The 2021 NFL standings have been shaken up with a wild Week 9. Half of the division leaders and a few other playoff teams were beaten Sunday, changing the look of the top of the postseason picture.

The Tennessee Titans (7-2) kept their position as the AFC’s No. 1 seed by upsetting the Los Angeles Rams (7-2) on “Sunday Night Football.” The Arizona Cardinals (8-1) grabbed the NFC’s No. 1 seed by pulling off an upset of their own over the San Francisco 49ers (3-5) as both Kyler Murray and DeAndre Hopkins sat with injuries.

Tennessee dominated Los Angeles without Derrick Henry, who could miss the rest of the regular season with a broken bone in his foot. It was the Titans’ defense that led the way, recording five sacks and two interceptions against MVP candidate Matthew Stafford.

With consecutive wins over the Buffalo Bills (5-3), Kansas City Chiefs (5-4), Indianapolis Colts (4-5), and Rams, the Titans look like real Super Bowl contenders.

The Titans helped out the Cardinals, allowing Arizona to move one game ahead of Los Angeles in the NFC West. The Cardinals beat the Rams on the road earlier this season.

The Cardinals beat the Titans 38-13 in Week 1.

Arizona only spent one week out of the NFC’s top spot. The Green Bay Packers (7-2) defeated the Cardinals in Week 8 to take the No. 1 seed, but a loss to the Chiefs in Jordan Love’s first start dropped the NFC North leaders back to the NFC’s No. 2 seed.

Green Bay is a half-game ahead of the No. 3 seed Tampa Bay Buccaneers. The defending Super Bowl champs had a bye in Week 9.

The Dallas Cowboys (6-2) blew a golden opportunity to climb into second place in the conference. The Cowboys trailed the visiting Denver Broncos (5-4) by 30 points before scoring a pair of garbage-time touchdowns in Sunday’s loss. Dallas still owns a commanding 3.5-game lead.

Only the Bills suffered a worse upset than the Cowboys. Buffalo was beaten by the Jacksonville Jaguars (2-6) as two-touchdown favorites. Entering Week 9 as the Super Bowl favorites, the Bills are now only a half-game ahead of the New England Patriots (5-4) in the AFC East.

The Las Vegas Raiders (5-3) relinquished their spot atop the AFC West with a road loss against the Giants. The Los Angeles Chargers (5-3) now sit in first place, able to hold off the Eagles 27-24 in Week 9.

The entire AFC West is separated by a half-game. All four AFC North teams are above .500.

Ryan Tannehill Tennessee Titans Arizona Cardinals
Ryan Tannehill #17 of the Tennessee Titans runs the ball during the game against the Arizona Cardinals at Nissan Stadium on September 12, 2021 in Nashville, Tennessee. The Cardinals defeated the Titans 38-13. Wesley Hitt/Getty Images
RELATED STORIES