20. Atlanta Falcons
Michael Penix Jr is now the starting QB for the Atlanta Falcons, and whether that's a good thing or bad thing remains to be seen. What is true is the Falcons are quite talented on that side of the ball, so it's not like the young QB doesn't have help. The main issue with Atlanta in 2024 was its defense, but with a rebuilt defensive line, things could be frisky in the NFC South.
Atlanta can absolutely win the division in 2025 if Penix takes a step forward, but we can only rank them so high given how unproven Penix still is.
19. New England Patriots
Mike Vrabel is the head coach, Josh McDaniels is back as the offensive coordinator, and the offensive line now appears to be settled - the New England Patriots did precisely what they needed to do this offseason, and I cannot stress that enough. They're going to finish the 2025 NFL Season a lot higher in these power rankings and could stay in the playoff hunt in the AFC.
18. Dallas Cowboys
If nothing else, the Dallas Cowboys have George Pickens and CeeDee Lamb on offense, so they are going to be a mismatch throwing the football, and Dak Prescott does have a history of playing quite well when he's coming off of an injury or simply off of a bad season. Dallas could scrape together seven or eight wins at most in the 2025 NFL Season.
17. Arizona Cardinals
The Arizona Cardinals went into the 2025 NFL Offseason needing to fix their defensive line, and they did just that, so things are going to begin to come into shape for this roster. Kyler Murray has to play just a little bit better as well if Arizona hopes to get into the postseason, but they've got what it takes.