NFL power rankings Week 9: Where does league stand near halfway point?

1. Kansas City Chiefs (Last week: No. 1)
2. Pittsburgh Steelers (Last week: No. 2)
3. Seattle Seahawks (Last week: No. 3)
4. Tampa Bay Buccaneers (Last week: No. 5)
5. Baltimore Ravens (Last week: No. 4)

It perhaps hasn't come with a level of dominance that makes you wonder if they'll go 16-0, but the Steelers are off to a 7-0 start while playing in arguably the best division in the AFC.

Mike Tomlin's team has been tested in close victories over the Titans and Ravens over the last two weeks, but the Steelers' schedule is about to ease up. Over the next three weeks, the Steelers will face the Cowboys, Bengals and Jaguars, teams with a combined record of 5-17-1.

Until someone takes down Patrick Mahomes and the Chiefs in the postseason, they'll be the favorites in the AFC -- and NFL as a whole -- here. But with a ferocious defense and an offense that's deep in skill-position talent, the Steelers certainly pose the biggest threat in the AFC to the Chiefs right now.

6. New Orleans Saints (Last week: No. 8)
7. Green Bay Packers (Last week: No. 6)
8. Tennessee Titans (Last week: No. 7)
9. Indianapolis Colts (Last week: No. 11)
10. Arizona Cardinals (Last week: No. 10)

The Cardinals slipped up in Week 3 and Week 4, losing games that they were expected to win against the Lions and Panthers. Outside of those two losses though, the Cardinals are 5-0, giving the organization hope that it could reach the postseason for the first time since 2015.

Kliff Kingsbury's team returns from the bye week, still riding high from a 37-34 victory over the previously undefeated Seahawks, one in which the Cardinals erased a 10-point deficit in the fourth quarter and ultimately won in overtime. The win kept them alive in the best division in the sport and left you with a feeling that there's a real chance the Cardinals will at least win one of the NFC's three wild-card spots.

Still, Kyler Murray and company will quickly be tested out of the bye week, as they'll welcome the Dolphins. The Cardinals are 4.5-point favorites at home, but they can hardly take the Dolphins, who have won three games in a row, lightly. This is a game that the Cardinals should win -- and need to win if they want any chance to win a division title. That said, those are the type of games in which the Cardinals have slipped up this year.

11. Buffalo Bills (Last week: No. 12)
12. Las Vegas Raiders (Last week: No. 15)
13. Cleveland Browns (Last week: No. 9)
14. Los Angeles Rams (Last week: No. 13)
15. Miami Dolphins (Last week: No. 17)

In the Browns' five wins this season, they've looked like a team capable of not only reaching the playoffs for the first time since 2002 but potentially being able to win a game when they get there.

That said, they've looked like a bottom-five team in losses. In falling to the Ravens, Steelers and Raiders, the Browns have been outscored 92-19, a jarring nugget to consider.

Kevin Stefanski's team certainly would've signed up to be 5-3 as it entered its bye week. Odell Beckham Jr. is out for the season after tearing his ACL, but there's hope that Nick Chubb, arguably the team's best offensive player, will return from a knee injury after the bye.

Still, while much of the focus in Cleveland over the next two months will be on trying to end a nearly 20-year postseason drought, there's also the subplot of trying to evaluate what Baker Mayfield is.

Stefanski and general manager Andrew Berry, neither of whom were in the organization when Mayfield was selected, need to decide this offseason if they want to pick up Mayfield's fifth-year option and whether his play is trending toward giving him a second contract. Being able to elevate the team on the days in which the running game can't get going in the manner that Stefanski hoped for would go a long way in assuring that Mayfield's future is in Cleveland.

16. Chicago Bears (Last week: No. 14)
17. San Francisco 49ers (Last week: No. 16)
18. Cincinnati Bengals (Last week: No. 24)
19. Minnesota Vikings (Last week: No. 22)
20. Los Angeles Chargers (Last week: No. 18)

The Bengals aren't a particularly good team, but Burrow has made them worth watching every week and gives you hope that a team that won just two games a season ago may not be far off from contending for the postseason.

Consider this: The Bengals have been blown out just once in 2020, a 27-3 loss to the division rival Ravens in Week 5. The team's four other losses have been by five points or fewer. The Bengals also have a tie in hand as well, as they shocked the Eagles in Philadelphia in Week 3.

The Bengals' most impressive performance came Sunday, when they won 31-20 against a Titans team that some believe is a Super Bowl contender. Burrow tossed two touchdowns, leading the Bengals to a victory without starting running back Joe Mixon available.

Despite playing behind an offensive line that often functions like a turnstile, Burrow has tossed 11 touchdowns to just five interceptions. He has added three more touchdowns with his legs. He's also seemingly formed a bond with fellow rookie Tee Higgins, who has 33 catches for 488 yards.

There was some speculation before the 2020 NFL Draft that Burrow might try to push himself to a team other than the Bengals. He ultimately didn't go that route, and that's a decision that could pay dividends in the Queen City for the next decade-and-a-half.

21. Detroit Lions (Last week: No. 19)
22. Carolina Panthers (Last week: No. 21)
23. New England Patriots (Last week: No. 20)
24. Denver Broncos (Last week: No. 29)
25. Philadelphia Eagles (Last week: No. 23)

Cam Newton fumbled away the Patriots' chance to kick a game-tying field goal late in the fourth quarter of their loss to the Bills on Sunday. Since starting 2-1, the Patriots have lost four consecutive games, with Newton coming down with COVID-19 and subsequently struggling to hit his stride since returning.

Perhaps Newton will prove to just be a one-year stopgap at quarterback in New England, something that seemed unlikely when he was going blow-for-blow with Russell Wilson and the Seahawks on Sunday Night Football in Week 2.

Still, the issues in New England run much deeper than uncertainty at the quarterback position in the short- and long-term. This is an offense pretty devoid of talent, thanks in large part to unsuccessful draft picks like N'Keal Harry. Julian Edelman's season may be over, and you're left to wonder if whether his illustrious tenure in New England may be nearing its conclusion. We began to see the Patriots' struggles in the second half of the 2019 season, and New England simply isn't a desirable offense to play in right now. Bill Belichick and Josh McDaniels can only do so much to overcome the lack of talent.

Over The Cap estimates that the Patriots will have more than $66 million in cap space this upcoming offseason, an amount that could increase if the team parts ways with veterans like Edelman and Stephon Gilmore. Certainly, the Patriots figure to be active in free agency. The question then becomes whether you trust Belichick the executive to pick the right pieces to quickly rebuild what's become a depressing offense to watch.