October 22, 2025
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NFL Power Rankings 2025: Chiefs and Bills Stay Atop the Power Rankings

Walt020 mins
Patrick Mahomes
My current NFL Power Rankings for the 2025 NFL season. Chiefs and Bills Stay Atop the Power Rankings.

I’m going to use these rankings as the order for my 2026 NFL Mock Draft during the early stages of the 2025 season. Follow @walterfootball.

NFL Power Rankings updated Oct. 21, 2025




    Group A:

  1. Kansas City Chiefs NFL Power Rankings Kansas City Chiefs (4-3) – Previously: 1.
    So, I guess the Chiefs are OK. It turns out that having the best head coach and the best quarterback prevents a team from having a total collapse following a slow start.

    If you haven’t visited the site in a while, you may have noticed the new look. Yes, after nearly two decades, we’ve finally re-designed our site to be more modern. This was not done on a whim, but rather out of necessity because of what occurred during the 2023 NFL Draft. Our site crashed during the entire first day of the draft, which was disastrous for our revenue stream because we make more money during the draft than any other time. The site crashed because a line of code conflicted with the old format of the site, so we had to transition to this new look.

    Because we lost so much money during the draft, I want to point out that you can really help support the site by paying for the ad-free version of it. It’s $7.99 per month, but you’ll get a super-fast site with no ads. My developer will be adding new features to paid subscribers as well, so look for that in the near future. If you don’t want to pay, please spread the word about the site through word of mouth. That would also be a big help!

  2. Buffalo Bills Buffalo Bills (4-2) – Previously: 2.
    The Bills have dropped out of the No. 1 spot, and I’m not even sure that’s enough of a fall. They haven’t played a good game since Week 2. In fact, they’ve played just five good quarters all year! However, they’ll be better once they get back Matt Milano and DaQuan Jones, who got hurt in warmups ahead of the Atlanta game.

  3. Detroit Lions NFL Power Rankings Detroit Lions (5-2) – Previously: 3.
    What an impressive showing by Detroit’s defense. The Lions were down all four starters in the secondary, and yet they were able to limit the Buccaneers to only nine points. Based on how Aaron Glenn is performing in New York, it’s safe to say that the Lions actually have an upgrade at defensive coordinator.

  4. Philadelphia Eagles Philadelphia Eagles (5-2) – Previously: 4.
    Jalen Hurts had one of his best passing performances ever against the Vikings. And yet, the Eagles still nearly lost because they can’t run the ball whatsoever. They should look into acquiring an interior offensive lineman at the trade deadline.


    5. Group B:

  5. Los Angeles Rams Los Angeles Rams (5-2) – Previously: 5.
    The Rams would be 6-1 if they didn’t have that ridiculous second-half collapse in Philadelphia. Remember, they outgained the Eagles, 356-288, and averaged nearly one more yard per play. They blew a 26-7 lead with a fourth-and-1 stuff and a missed field goal, but they still had a chance with a game-winning kick, but it was blocked.

    Los Angeles dominated the Jaguars in London despite the absurd 6:30 a.m. start time. They now head into their bye. They’ll need to work on their poor short-yardage offense during the idle week.

  6. Indianapolis Colts Indianapolis Colts (6-1) – Previously: 6.
    The Colts had a great win, but they have to know that they could be 7-0 right now if Adonai Mitchell didn’t pull a Jonathan Taylor by dropping the ball shy of the goal line. Then again, the Colts also could have lost to the Broncos, so maybe they really should be 6-1. Still, the Colts continue to impress, looking like the clear-cut best team in the AFC South. Their offense did whatever it wanted to against the Chargers.

  7. Baltimore Ravens Baltimore Ravens (1-5) – Previously: 28.
    The Ravens limped into their bye at 1-5, but they should be a new team following their idle week. They’ll have Lamar Jackson and several other players back from injury, so they could still win the division.

  8. Green Bay Packers Green Bay Packers (4-1-1) – Previously: 7.
    The good news for the Packers is that they’ve won two in a row to improve to 4-1-1. The bad news is that their defense was once again extremely underwhelming. They surrendered so many big plays to the backfield of Jacoby Brissett and Bam Knight. That shouldn’t happen.


    9. Group C:

  9. New England Patriots New England Patriots (5-2) – Previously: 12.
    The Patriots are for real, as evidenced by their outright win in Buffalo. They would be 6-1 right now if they didn’t blow the Pittsburgh game with all of their stupid fumbles. It’s amazing how much of a difference great coaching makes, as Mike Vrabel has made all the right non-TreVeyon Henderson moves thus far.

  10. Tampa Bay Buccaneers Tampa Bay Buccaneers (5-2) – Previously: 10.
    Last week, I talked about how I thought about moving the Buccaneers into the Group B tier, but then I recalled their injuries and couldn’t do it. Also, their five wins have come against four Group C teams and one Group F teams. The one time they went above their weight class was the loss to the Eagles, who haven’t won since playing in Tampa. Well, they’re now 0-for-2 when going above their weight class. I know Mike Evans got hurt, but the Lions were down four starters in the secondary, and yet the Buccaneers managed only nine points.

  11. Seattle Seahawks Seattle Seahawks (5-2) – Previously: 11.
    The Seahawks can look very good at times, but the level of competition is definitely a factor. They played only one team above Group C, which was a loss to the Group B 49ers back in Week 1 (when San Francisco was healthy enough to be in Group B.) The Seahawks have gone against three Group C teams and four teams worse than that. Still, they’re 5-2. Hopefully they stop making dumb decisions like they did at the end of the Houston game.

  12. Atlanta Falcons Atlanta Falcons (3-3) – Previously: 8.
    So much for the Falcons being in Group B. They were flat for the second time following a big win on national TV. I like the personnel on the Falcons, but I don’t trust their coaching at all.

  13. Denver Broncos Denver Broncos (5-2) – Previously: 13.
    It’s hard to take the Broncos seriously after their dreadful performance against the Jets and their ugly, albeit very exciting victory against the Giants. New York was the better team for most of the afternoon. I expected more from Denver.

  14. Los Angeles Chargers San Angeles Chargers (4-3) – Previously: 14.
    The Chargers looked like the real deal at 3-0, with victories over the Chiefs and Broncos. However, losing Joe Alt has derailed their offense. I expected more from their defense because Khalil Mack and Denzel Perryman returned, but the Chargers had absolutely no answer for what the Colts were doing.

  15. Pittsburgh Steelers Pittsburgh Steelers (4-2) – Previously: 17.
    The Steelers are 4-2, but it must be noted that they haven’t battled any team better than Group C just yet. They’ve gone against three Group C teams and three Group D opponents, so you can tell why I was skeptical last week when they were 4-1.

  16. Minnesota Vikings Minnesota Vikings (3-3) – Previously: 16.
    The Vikings should be able to get Andrew Van Ginkel and Brian O’Neill back from injury soon. I imagine J.J. McCarthy will return soon, too, now that the Vikings are coming off a loss with Carson Wentz.

  17. Chicago Bears Chicago Bears (4-2) – Previously: 18.
    The Bears were given up for dead after starting 0-2. They’re now 4-2, but there should be some skepticism regarding this record. The Bears took advantage of the CeeDee Lamb injury and then were outgained by a mile against the Raiders, but were able to win because Geno Smith self-destructed. They won at Washington, but the Redskins made numerous mistakes. They picked up a win versus New Orleans, but the Saints are barely an NFL team.

  18. San Francisco 49ers San Francisco 49ers (5-2) – Previously: 19.
    The 49ers, quite simply, out-coached the Falcons on Sunday night. They’d have a shot at the Super Bowl if they were able to go up against Raheem Morris-level coaching each week leading up to February.

  19. Dallas Cowboys Dallas Cowboys (3-3-1) – Previously: 22.
    The Cowboys are 3-3-1 despite having one of the worst defenses in the NFL. They can now move into Group C because CeeDee Lamb is back from injury.

  20. New York Giants New York Giants (2-5) – Previously: 23.
    Jaxson Dart continued to look great. He made a big mistake with an interception, but he was terrific otherwise against Denver’s elite defense at Mile High. It’s crazy how the Giants ended up losing at Denver, but their fans should be very optimistic.

  21. Jacksonville Jaguars Jacksonville Jaguars (4-3) – Previously: 15.
    The Jaguars were so dreadful in London that they were kept off the previous version of these power rankings. Actually, I don’t know how they disappeared because I didn’t remove them. I blame the AWS outage for it.

  22. Arizona Cardinals Arizona Cardinals (2-5) – Previously: 20.
    The Cardinals are a wussy organization for fining their head coach for yelling at Emari Demercado, so it was nice to see them lose to the Colts in the Battle of the Ball Droppers. They lost to the Packers as well to drop to 2-5. Yet, they’re five plays away from being 7-0, which is crazy but true.

  23. Washington Redskins Washington Redskins (3-4) – Previously: 9.
    I get the Redskins struggling offensively because Jayden Daniels has been in and out of the lineup, but what’s up with the defense? It was so much better last year, but it can’t stop a nose bleed this season.


    24. Group D:

  24. Houston Texans Houston Texans (2-4) – Previously: 21.
    The Texans continue to have huge blocking issues, as C.J. Stroud looks like a deer in the headlights at times. Why did they trade Laremy Tunsil, again?

  25. Cleveland Browns Cleveland Browns (2-5) – Previously: 24.
    The Browns had a dominant win against the Dolphins. This marked the first time all year the Browns battled a team worse than Group C. No wonder they played their best game of the year!

  26. Carolina Panthers Carolina Panthers (4-3) – Previously: 25.
    Somehow, some way, the Panthers are now 4-3. They’ve established that they’re not a Group F team in the NFL anymore. It’s worth noting, however, that two of their victories in their three-game winning stream have come against Group F teams.

  27. Cincinnati Bengals Cincinnati Bengals (3-4) – Previously: 27.
    The Bengals can’t be in Group F with Joe Flacco stabilizing the offense. I don’t know where this is coming from because Flacco looked so decrepit in Indianapolis and Cleveland, but he’s definitely better than Jake Browning.

  28. Las Vegas Raiders Las Vegas Raiders (2-5) – Previously: 26.
    The bye week has come at the right time for the Raiders. They’ll have a chance to get Brock Bowers, Jakobi Meyers, and Maxx Crosby back from injury in Week 9. The problem is that their offensive line will still be horrible.


    29. Group F:

  29. New Orleans Saints New Orleans Saints (1-6) – Previously: 30.
    So much for the Saints getting better play out of Spencer Rattler. The Silver Snake was responsible for 10 Chicago points early in the game. It’s time for the Saints to see what they have in Tyler Shough.

  30. Miami Dolphins Miami Dolphins (1-6) – Previously: 29.
    The Dolphins’ only win is hard to take seriously because they recovered all five fumbles in the game against the Jets. They then blew a 17-0 lead against the Panthers. They couldn’t even be competitive against the Browns.

  31. New York Jets New York Jets (0-7) – Previously: 31.
    The Jets are now 0-7, but a new possibility has emerged to be the No. 1 pick in the 2026 NFL Draft. Here’s my 2026 NFL Mock Draft.

    New York’s 0-7 record is especially remarkable because it’s gone against Group C-F teams in six of its seven games. The only team they’ve battled all year that is above average is the Bills, and we saw what happened in that game!

  32. Tennessee Titans Tennessee Titans (1-6) – Previously: 32.
    The Titans are 1-5, but they’ve played against the Broncos, Rams, and Colts, three teams listed in Group B. They beat a Group C team, though they needed a lot of luck to do that. They then went back to their losing ways against the Raiders, as Maxx Crosby dominated Tennessee’s poor offensive line.



2025 NFL MVP Projection:

1. Patrick Mahomes, QB, Chiefs
2. Josh Allen, QB, Bills
3. Jonathan Taylor, RB, Colts
4. Drake Maye, QB, Patriots
5. Baker Mayfield, QB, Buccaneers


Go to 2026 NFL Mock Draft




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2026 NFL Mock Draft - Oct. 22


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Fantasy Football Rankings - Sept. 1







2022 NFL Power Rankings. Week: Post-Super Bowl Power Rankings | Post-Free Agency Power Rankings | Post-NFL Draft Power Rankings | Post-Preseason Power Rankings | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 14 | 15 | 16 | 17

2021 NFL Power Rankings. Week: Post-Super Bowl Power Rankings | Preseason Power Rankings | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 14 | 15 | 16 | 17 | 18 | 19 | Playoffs |

2020 NFL Power Rankings. Week: Post-Super Bowl Power Rankings 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 14 | 15 | 16 | 17 | Playoffs |

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