NFL standings, Week 9: Chiefs gain ground on Bills
After Week 9 of the NFL season, what do the standings look like in the AFC and AFC West? Where do the KC Chiefs stack up in the conference and division?
The NFL has now completed nine weeks of the regular season and there will still be a lot of changes to the playoff picture over the final two months. Most teams are still in contention for a playoff spot, while multiple teams may have already kissed their playoff hopes goodbye.
Week 9 featured only four games involving two AFC teams, with one being a divisional game, while five members of the AFC lined up against NFC teams, and three teams had their bye week. Seven teams came into the week with a winning record, seven teams came in with losing records, and three teams entered the week at exactly .500. What were the results of the games this week, and how have the standings changed since last week?
In Week 9 in the AFC West, the Kansas City Chiefs saw the Tennessee Titans come to town, the Los Angeles Chargers traveled to Atlanta to play the Falcons, the Las Vegas Raiders went on the road to play the Jacksonville Jaguars, while the Denver Broncos had their bye week.
Here is how the AFC West standings look after Week 9:
team. 124. . 6-2. . Kansas City Chiefs. 1
5-3. . Los Angeles Chargers. 2. team. 13.
45. . 3-5. . Denver Broncos. 3. team
4. team. 28. . 2-6. . Las Vegas Raiders
The Los Angeles Chargers earned a victory in Atlanta. The Las Vegas Raiders blew a 17-0 lead in Jacksonville in a deflating loss. The Chiefs escaped the Malik Willis-led Tennessee Titans in overtime.
According to FiveThirtyEight (QB Adjusted), before Week 9, the Chiefs were the clear favorites to win the AFC West with an 89% chance to win the division. The Los Angeles Chargers, Denver Broncos, and Las Vegas Raiders followed at 8%, 2%, and 1%, respectively. After Sunday, the Chiefs are still the heavy favorites at 90%, followed by the Chargers at 8%, the Broncos at 1%, and finally the Raiders at <1%.
The Chiefs are the AFC West favorites. Bar none. They will meet the Chargers in Week 11, and if they can win that game, the division race will be all but over. The Chargers are still alive in the division but likely saved their Wild Card hopes as well in the victory in Week 9. The Broncos have a faint chance to sneak into the playoffs, but it’s more likely they are in the same boat as the Raiders, in which they are finished.