Midway through
the 2021-22 NFL season, frontrunners are starting to emerge in the various division
races while some teams are beginning to fade from the playoff contention. While
the equation for the playoffs were not drastically changed over the weekend,
some contenders are proving not as invincible as previously thought.

Among the biggest upsets of Week 9 was the Buffalo
Bills’ 6-9 loss to the Jacksonville Jaguars (2-6) on Sunday. The loss gives the New
England Patriots (5-4) a chance to catch up with the Bills (5-3), who are leading the AFC
East division.

Other than
the Bills, the Dallas Cowboys (6-2) were emphatically beaten by the Denver
Broncos 16-30. The Cowboys (6-2), who were ten-point favourites to win, are top of the
NFC East division, while the Broncos (5-4) are in a tight race in AFC West with
the Los Angeles Chargers (5-3), Las Vegas Raiders (5-3) and the Kansas City Chiefs
(5-4).

The
Chargers beat the Philadelphia Eagles (3-6) to move joint-top of the division
with the Raiders, while the Chiefs beat the Green Bay Packers (7-2) to keep
pace.

One fixture
– the Pittsburgh Steelers (4-3) vs the Chicago Bears (3-5) remains in Week 9 of
the NFL.

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Here’s a
look at the playoff picture following Sunday Night Football:

AFC Playoffs:

1.
Tennessee Titans, 6-2

2.
Baltimore Ravens, 6-2

3. Las
Vegas Raides, 5-3

4. Buffalo
Bills, 5-3

5. Los
Angeles Chargers, 5-3

6.
Pittsburgh Steelers, 4-3

7. New
England Patriots, 5-4

Outside looking
in: Cincinnati Bengals (5-4), Cleveland Browns (5-4), Denver Broncos (5-4),
Kansas City Chiefs (5-4), Indianapolis Colts (4-5)

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NFC Playoff:

1. Arizona
Cardinals, 8-1

2. Green
Bay Packers, 7-2

3. Tampa
Bay Buccaneers, 6-2

4. Dallas
Cowboys, 6-2

5. Los
Angeles Rams, 7-1

6. New
Orleans Saints, 5-3

7. Atlanta
Falcons, 4-4

Outside
looking in: Carolina Panthers (4-5), San Francisco 49ers (3-5), Minnesota
Vikings (3-5), Seattle Seahawks (3-5), Chicago Bears (3-5)