Week 8 is in the books and the hallowed city of Brymbo still sees both its franchises as the top two seeds in the NPIFL, even with both losing in Week 8. A Week 11 showdown between these two rivals looms in the not-so-distant future, but with the league tightening up at the top, every week is critically important.

With so much to play for and the pressure starting to mount, managers around the league are showing signs that they may be starting to crack. The NPIFL trade deadline is still a a while away (November 26), so it would not be surprising to see a flurry of transactions as the contenders try to separate themselves from the pretenders down the stretch.

Let’s take a look at the power rankings in Week 9:

Week 9 NPIFL Power Rankings

#1. Brymbo Originals ^(6-2)

The Brymbo Originals may have fallen to defeat against the Padres in Week 8, but they still looked scary doing it. The NPIFL’s highest-scoring franchise boasts the best RB room in the league, with Jonathan Taylor (No. 1) and Christian McCaffrey (No. 2) taking the top spots for their position thus far.

Somehow, the O’s also have four incredible capable WRs, one of the top kickers in the league and a host of good TEs, so taking Brymbo down looks to require a big score. They have some tough bye weeks to navigate, but the Originals look destined for playoff football if they can keep on trucking.

Up next for the O’s are Nixon it Up, an unmanned ship that seems to be drifting in rough seas. This is such an obvious win for Brymbo that we can call them 7-2 now and say that they only need to win three of their last six to be a postseason lock.

#2. Brymbo Firestorm ^(5-3)

It gets a bit tougher from hereon, but other than a Week 8 capitulation, the Firestorm has been impressive in 2025. Jaxon Smith-Njigba has been as good as HC John Maxwell hoped preseason, and with his bye week over the Storm might be about to pick up again.

Lamar Jackson finally returning from an innocuous looking hamstring injury will be welcome news and a huge boon to their chances of making the playoffs for the first time since the league expanded to 12.

A tough game against the 5-3 Rams could go a long way to determining whether Brymbo can make the playoffs, as whoever goes 6-3 will be looking very cosy. Expect the Firestorm to make a host of DST changes before the big game, and maybe even make a trade, as Maxwell is said to be concerned over his RB and Flex options.

#3. St. Lewis Rams ^(5-3)

St. Lewis started the season unexpectedly cold, but has since put in some big performances that warrant Andrasta’s preseason confidence in the franchise. The Rams have Rashee Rice back from his 6-game suspension and look a hugely improved team as a result.

The weakness for St. Lewis was seen to be its running back corps, as aside from the ever-impressive De’Von Achane, there’s been a hodgepodge of names being slapped down like Flextape.

The return of Aaron Jones from injury could be the answer for the Rams, who have some tough bye weeks (Jalen Hurts, Rachaad White) to navigate in their Week 9 matchup with the Firestorm.

#4. Portscatho Padres ^(4-4)

As has been the case in seasons past, HC Damen Griffiths has somehow recovered from a tough start to the season and scraped his way into playoff contention. This admirable survivability trait sees the Padres sit at .500 and they somehow feel the likeliest of the 4-4 teams to make a playoff push.

Much of this can be put down to the emergence of fellow rookies TE Oronde Gadsden II and QB Jaxson Dart, and Portscatho will hope their point-scoring continues so they can sneak into the top four spots.

The Padres are a weird and unpredictable team, and their next four sees matchups against the JST, Pats, DDT and 69ers. HC Damen Griffiths will doubtless see his team as the favourite for all these games, but if he can go 3-1, Portscatho will almost certainly be in the top four when December hits.

#5. Dan’s Daring Team ^(5-3)

It’s hard to know what to expect from Dan’s Daring Team. A curious draft was followed by long periods of inactivty, which amusingly were the most successful spells of the season for HC Dan Gittins.

The DDT lean heavily on Amon-Ra St. Brown, and managed to paper over some gaping holes in Week 9 with Tyjae Spears, CJ Harvey, Joe Flacco and Malik Washington. Winning that game was incredible for the franchise, who now have the big positives in the return of St. Brown, Ashton Jeanty, Kyren Williams and Kyler Murray from their bye weeks.

The DDT are amid one of their best-ever seasons, and if they can go .500 for the rest of the year they should make the postseason. This feels very doable if Gittins keeps an eye on waivers and injuries, and sets his lineup every week.

Going 6-3 would be huge, so Week 9’s matchup against the Old England Pats could be key for the DDT’s chances.

#6. Old England Patriots ^(4-4)

The Pats sit in a very interesting position at 4-4. The main issue is that Old England hasn’t been putting up many games with big scores and have only broken 140 points twice. The Patriots are middle of the pack in most categories, so they need to find that extra little something if they are to really make a push.

In the plus column is Drake Maye, whose breakout season has been a joy to watch in both New and Old England, and Ladd McConkey and Courtland Sutton have been starting to wake up in recent weeks.

Jaylen Warren has certainly pulled his weight, but unfortunately Saquon Barkley may have just pulled his hamstring. An important bye week looms for the Eagles, and the Pats will have to find an emergency option to potentially replace Barkley, who had just put up a huge performance after a largely disappointing 2025.

Old England arguably has the easiest schedule of any team to finish the season. If the Patriots can get past the DDT in Week 9, they will be looking much healthier, and will then face the Padres, NIU and Leviathans. It’s entirely possible the Pats win three of those four and find themselves 7-5, but it might not be pretty.

From there they have the Firestorm, Smiles and Leviathans again, so we really might see the Patriots make a late charge and take the hill.

#7. San Wrexham 69ers ^(3-5)

Putting a team ranked 11th at No. 7 may seem crazy, especially given their ability to lose close games or fail to turn up, but the San Wrexham 69ers could bounce-back hard as their team returns to full health.

There are simply too many stars in this team to write them off, and when Justin Jefferson starts finding the end zone, San Wrexham will likely hit a winning streak. If Nico Collins and Jayden Daniels can get healthy, and Quinshon Judkins (who appears to have avoided a serious injury in Week 8) can continue his impressive rookie campaign, the 69ers might make a big push that keeps them around playoff contention.

Up next is the confusing Kelce Smiles, Dan’s Daring Team and the St. Lewis Rams. If San Wrexham can go 2-1 in that stretch, it’s game on; if not, it’s game over.

#8. Santos ^(4-4)

Santos has had a tough start to 2025, largely due to the failure and wayward offense of the Baltimore Ravens. Derrick Henry has largely been hampered by Lamar Jackson’s absence and has also developed the worrying trait of fumbling the ball.

Santos has the league’s worst overall points scored and is the lone team not to have broken 1,000 points yet. With all that has not quite gone right, it’s impressive that HC Chris Faulkner has navigated a rocky shore and steered this ship to a .500 record.

From there, Faulkner will hope Lamar Jackson’s return frees up Derrick Henry, blowing apart the very sky so it rains points once again. You can never write off a team with Josh Allen and Derrick Henry, so there is certainly room for hope and positivity on the road ahead.

That road sees Santos take on a mix-bag of teams in different situations. They have the 2-6 Leviathans, and from there they face the Firestorm, Kelce Smiles, Rams, 69ers and O’s before wrapping up the season against the NIU.

Can Santos take five of those seven? That’s really the question here.

#9. Nixon it Up ^(4-4)

Nixon it Up were 4-0 and on top of the world, and the reigning Super Bowl champions looked set for a run at a repeat. However, it has all fallen apart from there.

Running a franchise on AI was always a risky business, and the AI isn’t setting the roster or picking up waivers. The NIU has barely ever sent out a full team in 2025, and over the past month they have accrued so many holes they’ve not broken 100 points since Week 5.

With the number of injuries to the team, Nixon it Up looks dead in the water. Will HC Olly Bailey fix the rigging and get this ship sailing, or will they be frozen in ice when the winter arrives? How many more nautical idioms/phrases can we possibly use in this piece?

#10. Jordan’s Scary Team ^(3-5)

Jordan’s Scary Team is awake after an intermission, so batten down the hatches (1) as this loose cannon (2) might be about to go off. It’s all hands on deck (3) time for the JST, who simply have to pick up some wins in the coming weeks.

HC Jordan Clough has been sailing too close to the wind (4) in 2025 and its time for this team to show its true colours (5) and fire a shot across the bow (6) with a statement score.

The pickup of Kimani Vidal looks to be inspired, and with Omarion Hampton expected to be out until at least Week 10, Vidal should put up some big points next to franchise talisman Bijan Robinson. More good news for the JST is that they have Trey McBride and George Kittle both back healthy in Week 9, so the league’s best TE flex should be back in action.

As a Super Bowl winner, Clough clearly knows the ropes (7) and will need to navigate the next few games carefully. Week 9 sees them face the Padres, and from there they take on the NIU, Leviathans, Firestorm, Smiles, Rams and O’s. Clough needs to win at least five of those to have a chance, and it is not going to be plain sailing (8).

#11. Kelce Smiles ^(3-5)

HC Chris Ward has awakened from a several-week long fantasy slumber, and hesaved his best-ever performance for the Brymbo Firestorm (who are said to be extremely salty about their Week 8 loss).

The Smiles have gone from looking like they were in for a record-poor year (which is saying something given their franchise history), to showing serious signs of life.

Finally starting Javonte Williams has instantly changed the trajectory of this franchise, and partnered with James Cook, KS has one of the best RB tandems in the NPIFL.

At 3-5 the margin for error is razor thin, so that win against Brymbo was truly huge for their 2025 outlook. Can HC Chris Ward give his fan base their first taste of the playoffs? They need to go 3-1 from their upcoming games against the 69ers, Rams, Santos and JST to really be in the mix, and they are going to have to put up points at a fair rate of knots (9) to do so.

#12. Lloyds Leviathans ^(2-6)

It has all gone wrong for the Leviathans, who are amid a Bermuda Triangle (10) of a confusing season. The Levs have put up some huge weeks but somehow always seem to come out second-best. The Leviathans entered Week 8 bottom of the NPIFL at 2-5 with the third-best points in the league – truly a wonder.

Injuries are piling up, and with Cam Skattebo’s gruesome ankle dislocation, Lloyds has with another major player joining Omarion Hampton on the IR. The team will continue to fight, but it feels like the boat has taken on too much water to stay afloat (11).

With that in mind, the Levs are bottom of the power rankings and top of the power tankings for the 2026 draft.

As the old saying goes, ‘experience telleth us that the world is variable,’ so there’s a chance opponents stop saving their biggest performance for the Leviathans. That said, while we may like the cut of their jib (12), with them needing to go 6-1 to have an outside chance of making the playoffs, it feels like HC Tom Lloyd is truly between the devil and the deep blue sea (13).