Just when you think you finally have a good idea about the landscape of the league, a week happens like this past one. Here are my top 10 teams entering Week 9.

1. Philadelphia Eagles (7-1)
I’m really starting to wonder if there are any elite teams in the NFL, but the Eagles are as close to elite as you’ll get in 2023. Jalen Hurts had a fantastic game and the offense seems to finally be playing its best football of the season. The same cannot be said for this defense, however, as the passing defense remains by far the biggest issue with this team. Howie Roseman should be calling around the league for secondary help with the trade deadline hours away, even after acquiring the services of Kevin Byard from Tennessee. If the defense can be fixed for the time being, it would be hard not to call the Eagles the Super Bowl favorites as it stands right now. Philly faces Dallas next week in Philly in a divisional showdown.

2. Miami Dolphins (6-2)
Miami got back on track this week in a divisional win over New England after a disappointing loss to Philadelphia the week prior. It’s the same old story with this Dolphins team; elite offense, solid defense, and no signature wins to show for it. Tua is continuing his MVP campaign, and Miami is one of many teams in the AFC that are true contenders. The run game will need to get back on track if that’s the case, but Miami is atop the jumbled mess in the AFC for me right now. They’ll have an opportunity for that elusive signature win when they face Kansas City in Germany on Sunday.

3. Baltimore Ravens (6-2)
Baltimore just keeps on winning, and Lamar Jackson might be playing the best football of his career. A 31-24 victory over the Cardinals was not as close as the scoreboard suggests, and Lamar had one of the best throws of his career, a one-legged throw into tight coverage to Mark Andrews for a touchdown. The run game is getting hot behind Gus Edwards, something this Ravens team desperately needed to happen, and Lamar has adjusted to this offense. The Ravens continue to heat up and head into a showdown with Seattle at home next week as one of the league’s hottest squads. 

4. Detroit Lions (6-2)
The Lions bounced back from their worst loss of the season with a primetime victory over the Raiders to maintain pace in the NFC North. The defense got back on track, and Jahmyr Gibbs is looking well worth the first-round pick that was used on him in the draft. David Montgomery should be back soon, Jared Goff continues to play well, and Dan Campbell has this team in a great position heading into the bye week. The red zone turnovers are a problem, but aren’t something that can’t be fixed. 

5. Jacksonville Jaguars (6-2)
The Jacksonville Jaguars are officially playing like I thought they would coming into the season. After a shaky 1-2 start, the Jags have rattled off five consecutive wins and are firmly in the running for the top seed in the AFC. They’ll need more from Trevor Lawrence if they want to ascend into true contender status and will have to shed themselves of the inconsistency we see in the middle of games. For now, the Jags are for real and head into the bye with their best record through Week 8 since 1998. 

6. Kansas City Chiefs (6-2)
Ladies and gentlemen, the Kansas City Chiefs are officially mortal for the first time in the Patrick Mahomes era. Mahomes had arguably the worst game of his career on Sunday, and it came against a team he hadn’t lost to prior in the Denver Broncos. I’m not doubting this team at all, but the lack of weapons behind Travis Kelce is really starting to show for this team. Everything will be fine as long as Mahomes is upright, but this team isn’t the heavy favorites anymore. Next up, Miami in Germany.

7. Dallas Cowboys (5-2)
Dallas looked as dominant as they have all season this past week, jumping out to a 30-point lead in the second quarter and never looking back against the Rams on Sunday. Dak Prescott played well for the second consecutive game, and the defense remains a top-three unit and scores as much as any defense in the league. The run game remains an issue, something the Cowboys need to get going to run their offense at a high level. Prescott and Co. has its biggest game of the season this week, a divisional showdown with top-seeded Philadelphia on the road.

8. San Francisco 49ers (5-3)
After looking like easily the best team in the league through five weeks, the 49ers have lost three consecutive games and now find themselves at 5-3 entering the bye week. The bye could not come at a better time, letting Christian McCaffrey fully heal his injury and the likely return of Deebo Samuel in Week 10. In the end, Brock Purdy just needs to play better if this team is going to get back on track, and the defense will need to pick it up if San Francisco is going to go deep into the playoffs. After the bye, the 49ers face Jacksonville on the road, which will also be coming out of a bye week.

9. Cincinnati Bengals (4-3)
Joe Burrow is back, and so are the Cincinnati Bengals. After a 1-3 start marred by Burrow’s injury, the Bengals have rattled off three wins in a row including last week’s dominating victory over the 49ers on the road. This feels like a yearly occurrence with the Bengals, a slow start followed by a hot second half just in time for the playoffs. This year however, the Bengals will have to earn it more than ever with the toughest schedule remaining in the entire league in a very tough conference. 

10. Seattle Seahawks (5-2)
This team continues to impress me and made a big deadline move yesterday by acquiring the services of Leonard Williams from the Giants, an area of clear need for this Seattle team. Geno Smith is playing better, Jaxon Smith-Njigba is coming along, and the cornerback duo of Riq Woolen and Devon Witherspoon is already among the best in the league. Seattle is also getting healthier, with the return of Charles Cross and soon-to-be Abraham Lucas, this offensive line will get better. It’s hard to believe this team is a true contender, but they’ve done nothing wrong to say they aren’t. Seattle faces Baltimore on Sunday in a big cross-conference showdown.