With one game left in Week 9, the NFL regular season is just about halfway in the books. As it stands coming out of Week 9, the road to Super Bowl LIX in New Orleans runs through Ford Field.
The 7-1 Detroit Lions remain with the best record in the NFC following their 24-14 victory over the Green Bay Packers. They come out of Week 9 with a one-game lead over the Minnesota Vikings, who defeated the Indianapolis Colts to move to 6-2. The Lions own a head-to-head victory over the Vikings. The second meeting comes in Week 18.
Green Bay sits in third place in the division at 6-3, a testament to how strong the division still is. All four teams are at least .500. The Chicago Bears fell to 4-4 following their 29-9 loss to the Arizona Cardinals Sunday.
Current NFC North standings
1. Detroit Lions 7-1
2. Minnesota Vikings 6-2
3. Green Bay Packers 6-3
4. Chicago Bears 4-4
Looking at the full playoff picture, the Lions hold the No. 1 seed by a half-game over the 7-2 Washington Commanders, arguably the biggest surprise of the first half of the season thanks to Rookie of the Year frontrunner Jayden Daniels.
In total, six teams have at least six wins through nine weeks. In addition to the three NFC North teams and the Commanders, the Atlanta Falcons (6-3) and Philadelphia Eagles (6-2) also have six wins. The Cardinals are the only other team with at least five wins, though the Tampa Bay Buccaneers can join them Monday if they pull off the upset of the Kansas City Chiefs.
Current NFC playoff standings
1. Detroit Lions 7-1
2. Washington Commanders 7-2
3. Atlanta Falcons 6-3
4. Arizona Cardinals 5-4
5. Minnesota Vikings 6-2
6. Philadelphia Eagles 6-2
7. Green Bay Packers 6-3
8. Tampa Bay Buccaneers 4-4
9. Chicago Bears 4-4
10. Los Angeles Rams 4-4
11. San Francisco 49ers 4-4
12. Seattle Seahawks 4-5
13. Dallas Cowboys 3-5
14. Carolina Panthers 2-7
15. New Orleans Saints 2-7
16. New York Giants 2-7