Get ready, folks, because Tom Brady, the GOAT himself, usually sticks to his guns on his No. 1 team, but Week 9 just threw a wrench in everything. The Chicago Bears, who were sitting pretty at the top last week, barely squeaked by the Tampa Bay Buccaneers with a buzzer-beating field goal. Meanwhile, the Buffalo Bills and San Francisco 49ers? They stomped their way to decisive wins, making a huge statement that they deserve to be crowned the best in the NFL. Brady’s gotta be rethinking his whole list after that shake-up.
The AFC North Is a Brawl, and We’ve Got New Contenders
We’ve got some serious action bubbling up, especially with the Cincinnati Bengals finally making their debut in Brady’s rankings at No. 9, right after beating the Atlanta Falcons 34-17 in Spain. Talk about making an entrance! Joe Burrow and the Bengals have been on a tear, racking up four straight wins and scoring 30-plus points in every single one. Burrow tossed three touchdowns and even ran one in against Atlanta, all while keeping a clean sheet with zero turnovers. Brady’s been sleeping on this team, but with first place in the AFC North on the line against the Pittsburgh Steelers this Sunday, Cincy could get that “great win” for their resume. Burrow is just electric, getting better every week, and you can see the chemistry with his wideouts. He’s got command, the physical tools, the whole package.
Speaking of the AFC North, the Pittsburgh Steelers, chilling at No. 8 after a bye week, watched the Bengals pull even with them. Pittsburgh hasn’t lost since their last Thursday night game in Cleveland, and they’ve got the tiebreaker over Cincy from their September win. So Sunday night, somebody’s walking out of Ohio alone in first place. You know the AFC North, right? It’s the black and blue division for a reason: hard-hitting, always good defenses, and playing in cold conditions. It’s tough, and these teams always show out.
Chiefs Stay Dangerous, Green Bay Climbs Fast
Down at No. 10, the Kansas City Chiefs aren’t going anywhere, even after dropping one spot. They took down the New York Jets 35-12, and Brady noticed they cleaned up the flags, which he called for last week. The Jets were stuck settling for field goals all day, while the Chiefs poured on the last 21 points. K9 (Kenneth Walker) was absolutely dominating again, the pass rush brought the heat, and Travis Kelce even ran one in just for kicks. Patrick Mahomes is breathing down everyone’s neck from that No. 10 spot, and that should honestly scare every team above them. They’re off to face the Atlanta Falcons next, with Thanksgiving in Buffalo looming large.
And then there’s the Green Bay Packers, who jumped all the way up to No. 7 from outside the top 10. They shocked everyone, including Brady, with a dominant 45-27 win at the New England Patriots. Jordan Love was just slinging bombs all over the field, and that defense came up huge with three interceptions. That showing was so good, it knocked the Patriots out of the top 10 entirely. Now, the Minnesota Vikings are coming to Lambeau for a battle between two teams heading in completely opposite directions.
The NFL landscape is shifting, and the top of Brady’s rankings is definitely in flux. Get ready for some fireworks this Sunday!
This article was created with AI assistance and published under Seattle On Tap’s editorial standards. See our Editorial Policy.
Originally reported by Fox Sports.
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