The NFC looked like the elite conference between the two for the first half of the season, and then Week 9 had a lot of narratives crumbling to the ground like a game of Jenga. Some of the top teams in the NFC were absolutely shocked in Week 9, while others are moving up this week's NFL Power Rankings by virtue of simply being off.
The Los Angeles Rams are on the rise. The Lions and Packers are taking a bit of a tumble after shocking results this past week. Meanwhile, the Eagles and Buccaneers sat back and just awkwardly watched the family members fight.
Our weekly NFC power rankings will take a look at the wild action of Week 9 and rank each team based on record, head-to-head matchups, how well each team has played (and looked) over the course of the season, and a few other minor criteria.
NFL Power Rankings, Week 10: Rams rise to top of NFC, Lions & Packers falling
16. New Orleans Saints
I don't think we can call what the New Orleans Saints did at the NFL trade deadline a "fire sale" by any stretch, but this team obviously had aims on the future by adding a couple of draft picks for Rashid Shaheed. After making the switch to quarterback Tyler Shough, the Saints have their eyes firmly fixed on the future, which currently would include the #1 overall pick in next year's draft.
And Shough has the next couple of months to make his case for a future starting job, whether that's in New Orleans or somewhere else. Everyone's assumption right now is that they'll start fresh at that position.
15. New York Giants
There's no doubt that the New York Giants have their future quarterback in place at this point, but the unfortunate reality for this Giants team is that injuries have ruined the immediate excitement of Jaxson Dart, at least to a degree. No Malik Nabers, no Cam Skattebo, and therefore not the clearest picture of the future.
The Giants definitely have pieces in place. Jaxson Dart has likely saved some jobs. There's every reason to be excited for the future, for the first time in a while, if you're a Giants fan. We'll see what pieces they can add in the 2026 offseason to truly make a push in the NFC East next year.