NFL standings, Week 9: Chiefs in strong position heading into bye week

Through the ninth week of the season, the Chiefs are in a strong position as they head into their bye week. Here’s a look at the full NFL standings.

With Week 9 in the books, the Kansas City Chiefs are in a strong position as they head into their bye week with an 8-1 record. They are second only to the Pittsburgh Steelers, who still boast an undefeated 8-0 record.

This week was a bad week overall in the NFL for COVID-19 cases, with half of the league facing at least one player or staff member testing positive for COVID-19. However, these positives were able to contained for the moment and no games were cancelled or rescheduled.

In the AFC West, the Chiefs took on the Carolina Panthers and faced a nail biter. Despite the Panthers getting the return of star running back Christian McCaffrey, the Chiefs were able to eke out a close victory. Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes had yet another stellar performance, completing 30/45 passes for 372 yards and 4 touchdowns.

The Chiefs continued their trend of not relying on their running backs, as Clyde Edwards-Helaire and Le’Veon Bell only got 9 combined carries, which they turned into 22 yards. Tight end Travis Kelce stole the show with 10 receptions for 159 yards and helped the Chiefs beat the Panthers 33-31.

Elsewhere in the AFC West, the Denver Broncos took on the Atlanta Falcons and almost pulled off a comeback victory. In his last two games, quarterback Drew Lock has had a rough first three quarters, but has been able to turn on the burners when the fourth quarter comes around. He ended the day with 25/48 passes completed for 313 yards, 2 touchdowns, and 1 interception. He also rushed 7 times for 47 yards and 1 touchdown, but was unable to finish the comeback and the Broncos lost 34-27.

The Las Vegas Raiders faced off against the Los Angeles Chargers and narrowly got a win. Quarterback Derek Carr did not have a spectacular game, but performed admirably with 13/23 completions for 165 yards and 2 touchdowns. That, along with a combined 133 yards and 2 touchdowns from his two running backs, was enough to lead the Raiders to a win.

For the Chargers, rookie quarterback Justin Herbert continued to impress as he completed 28/42 passes for 326 yards and 2 touchdowns. In a back and forth game up until the fourth quarter, Herbert drove his team into scoring position and threw what he thought was the game-winning touchdown, but it was ultimately overturned after review, leading to a 31-26 loss for the Chargers.

Here’s a look at the full NFL standings:

AFC East

1. Buffalo Bills 7-2-0
2. Miami Dolphins 5-3-0
3. New England Patriots 3-5-0
4. New York Jets 0-9-0

AFC West

1. Kansas City Chiefs 8-1-0
2. Las Vegas Raiders 5-3-0
3. Denver Broncos 3-5-0
4. Los Angeles Chargers 2-6-0

AFC North

1. Pittsburgh Steelers 8-0-0
2. Baltimore Ravens 6-2-0
3. Cleveland Browns 5-3-0
4. Cincinnati Bengals 2-5-1

AFC South

1. Tennessee Titans 6-2-0
2. Indianapolis Colts 5-3-0
3. Houston Texas 2-6-0
4. Jacksonville Jaguars 1-7-0

NFC East

1. Philadelphia Eagles 3-4-1
2. Washington Football Team 2-6-0
3. Dallas Cowboys 2-7-0
4. New York Giants 2-7-0

NFC West

1. Seattle Seahawks 6-2-0
2. Arizona Cardinals 5-3-0
3. Los Angeles Rams 5-3-0
4. San Francisco 49ers 4-5-0

NFC North

1. Green Bay Packers 6-2-0
2. Chicago Bears 5-4-0
3. Minnesota Vikings 3-5-0
4. Detroit Lions 3-5-0

NFC South

1. New Orleans Saints 6-2-0
2. Tampa Bay Buccaneers 6-3-0
3. Atlanta Falcons 3-6-0
4. Carolina Panthers 3-6-0