With a little more than 75% of the season in the rearview mirror, it’s time to take a long, hard look at the power rankings I’ve done to this date and say it’s time to face some truths. I gave too much credit for past success to the Philadelphia Eagles and the Kansas City Chiefs.
I certainly received some comments about how they were overrated, and I simply looked at those comments and said, ‘Just wait until they rebound by the end of the season; you’ll see.’ I keep waiting for the rebound, but it hasn’t
happened. Could it still happen? Sure. Am I counting on it? No. I certainly had those teams pegged incorrectly.
So, in our final in-season installment before our final power rankings come out after the regular season ends, here are this quarter’s rankings.
1. LA Rams (22, 7, 3)
I always liked the Rams team, but I had serious concerns about Matt Stafford’s back at the beginning of the year. I thought we’d see a lot of Jimmy G this year, and that’s why I thought the Rams wouldn’t fire this year. With Stafford staying healthy, this could be your Super Bowl winner.
2. New England Patriots (17, 21, 7)
The Patriots are certainly one of the stories of the season this year. Drake Maye continues to look like the real deal, and Mike Vrabel has New England positioned to be a regular contender in the AFC moving forward. Is it a year too early for the Patriots to make a Super Bowl push? We won’t truly know that until we see them playing in January.
3. Seattle Seahawks (23, 16, 5)
I think if you find the preseason power rankings, my brilliance talked about how Seattle downgraded at QB from Geno Smith to Sam Darnold. I’ll see myself out.
4. Denver Broncos (13, 15, 10)
If the Broncos land home-field advantage throughout the playoffs, who is beating this team in Denver? I’m still questioning the quarterback, and I think he will be the reason they don’t win the Super Bowl, but they have to be on the short list.
5. Green Bay Packers (6, 5, 12)
I probably over-punished the Packers for their midseason swoon, but they have fully recovered and look as strong as any other team in football.
6. Buffalo Bills (3, 3, 6)
The Bills aren’t a particularly strong team; however, they have a quarterback who can put on a cape and win games almost single-handedly.
7. San Francisco 49ers (5, 9, 14)
It’s still very possible that this team ends up with the number 1 seed in the NFC Playoffs. Kyle Shanahan did one hell of a job navigating an injury-riddled season, and now that they are getting healthier, they could be on the cusp of going on a run.
8. Chicago Bears (14, 19, 15)
Beat the Eagles. The Packers game came down to the final seconds of the game. This team is legit.
9. Houston Texans (8, 17, 17)
How good is this defense? It will keep them competitive against any team in the league. The defensive line is a destructive force.
10. Philadelphia Eagles (1, 1, 1)
The Eagles have collapsed. They earned that 1 spot in the preseason and at the quarter pole. At midseason, they probably should have been dropped a little in the rankings, but I gave them the benefit of the doubt. But this is a broken offense, and I don’t think Nick Sirianni has the tools to fix it, at least not this season.
11. Detroit Lions (9, 4, 2)
When the Lions are humming, they look like a top 5 team, but they have stumbled and looked too inconsistent this year. They are currently outside the NFC playoffs, but they are still a playoff-caliber team.
12. Los Angeles Chargers (7, 8, 9)
Jim Harbaugh and Justin Herbert have done a good job of grabbing wins despite major injuries to the roster, especially on the offensive line. They have a good chance to make the playoffs, but this team just can’t be considered a threat.
13. Jacksonville Jaguars (16, 13, 19)
I don’t think many people in the media (myself included) believe in the Jaguars, but they do manage to keep winning ballgames. They have positioned themselves to be playing bonus football in January.
14. Kansas City Chiefs (2, 2, 4)
It’s time to drop the Chiefs in the rankings. I gave them the benefit of the doubt as long as I could, but they just aren’t firing. If they win out, I still think they find their way into the playoffs, and they’ll be the last team anyone will want to face, but can you trust this team to win out? I can’t.
15. Tampa Bay Buccaneers (10, 6, 8)
The Bucs are better than this, but they aren’t showing it. Is Baker hurt? This team should be a couple of games clear of the Panthers, but they’ll have to sweat out the final month of the season.
16. Pittsburgh Steelers (12, 12, 16)
I don’t trust the Steelers to hold off the Ravens, but they beat Baltimore head-to-head, and that’s one hell of a first step. If Mike Tomlin beats the Dolphins and Browns, he will guarantee himself yet another winning season.
17. Baltimore Ravens (4, 10, 13)
The Ravens should absolutely topple Pittsburgh to win the division, but that depends on whether Lamar actually turns back into Lamar and stops playing like Cooper Rush.
18. Dallas Cowboys (25, 24, 20)
Every time people want to start believing in the Cowboys, they figure out a way to make sure people shouldn’t believe in the Cowboys.
19. Carolina Panthers (26, 29, 21)
I don’t believe in this team. I think if they win the NFC South, it’ll be because the Bucs lost it, not because the Panthers won it. *shrugs*
20. Indianapolis Colts (30, 11, 11)
When you’ve lost 4 of 5 and have turned to a 44-year-old grandfather, it’s time to drop them in the rankings.
21. Cincinnati Bengals (20, 26, 26)
Joe Burrow is back, and that’ll make them fun, but it doesn’t actually make them good.
22. Miami Dolphins (24, 28, 24)
The Dolphins get plenty of credit for how hard they’ve continued to play for Mike McDaniel. They easily could have collapsed.
23. Minnesota Vikings (18, 18, 18)
A Super Bowl-caliber roster at 52 spots but without a quarterback is simply not a Super Bowl-caliber roster.
24. Atlanta Falcons (15, 20, 22)
I never bought into the Falcons this year, and they’ve proven yet again that they are simply a franchise stuck in the mud.
25. New Orleans Saints (32, 31, 31)
The Saints are feisty and look a little better with Tyler Shough. But this roster is still lacking far too much talent to turn into a contender any time soon.
26. Cleveland Browns (31, 23, 27)
Myles Garrett is the best defensive player in the league, and the entire defensive unit is feisty. This team is better than their record, and it’s not impossible they could make a jump in 2026 if Shedeur Sanders or someone else stabilizes their QB position.
27. Arizona Cardinals (21, 22, 25)
The Cardinals are just like the Falcons. A team that some people thought could have a promising year, but in the end, people remember, they’re still the Cardinals.
28. New York Giants (28, 27, 29)
The Giants were one of the best organizations in football for 30 years. They’ve been one of the worst organizations in football for the last 10 years.
29. Washington Commanders (11, 14, 23)
Next year is going to be a huge season to determine what kind of QB Jayden Daniels is going to be. The only evaluation you can get in 2025 is that he’s headed to an “injury-prone” label after being injured for the 5th time (4 different body parts) over his first two seasons.
30. New York Jets (27, 30, 30)
The Jets are the Jets, and they will always be the Jets. That’s not good for anyone who is a fan of the Jets.
31. Tennessee Titans (29, 32, 32)
They beat the Browns, which gets them out of the very bottom of the power rankings.
32. Las Vegas Raiders (19, 25, 28)
What an absolutely complete dumpster fire this season has been. Maybe Tom Brady will be good at this, but Michael Jordan and Wayne Gretzky weren’t.
