2. Cincinnati Bengals
The Cincinnati Bengals had arguably the worst defense in the NFL last season regardless of points allowed, but they've obviously made some changes and upgrades this offseason to try and get that fixed.
And people make it seem like this team was that far off last year, but they still won nine games and nearly climbed all the way back into the postseason. And regardless of how bad their defense was, everybody's sentiment toward the Bengals at the end of last season was that Buffalo and Kansas City would want no part in playing against them.
The Bengals got things ironed out temporarily with Trey Hendrickson, which is huge. This team might have the best collection of offensive weapons in the league, but at what cost? Will the offensive line be competent? Can the defense be even league average?
Having star players like Joe Burrow, Ja'Marr Chase, and Tee Higgins on offense really helps the Bengals, but this team isn't just those three guys, either. They've invested a lot of high draft capital on key players for both sides of the ball, but they need those picks to hit quickly.
1. Baltimore Ravens
They say there's no such thing as a "perfect" roster in the NFL today, but the Baltimore Ravens are pretty darn close.
This is the most balanced team in the entire NFL when it comes to star power on both sides of the ball, a superstar dual-threat quarterback, a dominant running back, an awesome offensive line, playmakers galore, waves of pass rush, and players who can take the ball away in the secondary.
The Ravens have better top-end talent than most, and they are deeper than most. There's really nothing not to like about this team going into the 2025 season, although the war on attrition hits everyone different throughout the course of the year.
This is a team that is built for a deep playoff run, and anything less than a Super Bowl win this year would be a catastrophic organizational failure. But the Ravens aren't just built to win now, either, which is what makes the job Eric DeCosta has done so ridiculous.