundation appears to be laid.
6. Jacksonville Jaguars (5-3)
The Jacksonville Jaguars are 5-3 after a great win over the Las Vegas Raiders in Week 9, but I still do have some notable concerns about Trevor Lawrence, as he hasn't been that good this year and is the missing piece to what could be a special team. The Jags are a pretty average team overall but are finding a way to win tight games.
5. Chicago Bears (5-3)
How about that finish for the Chicago Bears? The Bears are now 5-3 on the season and appear to be in the thick of things in the NFC North. Chicago has a lot to clean up, but things are pointing upward for the franchise.
4. Pittsburgh Steelers (5-3)
I will be the first to admit that I thought the Pittsburgh Steelers would lose in embarrassing fashion to the Indianapolis Colts, but Pittsburgh put forth a great defensive effort and made the AFC a lot tighter with this win. Aaron Rodgers was efficient as always, and the defense had Daniel Jones in a blender. Pittsburgh is still a playoff team, but their ceiling is lower.
3. Kansas City Chiefs (5-4)
I am not sure the Kansas City Chiefs are going to win the AFC West this year, as they now trail the Denver Broncos by two games in the division and looked largely bad against the Buffalo Bills in Week 9. Patrick Mahomes played one of the worst games of his career, and it's just not been an easy season for KC.
You can see their slim margins disappearing, as they had lost two regular season games all of 2024 - and they surely have at least a few more losses coming.
2. Detroit Lions (5-3)
This was an ugly loss for the Detroit Lions, as they should have beat up on JJ McCarthy. Detroit is clearly not nearly the team they were in the 2024 NFL Season, and I guess that should be expected after losing both Ben Johnson and Aaron Glenn to head coaching jobs.
The NFC North is very cluttered at the moment, and it's really going to be an uphill battle for the Lions to win the division. They're still a pretty complete team and no. 2 in our five-win power rankings.
1. Green Bay Packers (5-2-1)
I am not sure what to make of the Green Bay Packers, as their loss in Week 9 to the Carolina Panthers was downright pathetic and simply inexcusable on so many level. The Packers were supposed to emerge as a juggernaut this year, but they really haven't. I guess them having the fewest losses among all five-win teams is enough to give them the top spot here.