2026 NFL Power Rankings Week 9: Chargers and Jets Face Defining Tests

The 2026 NFL Power Rankings Week 9 conversation turns heavily toward teams facing urgent questions after Week 8, with the Minnesota Vikings no longer undefeated and the Los Angeles Chargers still searching for their first win. FOX Sports published its Week 9 rankings under the title 2026 NFL Power Rankings Week 9: Are The Bears Now The Team To Beat In The NFC?, with the Bears, Vikings, Chargers and Jets all prominent in the discussion.

The rankings arrive in what is framed as the calm before the second-half storm, but for some teams, the pressure is already immediate. The Chargers’ offensive drought and the Jets’ unusual loss despite a fast scoring start stand out as key storylines entering the next slate of games.

Chargers’ winless start deepens the Week 9 concern

The Chargers are listed at 0-7, and the Week 9 write-up presents their situation in stark terms. It says they looked worse after their bye week than they did before it, a worrying detail for a team already at the bottom of the standings.

The most damaging number is the touchdown drought. The Chargers have gone 27 straight drives without scoring a touchdown, a run that helps explain why their winless start has become one of the defining notes of the rankings.

The losing streak also stretches beyond this season. The Chargers have lost 11 straight games, including playoffs, dating back to last season.

Their next game is listed as vs. Texans on Sunday at 4:05 p.m. ET. The article also states that the Chargers have a Nov. 22 home game against the Jets, giving both struggling teams a future point of comparison as the season moves on.

Jets show production, but not a finish

The Jets’ entry carries a different tone. Their offense produced early and often in a Sunday game, scoring points on its first six possessions for the first time in 18 years.

That fast start still was not enough. The Jets led by two scores late in the third quarter, but still lost to the Raiders.

There were clear individual bright spots. Geno Smith threw for 290 yards, while Braelon Allen ran for 147 yards. Allen’s total was described as a career high.

Adonai Mitchell also delivered a notable performance, catching seven passes for a career-high 142 yards and a touchdown. The rankings note that the Jets’ young stars were on display despite the result.

The Jets’ next game is listed as at the Chiefs on Sunday at 1 p.m. ET, a matchup that gives them another chance to turn offensive movement into a different final outcome.

Vikings remain in place after first defeat

At the top end of the rankings discussion, the Vikings’ unbeaten run is over. Minnesota was identified as the NFL’s last undefeated team before finally losing in Week 8.

The ranking commentary is careful not to treat the Vikings’ record as proof of overall superiority. It says Minnesota may have had the NFL’s best record but was clearly never the league’s best team.

For now, the Vikings remain in the power rankings position they occupied, though the wording makes clear their hold is not framed as secure. That matters in a Week 9 list that also raises the question of whether the Bears have become the team to beat in the NFC.

What comes next

The Week 9 schedule puts immediate focus on whether the Chargers can end their touchdown drought against the Texans and whether the Jets can build on their offensive production at Kansas City. Further ahead, the Chargers’ Nov. 22 home game against the Jets gives both teams another measuring point in seasons already shaped by frustration.

The rankings also include DraftKings Super Bowl odds formatted as +100000, tied for 29th, in multiple places in the excerpt, underscoring how far some teams sit from the top of the league conversation entering Week 9.