The NFL regular season has nearly reached its halfway mark, and the current landscape of the NFL is becoming clearer and clearer with each passing week.
Teams like the Cleveland Browns, New York Giants, and Las Vegas Raiders have shattered preseason expectations, while the Los Angeles Rams and Seattle Seahawks are both a shocking 4-4 after Week 8.
The NFL trade deadline is less than a week away and some major shakeups have certainly changed the perspective of a few teams. The Chicago Bears added All-Pro defensive tackle Jeffrey Simmons, the Seahawks traded for All-Pro guard Quenton Nelson, DeForest Buckner was sent back to the San Francisco 49ers and the Baltimore Ravens acquired Jacoby Brissett to spell their injured quarterback room.
bet365 News writers Charlie Zschau and Asher Hyre share their midseason power rankings, which each writer picking every other team, starting with Charlie's No. 1 team:
NFL Power Rankings - Midseason
1. Chicago Bears
2026 Record: 6-2
Ben Johnson has the Bears offense humming on all cylinders, and even more impressively, the defense has not been left behind. The addition of All-Pro defensive tackle Jeffrey Simmons makes the already top-10 unit even more formidable, and with Caleb Williams orchestrating the passing game, the sky is the limit for the Bears in 2026. - Charlie
2. Buffalo Bills
2026 Record: 6-1
The addition of DJ Moore to the offense, along with the eye-opening development from Gregory Rousseau, Deone Walker, and Ed Oliver make this version of the Bills the best in the Josh Allen era. - Asher
3. San Francisco 49ers
2026 Record: 6-1
San Francisco can seemingly lose their entire team due to injuries, but as long as Kyle Shanahan is calling plays for Brock Purdy, it hardly matters. The Niners already boast impressive wins over the Rams, Broncos and Seahawks this season, and rank as a top-six team in both points per game and points allowed. - Charlie
4. Denver Broncos
2026 Record: 6-2
While Denver's offense has been ugly, they undeniably have the best wins out of any team in the league (victories over the Jaguars, Rams, Seahawks, Chiefs). They're very comfortable playing in close games and have a defense that has the propensity to make a big play when needed. - Asher
5. Jacksonville Jaguars
2026 Record: 5-2
Even with two losses on the season, the Jacksonville Jaguars have the NFL's best point differential (+85) through seven games. The next-closest team is the 49ers, who have a +58 point differential. The team's success comes from both a highly efficient offense led by Trevor Lawrence and the league's best run defense, allowing a meager 77.4 yards to opposing offences. - Charlie
6. Minnesota Vikings
2026 Record: 6-1
Similarly to the Broncos, the Vikings are hoping for more consistency from an offense that has scored 24+ points just once this year. Thankfully, they have a defense that tortures quarterbacks, and a defensive coordinator that confuses offenses on a play-by-play basis. - Asher
7. Kansas City Chiefs
2026 Record: 5-2
The 2026 Chiefs are a completely different team compared to the past few seasons, and they have one man to thank for that: Kenneth Walker III. The Super Bowl MVP has unlocked a new phase of Patrick Mahomes' career—one where he has a running game that defenses must game plan for and that is capable of explosive plays.
It would be no surprise to see the Chiefs back in the Super Bowl for the fourth time in five years. - Charlie
8. Pittsburgh Steelers
2026 Record: 6-2
These Steelers feel special this year - their pass-rush and defense still have a Mike Tomlin feel to it, while Mike McCarthy has kickstarted an offense that had been sputtering in recent years. Aaron Rodgers is playing his best ball since he was a Packer, and Jaylen Warren has established himself as one of the league's most dangerous playmakers out of the backfield. - Asher
9. New England Patriots
2026 Record: 5-3
After a shaky start to the season, Drake Maye and the Patriots are showing glimpses of why they reached the Super Bowl last season. New England's three losses this season have come against excellent teams (the Seahawks, Jaguars and Bears), but they also have a few impressive wins over the Steelers and Bills. If the team can get healthy, they'll be a scary opponent in the playoffs. - Charlie
10. Seattle Seahawks
2026 Record: 4-4
The defending champions certainly feel like a better team than its 4-4 record, though there are reasons as to why they've already racked up more losses than they did all of last year. The running game hasn't provided much after the departure of Kenneth Walker III in the offseason, and Sam Darnold has not done well with an increased expectation to make more plays. - Asher
11. Cincinnati Bengals
2026 Record: 5-2
Joe Burrow and the Bengals have one of the best offenses in the NFL, but the defense still has a lot of work to do if they want to win multiple playoff games - even with offseason improvements to that unit's personnel. Cincinnati has beaten up on bad teams so far this year, but has lost both games against teams with a record above .500. - Charlie
12. Detroit Lions
2026 Record: 5-2
Jack Campbell's serious injury dimmed the mood in Detroit even after a tough 19-15 win over the Vikings last week. Jared Goff, Jahmyr Gibbs, and the rest of the offense feels unstoppable (against any defense other than Minnesota's), but the defense remains porous - and hurt. - Asher
13. Los Angeles Rams
2026 Record: 4-4
The preseason Super Bowl favorites have not lived up to hype yet this year, but they could start to heat up in the coming weeks. Injuries to Davante Adams and Myles Garrett have hampered the team's ceiling, but they still have the talent to beat anyone in any given week. - Charlie
14. Green Bay Packers
2026 Record: 5-3
The Packers have won four of their last five games after looking dead-to-rights when they lost by three touchdowns to the Falcons in Week 3. While the lack of a running game could ultimately lead to their demise, Jordan Love's connection with receivers Christian Watson and Matthew Golden is special. The defense is young and continues to improve, and once Micah Parsons returns, watch out. - Asher
15. Cleveland Browns
2026 Record: 5-3
The Cleveland Browns boast an impressive record despite having the seventh-worst point differential (-34) in the NFL. All five of their wins have been by four points or fewer, and their three losses have been by a total of 50 points. If they can keep it close, Deshaun Watson has been able to pull out the win. - Charlie
16. New York Giants
2026 Record: 4-2-1
John Harbaugh is the leading candidate to win Coach of the Year, and his team proved to be dangerous after they beat the Houston Texans in overtime on the road in their last game. Time will tell if JJ McCarthy can continue to play well with his new team, but the talent on both sides of the ball is undeniable. - Asher
17. Tampa Bay Buccaneers
2026 Record: 3-5
Tampa Bay started the year 0–4, but since committing to the running game, they have seemingly turned their season around. The Buccaneers have run the ball on 67.3% of their offensive snaps over the last four games, with that figure climbing to 88.2% in their past two victories. - Charlie
18. Las Vegas Raiders
2026 Record: 4-4
Klint Kubiak has completely changed the trajectory of the Raiders franchise in his first year. Their four wins are the most in the first eight weeks of a season since 2021, and all of their losses this year have been to upper-echelon teams. Still, there are concerns with the defense and running game, and its hard to imagine them winning any of their next three games. After those, watch for Fernando Mendoza to get his first career start. - Asher
19. Baltimore Ravens
2026 Record: 4-4
The Ravens had high hopes entering the season, but their two-time MVP quarterback Lamar Jackson's lack of availability severely hindered their chances at making a deep playoff run. Jackson has only finished three games this year (started five) and could miss the remainder of the season after breaking his thumb against the Bills in Week 8. - Charlie
20. Atlanta Falcons
2026 Record: 3-5
The Falcons have played good football since Michael Penix Jr. took over, but they've still lost three of four games and had a disastrous outing last week against Tampa. - Asher
21. Carolina Panthers
2026 Record: 3-4
Each week Panthers fans wonder which version of the team they'll get. Will it be the team that defeated the Lions 32-26, or the team that lost to the Buccaneers 43-13? - Charlie
22. Arizona Cardinals
2026 Record: 3-5
Out is Jacoby Brissett, in is Gardner Minshew, while Carson Beck is waiting for a turn. Regardless of who's at quarterback, the Cardinals do some nice things offensively under new head coach Mike Lafluer. Jeremiyah Love has yet to get going, and the defense doesn't have much talent, but this team is moving in the right direction. - Asher
23. Washington Commanders
2026 Record: 2-4-1
The Commanders have been incredibly average this season, but poor game management has cost them. Jayden Daniels may be the quarterback of the future, but Dan Quinn's tenure in Washington could come to an end sooner rather than later if they don't improve. - Charlie
24. Houston Texans
2026 Record: 2-5
We all keep waiting for the Texans to start putting together a win streak, but it's time to admit this team just isn't the same as the one that rattled off nine in a row last year. While CJ Stroud looks terrific, the offense can't run the ball and the defense has had too many lapses in coverage to believe it'll change this season. - Asher
25. Dallas Cowboys
2026 Record: 3-5
Dallas was expected to have an improved defense this season, but Christian Parker's unit has not improved at all from last season. The Cowboys have allowed the most rushing yards per game this season (152.8 yards per game), and the offense has not kept them afloat like years past. - Charlie
26. New Orleans Saints
2026 Record: 2-5
The Saints just can't put everything together on a game-to-game basis. If the offense plays well, the defense doesn't, and vice versa. Kellen Moore is on the hot seat, but we'll see if he can get the offense more consistent as first-round pick Jordyn Tyson nears a return from his hamstring injury. - Asher
27. New York Jets
2026 Record: 2-6
The Jets expected to improve this year with Geno Smith back at quarterback, and although they have been competitive in every game, they have lost by one score five times. Something needs to change. The main source of optimism for fans is that the franchise holds three first-round picks in the upcoming 2027 NFL Draft, all of which are projected to land in the top half. - Charlie
28. Tennessee Titans
2026 Record: 1-7
While the Titans have lost their last two games, Cam Ward is playing the best ball of his career. He looks comfortable and in rhythm, and the ball pops out of his hand. Last week was the first time Ward has thrown for over 300 yards in his career. - Asher
29. Philadelphia Eagles
2026 Record: 2-6
A lot of important players departed the Eagles this offseason, and they've lost even more to injury. Jalen Hurts is out for the foreseeable future, and although Tanner McKee has not been great, he's not the only reason the eagles are losing games. - Charlie
30. Indianapolis Colts
2026 Record: 2-6
The Colts are clearing house, and everyone is waiting to see if star running back Jonathan Taylor ends up getting dealt. This team will look much different next year than it has during the Chris Ballard era. - Asher
31. Miami Dolphins
2026 Record: 1-6
Miami gutted their entire organization last offseason with an eye on the 2027 draft, and everything has all gone according to plan. Except for the fact that aren't the worst team in the league. - Charlie
32. Los Angeles Chargers
2026 Record: 0-7
Jim Harbaugh's reluctance to put his foot down on the horrific job Mike McDaniel is doing with the offense may end up costing him his job. It'll be fascinating to see how Justin Herbert responds after this long stretch of uninspiring play. - Asher
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