The race to the top of the AFC is going to be a battle for the ages as we already approach the second half of the 2026 NFL season.
The Jacksonville Jaguars got things kicked off in Week 9 with a dominating win over the suddenly hopeless Baltimore Ravens, proving they are one of the most complete and well-rounded teams in the league right now.
Other powerhouse AFC teams are in the mix for the top seed going into Week 9 action, and they are almost all facing huge matchups against NFC teams. With everything we've seen so far in the 2026 season, how do each of the AFC teams stack up? Let's rank them heading into yet another epic week of action in Week 9.
NFL Power Rankings, Week 9: Updated AFC rankings ahead of Week 9 action
16. Los Angeles Chargers
The Los Angeles Chargers are officially the most broken team in the NFL. With one of the most high-profile and expensive trios at head coach, quarterback, and offensive coordinator, the criticism of this team from all angles is absolutely justified.
The fact that it hasn’t worked out between Harbaugh, Herbert, and McDaniel is certainly shocking, but what are the Chargers supposed to do at this point? It wouldn’t be surprising if they were in a bad enough spot that teams called and started asking about Justin Herbert, even if the price would make a king’s ransom offer look like child’s play.
For a team that came into the season with Super Bowl aspirations, nobody could have seen an 0-7 start coming, and the repercussions of the on-field failures will be absolutely fascinating.
15. Miami Dolphins
The Miami Dolphins are going to keep being scrappy week after week, and it won’t surprise me if they pull off a couple more wins as the season rolls along.
Maybe even some unexpected ones.
They are 1-6 so far this season, 0-3 at home, and are obviously living up to low expectations most had going into the season. But I’ll reiterate something I’ve been saying pretty much all year: If you watch this team play, you can see that Jeff Hafley is building something.
The Dolphins aren’t going to strike fear into anybody right now. They might not be favored in any games the rest of the way this season. But this is a team I’m expecting to play hard week after week as they look to set the foundation for the future with guys who want to be there.
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