The Kansas City Chiefs, Indianapolis Colts, Green Bay Packers and Detroit Lions have had a great season so far. All were top targets in ESPN’s Football Power Index, but Week 9 cut into their title chances.
What makes Chiefs the contenders is Patrick Mahomes and a loaded offense. ESPN’s Barnwell’s mentions: close-game failures and protection issues. “It’s become a running gag,” he wrote about the Chiefs losing tight games. Buffalo pressured Mahomes on over 52% of his dropbacks, exposing the offensive line. A conservative decision to kick from the 1-yard line also cost win probability. Barnwell flagged the line and pressure as the real problem, not just late-game drama.
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The Colts on the other side, have a hot offense led by Daniel Jones and a strong record. Barnwell says, turnovers and a missing run game. Jones had a brutal turnover day versus Pittsburgh. Three interceptions and two fumbles and the Colts couldn’t run enough to ease pressure. Barnwell noted the Colts’ offense falls apart when they trail and can’t lean on Jonathan Taylor. The Colts sit at 7-2 after the loss to Steelers.
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The Packers have efficient offense and a rising QB in Jordan Love. According to Barnwell, bad luck, scheme limits and injuries. The Packers moved the ball but failed to convert in the red zone, losing 13-16 to Panthers. Worse, Tucker Kraft’s reported torn ACL is a season-altering loss that forces schematic change. Barnwell warned that losing Kraft limits what Green Bay can do offensively.
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Lions too are holding high-octane offense and recent NFC dominance in the 2025 season. “The Vikings invested heavily in the interior of their defensive line this offseason, signing Jonathan Allena and Javon Hargrave to big deals, and I have to imagine that beating the Lions was one of the goals they had when making those decisions,” Barnwell wrote.
Minnesota shut down Detroit’s ground game, forcing Jared Goff into long dropbacks and plenty of hits. Barnwell said that without a reliable run, the Lions become easier to contain.
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So that’s it, Week 9 exposed protection, turnover and run-defense flaws across the favorites. ESPN Analyst framed these as fixable but real.
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