NFL Week 9 Power Rankings: Updated 1-32 poll, plus the best in-season trade acquisitions ever

If you've felt like games have been closer than ever in the 2026 NFL season, you're not wrong. There have been 71 games decided by one score (eight points or fewer), tied with 2022 for the most through Week 8 in NFL history, per ESPN Research. So how do teams start to really separate at this point of the season? Well, the easiest way might be by making big trades before the Nov. 10 deadline. (Some teams have already been active, with the Bears adding former Titans DT Jeffery Simmons and the 49ers bringing back DT DeForest Buckner.) To preview how important the deadline can be, we asked our NFL Nation reporters to pick the best in-season trade acquisition by each team in their franchise's history. That includes the acquisition of draft picks who eventually became stars, like the Cowboys using a pick earned from the Herschel Walker trade to select running back Emmitt Smith in the 1990 draft. To form the 1-32 list, our power panel of more than a dozen NFL analysts evaluates how all 32 teams stack up against one another. Here are a few highlights from this week's rankings: The Broncos are in the top five of our rankings for the first time this season after defeating the Chiefs -- their fourth win while trailing in the fourth quarter this season. Quarterback Bo Nix now has 13 fourth-quarter comeback wins over his career, which is the most by any quarterback in their first three seasons since starts were first tracked in 1950. And Denver is now the favorite to win the AFC West on DraftKings. The NFC North is the only division with all four teams in the top 15 of our rankings, starting with the Bears at No. 5 and ending with the Packers at No. 14. Minnesota dropped its first game of 2026 against Detroit, which scored the first fourth-quarter touchdown against Brian Flores' defense this season. The Bears, Packers and Lions also are all 4-1 in their past five games, as well. Entering Sunday, the Ravens had -215 odds to make the playoffs on DraftKings. Those odds are now +280 (10th in the AFC) after their blowout loss to the Bills, and they're down six spots from last week's Power Rankings. Baltimore lost two quarterbacks to injury Sunday (Lamar Jackson and Tyler Huntley), which puts undrafted rookie Joe Fagnano into the spotlight for their Thursday night matchup against Jacksonville (if he isn't out because of injury). The Ravens have lost three straight games. Let's get into the full list, starting with the a different No. 1 team from last week. Jump to a team: ARI | ATL | BAL | BUF | CAR | CHI | CIN CLE | DAL | DEN | DET | GB | HOU | IND JAX | KC | LAC | LAR | LV | MIA | MIN NE | NO | NYG | NYJ | PHI | PIT | SF SEA | TB | TEN | WSH 1. Buffalo Bills (6-1) Week 8 result: Beat the Ravens 36-10 Week 8 ranking: 2 Best in-season trade acquisition ever: LB Cornelius Bennett in 1987 Dubbed the "Trade of the Decade," the Bills acquired Bennett as part of a 10-player, three-team deal that sent Hall of Fame running back Eric Dickerson to the Colts. Bennett became a fixture on the Bills' Super Bowl defenses, notching 52.5 sacks and 19 forced fumbles in nine seasons with Buffalo, including three seasons with All-Pro honors. Only Bruce Smith and Darryl Talley have more career tackles in a Bills uniform than Bennett. -- Nick Suss 2. San Francisco 49ers (6-1) Week 8 result: Bye Week 8 ranking: 1 Best in-season trade acquisition ever: DE Fred Dean in 1981 Apologies to RB Christian McCaffrey (acquired in 2022), but you can draw a direct line between the Niners landing Dean and the rise of their dynasty. Upon Dean's induction into the Pro Football Hall of Fame, former owner Eddie DeBartolo Jr. said "the greatness of the 49ers began with Fred Dean's arrival in San Francisco." The Niners sent a second-round pick to the Chargers in October 1981 for Dean with an eye toward bolstering the pass rush. Over the final 11 games, he recorded 12 sacks and earned first-team All-Pro honors. Dean added another in the playoffs as the Niners won their first Super Bowl (XVI) against Cincinnati. San Francisco won Super Bowl XIX as well, with Dean contributing four sacks in that postseason run. -- Nick Wagoner 3. Jacksonville Jaguars (5-2) Week 8 result: Beat the Colts 42-7 Week 8 ranking: 6 Best in-season trade acquisition ever: WR Jakobi Meyers in 2025 Of the eight in-season trades in which the Jaguars acquired a player for immediate help, adding Meyers last season stands out. Brian Thomas Jr. was out because of an ankle injury, Travis Hunter was out for the season because of a knee injury, Dyami Brown was dealing with a shoulder injury, Parker Washington had yet to emerge, and the Jaguars led the NFL in drops (19) when they sent fourth- and sixth-round picks to Las Vegas the day before the deadline. Meyers' precise route running and sure-handedness sparked an offense that averaged 22 points before his arrival to averaging 33 points after he joined the team. -- Michael DiRocco 4. Denver Broncos (6-2) Week 8 result: Beat the Chiefs 28-24 Week 8 ranking: 8 Best in-season trade acquisition ever: WR Haven Moses in 1972 The Broncos acquired Hall of Famer Gary Zimmerman just before the start of the 1993 regular season, so the wayback machine had to be fired up to get to the best in-season trade. The Broncos acquired Moses from the Bills via a one-for-one swap for Dwight Harrison. Moses played nine full seasons for the Broncos after the 1972 season, averaging at least 17 yards a catch in eight of those years and having 44 total touchdown catches. He is in the team's Ring of Fame and played on the franchise's first Super Bowl team in 1977. -- Jeff Legwold 5. Chicago Bears (6-2) Week 8 result: Beat the Seahawks 34-17 Week 8 ranking: 7 Best in-season trade acquisition ever: DE Montez Sweat in 2023 Three seasons before the Bears sent three draft picks, including two first-rounders, to Tennessee to acquire All-Pro defensive tackle Jeffery Simmons, GM Ryan Poles got aggressive in 2023 to land Sweat. Chicago sent a 2024 second-rounder to Washington in exchange for Sweat, who led both the Commanders (6.5) and Bears (6.0) in sacks in 2023, making him the first player in NFL history to lead two different teams in sacks in the same season. Sweat recorded his first double-digit sack season and reached similar production in 2025, when he led Chicago with 10 sacks. Coach Ben Johnson called that season the best of Sweat's career. -- Courtney Cronin 6. Kansas City Chiefs (5-2) Week 8 result: Lost to the Broncos 28-24 Week 8 ranking: 4 Best in-season trade acquisition ever: WR Kadarius Toney in 2022 The Chiefs had one of the league's best offenses in 2022 and still added Toney, acquiring him from the Giants for a 2023 third-round pick and a 2023 sixth-round pick. He wasn't a major part of the offense, but he made contributing plays to help the Chiefs to the No. 1 seed in the postseason. The greatest game in Toney's career was Super Bowl LVII, when he scored a touchdown and generated a pivotal 65-yard punt return in the second half to help the Chiefs complete their comeback victory. That punt return is the longest in Super Bowl history. -- Nate Taylor 7. Minnesota Vikings (6-1) Week 8 result: Lost to the Lions 19-15 Week 8 ranking: 3 Best in-season trade acquisition ever: DE Jim Marshall in 1961 As they began their inaugural season, the Vikings acquired five players from the Browns in exchange for second- and 11th-round picks in the 1962 draft. Marshall was among that group and went on to become one of the best players in franchise history. He set an NFL record that stood for decades by playing in 282 consecutive games, and he was a captain for 14 seasons that included four trips to the Super Bowl. Upon Marshall's death in 2025, Pro Football Hall of Fame quarterback Fran Tarkenton called him "the greatest leader in football that I've ever played with." -- Kevin Seifert 8. Seattle Seahawks (4-4) Week 8 result: Lost to the Bears 34-17 Week 8 ranking: 5 Best in-season trade acquisition ever: RB Marshawn Lynch in 2010 Leonard Williams (2023), Ernest Jones IV (2024) and Rashid Shaheed (2026) were all in-season trade pickups by general manager John Schneider who were critical to the Seahawks winning Super Bowl LX. But the nod goes to Schneider's acquisition of Lynch during his and then-coach Pete Carroll's first season in Seattle. In exchange for a 2011 fourth-round pick and a 2012 fifth-rounder, the Seahawks got a player who would become the focal point of an offense that won Super Bowl XLVIII and was a yard short in repeating in Super Bowl XLIX. From 2011 to 2014, Lynch totaled 6,448 scrimmage yards and 56 touchdowns during the regular season. -- Brady Henderson 9. Detroit Lions (5-2) Week 8 result: Beat the Vikings 19-15 Week 8 ranking: 11 Best in-season trade acquisition ever: DE Za'Darius Smith in 2024 The Lions have plenty of impactful offseason trades, including ones that helped them land quarterbacks in Jared Goff (2021) and Bobby Layne (1950). But the best in-season deal in terms of immediate impact likely goes to Smith. He had four sacks in eight regular-season games for the Lions, who had a team-record 15 wins and earned the NFC's No. 1 seed in 2024. Detroit received Smith and a 2026 seventh-round draft selection from the Browns for a 2025 fifth-rounder and a 2026 sixth-rounder. -- Eric Woodyard 10. Cincinnati Bengals (5-2) Week 8 result: Beat the Titans 43-36 (OT) Week 8 ranking: 9 Best in-season trade acquisition ever: QB Joe Flacco in 2025 Cincinnati hasn't had many in-season trades over the years. But when the Bengals needed a quarterback, de facto GM Duke Tobin was able to send a 2026 fifth-round pick to the Browns for the former Super Bowl MVP and a 2026 sixth-round pick. Flacco hit the ground running. He threw for a career-high 470 yards in a loss to the Bears and participated in his first Pro Bowl at the end of the season. Though the Bengals didn't end up making the playoffs -- and Flacco didn't get another starting job -- the pairing was good enough that he stuck around in 2026 to be the team's backup. -- Ben Baby 11. New England Patriots (5-3) Week 8 result: Beat the Dolphins 24-19 Week 8 ranking: 10 Best in-season trade acquisition ever: Edge Kyle Van Noy in 2016 Dealing a 2017 sixth-round pick to the Lions for Van Noy and a 2017 seventh-round pick helped bring a key cog onto a team that won the Super Bowl that season, and then won it again two seasons later. Van Noy played 67 games (53 starts) for the franchise, setting a team high in total tackles in 2018 (92). And he is still going strong in 2026 as a member of the Vikings. -- Mike Reiss 12. Los Angeles Rams (4-4) Week 8 result: Beat the Chargers 24-9 Week 8 ranking: 12 Best in-season trade acquisition ever: Edge Von Miller in 2021 The Rams were 7-1 at the 2021 trade deadline, tied for first in the NFC West and for the best record in the NFL. Los Angeles went all-in, acquiring Miller from Denver for 2022 second- and third-round picks. After having five sacks in eight regular-season games, Miller added four more in the postseason. He had two of the Rams' record-tying seven sacks in their Super Bowl LVI win. -- Sarah Barshop 13. Pittsburgh Steelers (6-2) Week 8 result: Beat the Browns 27-6 Week 8 ranking: 14 Best in-season trade acquisition ever: S Minkah Fitzpatrick in 2019 Though the Steelers have been more active at the trade deadline under GM Omar Khan, the team doesn't have a long history of impactful in-season trades. Still, the Steelers broke precedent in a major way when they acquired Fitzpatrick for a first-round pick early in the 2019 season. Though his production was inconsistent during his six seasons in Pittsburgh as his role in the defense shifted and morphed, he was undeniably a cerebral and impact player. Fitzpatrick's best season came in 2022, when he recorded a career-high six interceptions, including a pick-six. -- Brooke Pryor 14. Green Bay Packers (5-3) Week 8 result: Beat the Panthers 27-19 Week 8 ranking: 15 Best in-season trade acquisition ever: 2005 second-round pick in CB Mike McKenzie deal (used on S Nick Collins) When it comes to in-season trades, the Packers might be known for one of the worst ones of all time: giving up two first-round picks, two second-round picks and a third-rounder to get quarterback John Hadl from the Rams in 1974. Perhaps future Packers GMs learned from that mistake because they haven't been overly active at the trade deadline since. If anything, they have been more prone to trading players, the way they did in 2004 when McKenzie was a contract holdout. On Oct. 4, the Packers sent the disgruntled cornerback to the Saints for backup quarterback J.T. O'Sullivan and a second-round pick in 2005. That draft pick became Collins, who had a pick-six in the Packers' Super Bowl XLV victory. -- Rob Demovsky 15. New York Giants (4-2-1) Week 8 result: Bye Week 8 ranking: 17 Best in-season trade acquisition ever: RB Ottis Anderson in 1986 The Giants traded for the former Rookie of the Year running back midway through the 1986 season. He was thought to be on the decline at 29 years old. Wrong! Anderson was a backup to Joe Morris on the way to a Super Bowl triumph that season before winning Comeback Player of the Year and a Super Bowl MVP for the Giants several years later. An all-timer for then-general manager George Young. -- Jordan Raanan 16. Cleveland Browns (5-3) Week 8 result: Lost to the Steelers 27-6 Week 8 ranking: 16 Best in-season trade acquisition ever: CB Tyson Campbell in 2025 In October 2025, the Browns traded Greg Newsome II to the Jaguars for Campbell, along with a swap of late-round picks, which gave two underperforming cornerbacks a change of scenery. In a man-based scheme that fits Campbell's skill set, he has formed one of the NFL's better cornerback duos with Denzel Ward. Since Campbell made his debut with Cleveland in Week 6 of the 2025 season, he is tied for the 15th-most pass breakups in the NFL (15). -- Daniel Oyefusi 17. Carolina Panthers (3-4) Week 8 result: Lost to the Packers 27-19 Week 8 ranking: 18 Best in-season trade acquisition ever: DE Jared Allen in 2015 The Panthers have traded some notable names in recent years, but in-season trades to acquire top talent have been few and far between. Though Stephon Gilmore earned a Pro Bowl bid for his eight games with Carolina in 2021, Allen became a starter for the final 12 games (two sacks and 13 QB hits) of a franchise-best 15-1 regular season. The Pro Football Hall of Fame defensive end closed out his career by helping the Panthers get to Super Bowl 50. He was acquired for a sixth-round pick from the Bears and ended up playing 14 games (including the playoffs). -- Mike Kaye 18. Tampa Bay Buccaneers (3-5) Week 8 result: Beat the Falcons 16-0 Week 8 ranking: 24 Best in-season trade acquisition ever: G Greg Horton in 1978 The Bucs have rarely been active at the deadline, so we had to dig deep for this one. Forty-eight years ago, Tampa Bay traded a third-round pick for Horton. He ended up starting 28 games over two years and played in the 1979 NFC title game. Tampa has made two very big offseason trades, both at the start of the millennium. The team dealt two first-round picks to the Jets for WR Keyshawn Johnson, then two first-round picks and two second-round picks to the Raiders for coach Jon Gruden. -- ESPN 19. Baltimore Ravens (4-4) Week 8 result: Lost to the Bills 36-10 Week 8 ranking: 13 Best in-season trade acquisition ever: LB Roquan Smith in 2022 The Ravens had a hole in the middle of their defense after five-time Pro Bowl middle linebacker C.J. Mosley signed with the Jets in free agency in 2019 and first-round pick Patrick Queen struggled to live up to expectations. So, Baltimore traded a second-round pick for Smith. The result: Since acquiring Smith, the Ravens rank third in fewest points allowed (20.2) and ninth in yards allowed (322.2). "We don't have a second-round pick. Do I hate that? Yes," Ravens GM Eric DeCosta said in 2023. "But, our second-round pick is Roquan. And I got to say, I don't think you can get a better second-round pick." -- Jamison Hensley 20. Las Vegas Raiders (4-4) Week 8 result: Beat the Jets 38-33 Week 8 ranking: 22 Best in-season trade acquisition ever: DB Mike Haynes in 1983 The Raiders bolstered their secondary by acquiring Haynes from the Patriots. The move was instrumental to winning a title that season, as he recorded an interception, two pass breakups and a tackle in Super Bowl XVIII against Washington. Haynes, who was elected to the Hall of Fame in 1997, went on to play seven seasons with the Silver and Black. In 87 games (72 starts), he totaled 18 interceptions. -- Ryan McFadden 21. Atlanta Falcons (3-5) Week 8 result: Lost to the Buccaneers 16-0 Week 8 ranking: 19 Best in-season trade acquisition ever: WR Van Jefferson in 2023 The Falcons have never acquired any kind of impact player in the middle of a season. So Jefferson is the best option because he at least provided hope of that in 2023. Atlanta started that season 3-2 and was looking for a wide receiver who could take some pressure off budding second-year wideout Drake London. The Falcons sent a sixth-round pick to the Rams for a seventh-rounder and Jefferson, who had 802 receiving yards two seasons before on a team that won the Super Bowl. But Jefferson ended up being a bust, with only 102 receiving yards on 12 catches in 12 games. -- Marc Raimondi 22. Houston Texans (2-5) Week 8 result: Bye Week 8 ranking: 21 Best in-season trade acquisition ever: WR Demaryius Thomas in 2018 Historically, the Texans haven't made many in-season trades. Zero have resulted in Houston receiving a game-changing player. The hope is Marvin Harrison Jr., who was acquired from the Cardinals in early October, could become exactly that. Thomas was at least the most effective player out of all the choices. In 2018, Houston started 0-3 and reeled off nine consecutive wins to finish 11-5. Houston acquired Thomas after five wins in a row, and in his first game, he had 61 receiving yards against his former team, the Broncos. He finished the season with 275 receiving yards for Houston with two touchdowns. -- DJ Bien-Aime 23. Dallas Cowboys (3-5) Week 8 result: Lost to the Cardinals 33-30 (OT) Week 8 ranking: 20 Best in-season trade acquisition ever: Package in 1989 RB Herschel Walker deal Regardless if the credit for the trade goes to Jerry Jones or Jimmy Johnson, it altered the Cowboys' trajectory into becoming a three-time Super Bowl champion. They were 0-5 when they traded Walker, ending the 1989 season at 1-15. It wasn't the five players the Cowboys received from Minnesota that were important, but rather the conditional draft choices that would come if players Dallas acquired were cut the next offseason. Ultimately, the trade landed them Emmitt Smith, Kevin Smith and Darren Woodson, and gave them flexibility to make other moves. Without the trade of Walker, the Cowboys of the 1990s probably never would have existed. -- Todd Archer 24. Arizona Cardinals (3-5) Week 8 result: Beat the Cowboys 33-30 (OT) Week 8 ranking: 28 Best in-season trade acquisition ever: TE Zach Ertz in 2021 The Cardinals were 5-0 when they traded for Ertz, giving them another playmaker on an offense that already featured QB Kyler Murray and WR DeAndre Hopkins. Arizona hadn't had a tight end of Ertz's caliber for years, so giving Murray an option like Ertz in then-coach Kliff Kingsbury's offense was a gift of sorts. He helped the Cardinals get to the playoffs that season, the last time they made the postseason. And a year later, he was a mentor for 2022 second-round pick Trey McBride, who set the single-season record for receptions by a tight end in 2025 (126). -- Josh Weinfuss 25. Washington Commanders (2-4-1) Week 8 result: Beat the Eagles 27-10 Week 8 ranking: 29 Best in-season trade acquisition ever: WR Calvin Muhammad in 1984 This really is based on one season, as Muhammad played only two years for Washington. The franchise needed help after Art Monk was injured and traded a fourth-round pick to Oakland for the speedy Muhammad. In his 10 games with Washington in 1984, Muhammad caught 42 passes for 729 yards and four touchdowns. He was a key reason why, even without Monk, Washington's offense remained among the best in the NFL, ranking third in points and ninth in yards. A year later, with a healthy receiving group, Muhammad caught only nine passes and was released before the 1986 season. -- John Keim 26. New Orleans Saints (2-5) Week 8 result: Bye Week 8 ranking: 25 Best in-season trade acquisition ever: 1981 second-round pick in RB Chuck Muncie deal (used on LB Rickey Jackson) The Saints traded Muncie to the Chargers four games into the 1980 season even though he had made his first Pro Bowl the season before. Muncie was unhappy, missing practice and meetings on a team that would go on to finish 1-15. New Orleans then used the second-round pick from the trade to select Jackson in 1981. Jackson would go on to lead the Saints' "Dome Patrol" linebacker group and become the first Hall of Famer to represent the franchise. He helped turn a struggling franchise into a playoff team by 1987. -- Katherine Terrell 27. Philadelphia Eagles (2-6) Week 8 result: Lost to the Commanders 27-10 Week 8 ranking: 23 Best in-season trade acquisition ever: RB Jay Ajayi in 2017 The Eagles acquired Ajayi in late October 2017 to solidify a backfield that had lost Darren Sproles to a torn ACL earlier in the season. Paired with LeGarrette Blount and Corey Clement, Ajayi was highly efficient in seven regular-season games, averaging 5.8 yards per carry. He added 254 total yards in the postseason to help Philly to its first Super Bowl title. Ajayi suffered a knee injury in 2018 and was released the following year, but he's remembered for the impact he made in the most important season in franchise history. -- Tim McManus 28. New York Jets (2-6) Week 8 result: Lost to the Raiders 38-33 Week 8 ranking: 27 Best in-season trade acquisition ever: WR Braylon Edwards in 2009 Edwards provided a much-needed vertical threat for rookie QB Mark Sanchez, helping the Jets to playoff runs in 2009 and 2010. Coach Rex Ryan called Edwards a "rare talent" and a "matchup nightmare." Drafted No. 3 in 2005, Edwards fell out of favor in Cleveland. The Jets pounced, trading third- and fifth-round picks, and two marginal players for him. In those two seasons, he made 88 receptions for 1,445 yards and 11 TDs. He also delivered clutch performances in six playoff games. -- Rich Cimini 29. Indianapolis Colts (2-6) Week 8 result: Lost to the Jaguars 42-7 Week 8 ranking: 26 Best in-season trade acquisition ever: DT Booger McFarland in 2006 The 1987 blockbuster trade that sent RB Eric Dickerson to the Colts also comes to mind, for obvious reasons. But they didn't win a single playoff game in his five seasons. In 2006, the Colts were renowned for their wretched run defense, the major weakness of an otherwise great team. That prompted Indy to trade a second-round pick for McFarland. Results were mixed throughout the regular season, but McFarland's presence was felt in the playoffs, when the Colts held opponents to 4.1 yards per carry on the way to a Super Bowl title -- down from 5.3 in the regular season. -- Stephen Holder 30. Tennessee Titans (1-7) Week 8 result: Lost to the Bengals 43-36 (OT) Week 8 ranking: 31 Best in-season trade acquisition ever: DT Curley Culp in 1974 The Titans don't have any significant midseason player acquisitions, so we'll look back to the Oilers days. In 1974, then-defensive coordinator Bum Phillips had visions of his 3-4 defense destroying opposing offenses and saw Culp as the perfect player to anchor the front. Houston sent 1973 No. 1 pick John Matuszak to the Chiefs in exchange for Culp and a first-round pick. Culp found a home at nose tackle -- occupying two, sometimes three blockers -- and still put up impressive stats to win NFL Defensive Player of the Year in 1975. Culp was inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 2013. -- Turron Davenport 31. Miami Dolphins (1-6) Week 8 result: Lost to the Patriots 24-19 Week 8 ranking: 30 Best in-season trade acquisition ever: LB Bradley Chubb in 2022 The Dolphins rarely make splash acquisitions in-season, which makes Chubb sort of the runaway choice here. Miami traded running back Chase Edmonds, a first-round pick and a fourth-round pick to the Broncos in exchange for Chubb and a fifth-round pick just ahead of the deadline in 2022, hoping that he'd form a potent tandem with young pass rusher Jaelan Phillips. Unfortunately, he and Phillips were rarely healthy together for an extended period of time, but Chubb was a team captain and recorded 22 sacks in 2½ seasons in Miami before his release this offseason. -- Marcel Louis-Jacques 32. Los Angeles Chargers (0-7) Week 8 result: Lost to the Rams 24-9 Week 8 ranking: 32 Best in-season trade acquisition ever: WR Wes Chandler in 1981 The Chargers had traded star wide receiver John Jefferson to Green Bay early in the season because of a contract holdout and needed a new No. 1 target for Dan Fouts. So they sent a first-round pick, a third-round pick, and wideout Aundra Thompson (who had come from the Packers in the Jefferson deal) to New Orleans for Chandler. From 1981 to 1987, Chandler averaged 917 yards and six touchdowns per season. That included over 1,000 receiving yards in only eight games during the strike-shortened 1982 season. -- Aaron Schatz