4. Washington Commanders
How about the Washington Commanders, man? This team won 14 total games in the 2024 NFL Season and were led by the single greatest rookie QB we have ever seen in Jayden Daniels, who may already be the best quarterback in the NFC.
Daniels and the Commanders added Laremy Tunsil and Deebo Samuel via trade this offseason, so it's clear that GM Adam Peters is simply not messing around this offseason, and why should be? This team now has a wide-open window and a head coach in Dan Quinn who has gotten a team to the Super Bowl before.
If you told me Washington was the best team in the NFC in about seven months from now, I'd believe you. At this point, it's about filling out the rest of the roster and seeing if Jayden Daniels can make that coveted year two leap that many of the best QBs in the NFL have made. Washington is fourth in our latest NFL power rankings.
3. Buffalo Bills
For most of the 2024 NFL Season, the Buffalo Bills were the best team in the AFC. They did not secure the no. 1 seed, as that went to the Kansas City Chiefs, but they beat the Chiefs in the regular season, and many also thought that 2024 was the year that Buffalo finally got over the hump.
Losing yet again to KC in the playoffs leaves Buffalo with that burning question - what the heck is it going to take to get past the Chiefs in the playoffs? It felt like 2024 was going to be a banner year for Buffalo, as Josh Allen won his first NFL MVP award. Buffalo is the best team in the AFC in our latest power rankings and should again be the top team in the conference when the 2025 NFL Season begins,