Our NFL Team Rankings are based entirely on the The Trench Counter, which is an objective formula measuring average yards per pass and run on both offense and defense, along with first downs registered and given up, turnovers for and against, and total penalty yards. 

Over time, The Trench Counter rankings begin to closely resemble the standings but goes even further to determine which teams are truly the best when on the line of scrimmage. 

The chief aim of the Trench Counter is to take the subjective out of the equation and even the somewhat fluky nature of teams actually scoring points, which is of course the whole point on a game-by-game basis.

The Los Angeles Rams extended their lead atop the NFL power rankings from Week 8 to Week 9, improving from 9.2 to 10.3. The Seattle Seahawks made a large positive gain, jumping from fifth to second with a rating increase from 5.6 to 7.9 with their impressive win over the Washington Commanders.

The Buffalo Bills climbed from eighth to fifth with their win over the Kansas City Chiefs, while their AFC rivals fell from third to seventh after their rating dropped from 6.7 to 4.8.