NFL Power Rankings 2025: Rams and Bills Rise Following Free Agency

My current NFL Power Rankings for the 2025 NFL season. Rams and Bills rise following free agency.

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 March 28, 2025

Group A:

Philadelphia Eagles (14-3) – Previously: 1.
Can you believe that some idiots called out the Eagles for drafting Jalen Hurts five years ago? Morons! Hurts misfired just five times in the Super Bowl. Meanwhile, the defense had one of the most dominant performances in Super Bowl history. The Chiefs did not cross midfield until there were two minutes remaining in the third quarter. Kansas City had just six points before garbage time.

The Eagles are the best team in the NFL, but they lost some defensive linemen this offseason. This includes Josh Sweat, who was going to win Super Bowl MVP prior to Hurts’ deep shot to DeVonta Smith. The Eagles made some quality cheap signings to help with depth.

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Los Angeles Rams (10-7) – Previously: 8.
Of all the teams the Eagles battled in the playoffs, the Rams came closest to beating them. Of course, Jalen Hurts suffered an injury in that game, but the Rams were also playing in the snow. If they can rack up wins and claim home-field advantage, they’ll be a tough out next January. That could certainly happen with Davante Adams being a huge upgrade over the decrepit Cooper Kupp.

Buffalo Bills (13-4) – Previously: 5.
The Bills outgained the Chiefs in the AFC Championship, but had to fight off the officials in addition to Patrick Mahomes. Despite the 14 free points the refs gave to Kansas City, Buffalo had a chance to win at the very end, but Dalton Kincaid dropped a pass on fourth down.

Buffalo made a huge move in free agency by acquiring Joey Bosa. The long-time Charger has a horrible injury track record, but he can be a devastating pass rusher when healthy. He could be the key in finally defeating Mahomes in the playoffs.

Kansas City Chiefs (15-2) – Previously: 2.
The talent disparity between the Eagles and the Chiefs made it too big to rig. Kansas City was able to squeak by bad and mediocre teams all year, but that wasn’t possible against a vastly superior opponent.

The good news for the Chiefs is that they found a viable left tackle in Jaylon Moore, who was excellent last year when filling in for Trent Williams. The bad news is that Joe Thuney was traded. This will be a colossal loss for the offensive line unless Kansas City can find a quality replacement in the 2025 NFL Draft. Either way, the Chiefs have a very high floor as long as Patrick Mahomes is playing and Andy Reid is coaching.

Washington Redskins (12-5) – Previously: 3.
The Redskins have the best chance of making the biggest leap in 2026, which is crazy to think about because they were 12-5 last year. Jayden Daniels will have experience for a change, and he’ll have the help of Laremy Tunsil and Deebo Samuel. This could be a terrifying team in 2025, which is why I bet them to win the Super Bowl per my Super Bowl LX Betting Futures page.

Minnesota Vikings (14-3) – Previously: 9.
The Vikings are going to be undervalued heading into 2025 if their 40/1 Super Bowl odds are any indication. J.J. McCarthy is an unknown, but he was Kevin O’Connell’s handpicked quarterback. They’ll also be getting Christian Darrisaw back from injury. Darrisaw will be back on an offensive line that received two major boosts in Ryan Kelly and Will Fries. Minnesota’s team as a whole is incredible. In fact, if you remove quarterback from every team in the NFL, the Vikings easily have a top-three roster.

Baltimore Ravens (12-5) – Previously: 6.
If you take out the Steelers, the Ravens were just 1-2 versus Group A and Group B teams in the second half of the 2024 season. I’m sure excuses will be made for the Ravens because they turned the ball over three times, but they’ve had a number of games last year where they’ve self-destructed with mistakes.

The Ravens will continue to be one of the better teams in the AFC next year, but you have to wonder if Derrick Henry will finally begin to wear down at the age of 31. Then again, Baltimore signed Chidobe Awuzie to help a weak secondary. If Awuzie can remain healthy, that could solve the greatest issue the Ravens had in 2024.

Group B:

Detroit Lions (15-2) – Previously: 4.
The Lions were No. 1 in these power rankings for most of the 2024 NFL season, but I moved them out of the top spot once Aidan Hutchinson and some other defenders suffered injuries. And then, things only got even worse because players continued to drop like flies. If the Lions can remain healthy, they might be one of the top Super Bowl LX contenders, but I worry that they lost both coordinators. This didn’t work out so well for the Eagles in 2023.

San Angeles Chargers (11-6) – Previously: 12.
The Chargers dominated the bad teams they played last year, owning a 8-0 straight up and ATS record against Group D and Group F teams. They need to improve their receiving corps to be able to score at all against the best defenses in the NFL. They didn’t find an upgrade there unless Mike Williams is counted. However, the Chargers found some much-needed help for the interior of their offensive line, so their stock is pointing up.

Denver Broncos (10-7) – Previously: 17.
I’ve put all the NFL teams into groups, ranging from A to F. Group A is comprised of the elite teams, while Group F is the worst. Not counting Week 18, Six of Denver’s nine wins came against Group D and Group F. Their other three victories were very fluky or have occurred in weird circumstances. They finished 0-6 straight up, 1-5 against the spread versus teams above Group C.

However, the Broncos had an outstanding offseason, signing Evan Engram, Dre Greenlaw, and Talanoa Hufanga. I’m not a big Bo Nix fan, but Denver’s overall roster is loaded.

San Francisco 49ers (6-11) – Previously: 7.
The 49ers’ 2024 campaign began with Christian McCaffrey’s troublesome calf and ended with Ricky Pearsall being the only receiver on the field with Joshua Dobbs throwing the ball to him. However, there’s so much reason for optimism. The team is likely to be much healthier next year. The 49ers also have an insanely easy schedule. The team lost a ton of personnel this offseason, but it was already deep, and the easy schedule will allow it to have a good chance of reaching the playoffs.

Group C:

Green Bay Packers (11-6) – Previously: 10.
The Packers looked so great at times during the 2024 season, but sloppy mistakes and injuries crushed them late in the year. “No Cookie” Jordan Love runs very hot and cold, but perhaps the way to fix that is to follow Josh Jacobs’ advice and obtain a No. 1 receiver for him. The Packers failed to do that in free agency, so perhaps they’ll try to trade up for Tetairoa McMillan in the 2025 NFL Draft.

Pittsburgh Steelers (10-7) – Previously: 15.
As of March 28, it’s unclear what the Steelers will do at quarterback. Aaron Rodgers may take the job, but if not, it’ll either be Mason Rudolph or a rookie quarterback. Regardless of what occurs, Pittsburgh’s offense will be better in 2025, thanks to the DK Metcalf trade.

Tampa Bay Buccaneers (10-7) – Previously: 14.
The Buccaneers suffered a huge loss with Liam Coen departing. I thought Dave Canales would be missed, but Coen did an excellent job in his place. Can Tampa Bay strike gold with another offensive coordinator? If not, there will be some regression. On the flip side, they retained Chris Godwin and signed Haason Reddick, so their personnel will be better in 2025.

Chicago Bears (5-12) – Previously: 23.
If you reverse the Hail Mary, the blocked field goal, the result in overtime versus Minnesota, and the dumb sequence by Matt Eberflus on Thanksgiving, the Bears would have finished 9-8. They now have a much better coach and three major upgrades on the offensive line. Caleb Williams will have all the time in the world in 2025.

Houston Texans (10-7) – Previously: 11.
The Texans looked broken in the second half of the regular season. However, they dominated the Chargers and then outgained the Chiefs by 140 yards. Had the officials not given Kansas City 10 free points, the Texans may have been playing in the AFC Championship. Instead, they move into Year 3 of C.J. Stroud’s career, which began with an uneven offseason. The Texans signed Christian Kirk to fill their big need at receiver, but they also jettisoned three starting offensive linemen, including Laremy Tunsil. Cam Robinson and Trent Brown were signed, but neither will be nearly as dominant as Tunsil.

Cincinnati Bengals (9-8) – Previously: 16.
The Bengals seem to be a popular Super Bowl LX sleeper pick, but I wouldn’t be as bullish on them. Ownership was once again cheap in regard to spending on defense. Ja’Marr Chase and Tee Higgins were re-signed, but the defense will be absolutely atrocious in 2025.

Atlanta Falcons (8-9) – Previously: 18.
The Falcons had what seemed like an insurmountable lead in the division when they swept the Buccaneers, but they ended up missing the playoffs. Their huge mistake was not turning to Michael Penix Jr. earlier when it was apparent that Kirk Cousins had nothing remaining in the tank. Penix looked good late last year, albeit in limited action.

Atlanta focused its attention on defense this offseason, signing Leonard Floyd, Morgan Fox, and Jordan Fuller. Between Floyd and Fox, the pass rush should be more consistent in 2025.

Jacksonville Jaguars (4-13) – Previously: 20.
The Jaguars ruined a chance to secure the No. 1 pick with a win over the Titans. That’s the bad news. The good news is that they snagged Liam Coen from the Buccaneers to be their head coach. Coen is an offensive mastermind who should be able to get Trevor Lawrence to play to the best of his ability.

Arizona Cardinals (8-9) – Previously: 21.
Kyler Murray finally made it through a whole season without getting injured. Arizona, however, didn’t have much to show for it. The team didn’t even have a winning record. Most of the blame lies with the defense, which couldn’t stop anyone for most of the year. Josh Sweat will help improve the defense, but Arizona didn’t do enough on that side of the ball.

Las Vegas Raiders (4-13) – Previously: 29.
The Raiders traded a third-round pick for Geno Smith, which was a poor decision because of his age (35) and mediocrity. Smith will make the Raiders more competitive this season, but they’ll essentially turn into the Seahawks of the AFC.

Miami Dolphins (8-9) – Previously: 19.
It didn’t matter because the Broncos won in Week 18, but the Dolphins had to be very disappointed not to have Tua Tagovailoa once again to close out the season. He’s the most unreliable quarterback in the NFL. The offensive line was bolstered with James Daniels, but there are still multiple holes up front, which will give Tagovailoa some issues.

Group D:

Indianapolis Colts (8-9) – Previously: 24.
The Colts won a meaningless game at the end to improve to 8-9, but the damage was already done. Losing as they did to the Broncos and Giants ruined a legitimate chance they had of making the playoffs. Now, the question is what do they do with Anthony Richardson? The third-year pro was far worse last season than he was in his few rookie starts. There are concerns with his work ethic, so the Colts could bottom out in 2025. Then again, perhaps Daniel Jones can finally live up to his potential. James never had a fair shake with the Giants, so he could have his best season yet.

New Orleans Saints (5-12) – Previously: 25.
Kellen Moore has his work cut out for him. The Saints have an aging defense and no depth, thanks to a troubling cap situation. They signed a number of poor contracts this offseason. In fact, it got so bad at one point, I wondered if they were laundering money. The addition of Justin Reid is rather promising, however.

Seattle Seahawks (10-7) – Previously: 13.
The Seahawks played three Group A teams last year – the upper echelon of the NFL – and lost by double digits in all three contests. They were also 0-3 versus Group B, though they almost beat the Rams in their sole real meeting. They were 10-1 in their games against mediocre or bad teams.

Seattle had a very curious offseason. The team traded DK Metcalf and cut Tyler Lockett, which signaled a rebuild, but then the front office signed Sam Darnold to a colossal deal and overpaid Cooper Kupp by an insane sum. Things aren’t looking too great for the Seahawks right now.

Dallas Cowboys (7-10) – Previously: 22.
I thought that Dallas’ win over the Buccaneers would convince Jerry Jones to keep Mike McCarthy, but that didn’t happen. Jones finally fired McCarthy, but he brought in an even worse coach in Brian Schottenheimer. Jones has lost his marbles. He also barely did anything in free agency.

Carolina Panthers (5-12) – Previously: 27.
The Panthers played much better in the second half of the season. However, they’ve been dismantled by the two teams that were focused against them. It didn’t help, however, that the Panthers were missing several players and were dealing with the flu in their second meeting against the Buccaneers. Their Week 18 win allowed them to climb out of last place in the division, thanks to tie-breakers.

The front office spent plenty of energy upgrading the defense. Tershawn Wharton, Bobby Brown, Tre’von Moehrig, and Patrick Jones were solid additions who will help, but Carolina still has a long way to go before it has a quality stop unit.

New York Jets (5-12) – Previously: 26.
The Jets were 5-12 last year, and now Aaron Rodgers is gone. Justin Fields is set to start, which doesn’t seem great. However, Aaron Glenn will be around to coach up the defense. The Jets went 7-10 with Zach Wilson in 2023, so that sort of a record could be possible in 2025.

New England Patriots (4-13) – Previously: 28.
The good news for the Patriots is that they have a young quarterback with tons of upside and the most cap space in the NFL. The downside is that the Patriots have so many holes across their roster. They have problems at many positions, including the offensive line, which is a train wreck right now.

Group F:

Tennessee Titans (3-14) – Previously: 31.
It seems as though Cam Ward will be the pick. Ward will be stationed behind an offensive line that received a couple of upgrades this offseason, with Tennessee signing Dan Moore and Kevin Zeitler.

New York Giants (3-14) – Previously: 30.
I don’t understand why the Giants signed Russell Wilson after obtaining Jameis Winston. Neither is the solution at quarterback, but at least Winston is cheap and fun. Wilson is old and expensive, and he’s also a poor presence in the locker room.

Cleveland Browns (3-14) – Previously: 32.
It’s being speculated that the Browns will be passing on a quarterback at No. 2 overall. With Deshaun Watson out for most, if not all of 2025, it’s looking like Cleveland’s starting quarterback will be Kenny Pickett, which pretty much locks the team into the No. 1 pick in the 2026 NFL Draft.

2025 NFL MVP Projection:

1. Lamar Jackson, QB, Ravens
2. Jayden Daniels, QB, Redskins
3. Josh Allen, QB, Bills
4. Patrick Mahomes, QB, Chiefs
5. Jalen Hurts, QB, Eagles

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