You’ll see a bunch of NFL power rankings put the Detroit Lions on the top. I get that the NFC North powerhouse is beating teams by a bunch. They’re playing so well.

Compare that to the Kansas City Chiefs, who are playing one score games seemingly every week. Here’s the thing, though. The Chiefs don’t lose.

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There’s only one unbeaten team in the NFL, and you can’t knock a Super Bowl champ without a loss down a peg. Not with the greatest quarterback ever (yeah, I said it) that just finds a way to get it done. There’s no doubt the Lions are kings of the NFC, and the Chiefs will have competition along the way from the Ravens, Bills and maybe the Texans.

It’ll be interesting to see how the top of the league shakes out in the season’s second half. It’ll also be intriguing to watch how the league’s lower half deals with a lack of success. Some do it right. Others do not.

Now let’s take a look at how the NFL shakes out after nine weeks of the 2024 season:

1. Kansas City Chiefs (8-0): Kareem Hunt, DeAndre Hopkins and Travis Kelce. Patrick Mahomes is winning with the NFL’s geriatric skill-player set.  

 2. Detroit Lions (7-1): Just because they aren’t No. 1 doesn’t mean the Lions aren’t a juggernaut.   

3. Baltimore Ravens (6-3): The only way Lamar doesn’t win MVP is if Derrick Henry takes some of his votes.

4. Buffalo Bills (7-2): Bills tried out other kickers. Then Tyler Bass hits from 61, and Sean McDermott gives him a game ball and is his best friend. Eye roll.

5. Philadelphia Eagles (6-2): Saquon Barkley isn’t human.

6. Washington Commanders (7-2): We sure Jayden Daniels is a rookie? We’re gonna need to see some NFL Draft class ID.

7. Minnesota Vikings (6-2): Vikings won again, but they’ve got flaws. They’re certainly not the class of their conference.

8. Atlanta Falcons (6-3): Everyone is starting to give Kirk Cousins his flowers, but the line and skill players around him are A-plus.

9. Pittsburgh Steelers (5-2): Russell Wilson must continue proving he’s the right guy at QB; and the bye should help him build chemistry.

10. Green Bay Packers (6-3): Packers must keep Jordan Love healthy and then sustain it. Josh Jacobs can’t navigate the season alone.

11. Houston Texans (6-3): Something ain’t right with C.J. Stroud. Especially with Stefon Diggs out.   

12. Los Angeles Chargers (5-3): Jim Harbaugh thinks Justin Herbert should get more calls. He’s right.

13. San Francisco 49ers (4-4): CMC is back at practice. Somehow, it seems like there’s too much riding on one superstar who has struggled with injury.

14. Arizona Cardinals (4-4): Kyler is playing smart, and that run game is legit. Defense is suspect, no matter what it did to the Bears.   

15. Tampa Bay Buccaneers (4-5): Rule No. 1: Never let Mahomes have the ball first in OT.  Should’ve gone for 2, Todd.

16. Los Angeles Rams (3-4): Matt Stafford with good receivers can beat a lot of teams.   

17. Denver Broncos (5-4): Broncos defense is good, but not beat-the-Ravens good. Playoffs remain an uphill climb. In the snow. Uphill. Both ways.   

18. Cincinnati Bengals (4-5): Joe Cool’s gonna will this team into the playoffs, isn’t he?

19. Seattle Seahawks (4-5): Geno doing crazy things trying to win isn’t the right path for a team that was born to run.   

20. Chicago Bears (4-4): Chicago’s home team dropped like a rock this week. That’s what happens following a no-show in the desert.

21. Indianapolis Colts (4-5): Joe Flacco wasn’t supposed to take Indy to great heights. He was supposed to stabilize them.  

22. Dallas Cowboys (3-5): Lip readers surely saw Dak say his team, well, wasn’t very good. He’s right, especially not without him for an extended stretch.

23. New York Jets (3-6): New rule. No Jets games in primetime for the foreseeable future.  

24. Miami Dolphins (2-6): I wouldn’t six Tyreek on your fantasy team, but he might be a flex.

25. Jacksonville Jaguars (2-7): The Jags have the yips. That’s the only solution.

26. Cleveland Browns (2-7): Nobody thought Jameis Winston was a savior. We just knew Deshaun Watson was not.

27. New York Giants (2-7): This seems like an HC-in-a-bad spot love fest, but we hope Brian Daboll gets a chance to pick his own quarterback.   

28. Tennessee Titans (2-6): Hope the Titans are patient with Brian Callahan. He cares. He gets it.   

29. Carolina Panthers (2-7): There is zero point in putting Andy Dalton back in the starting lineup. Let Bryce Young play, evaluate, develop and then trade or stick.

30. New England Patriots (2-7): The Patriots currently have the No. 1 pick. They would love to keep it and then secure it and then trade for picks that can help Drake Maye.  

31. Las Vegas Raiders (2-7): The Raiders’ problem isn’t OC Luke Getsy or HC Antonio Pierce or anyone on the chopping block. Look farther up the org chart. This team stinks from the head down.

32. New Orleans Saints (2-7): Dennis Allen gets canned twice as an HC, with the same starting QB in both instances. That type of trivia will win you a bet.  

Follow Bears Insider Scott Bair on X @ScottBairNFL. Also, a Bair Mail is coming up on Wednesday! Join the conversation by submitting a mailbag question or comment to mailbag@marqueesportsnetwork.com for a chance to be included in this relatively new content series.