NFL pretenders and contenders after Week 9: NFC North is fierce, no faith in Giants and Steelers

At the NFL's Week 9 midway point, CBS Sports breaks down all 14 teams currently holding playoff positions, assessing which are legitimate Super Bowl contenders and which are pretenders. The NFC North is highlighted as a particularly strong division, while the New York Giants and Pittsburgh Steelers are identified as teams lacking credibility as genuine title threats. The analysis serves as a mid-season checkpoint to evaluate the field ahead of the playoff push.