16. Pittsburgh Steelers
If it were 2020, the Pittsburgh Steelers would have the best team in the NFL, but Aaron Rodgers is over the hump, and their other additions like Jalen Ramsey and Darius Slay are really only getting hype because of their names.
Pittsburgh is surely going to finish with a winning record, but it feels like the same team as 2024, just packaged differently. This team is not nearly good enough to compete with the top teams in the AFC, and it feels like they are content with only winning records, as they have not won a postseason game in years.
The Steelers are 16th in our power rankings and aren’t going to amount to much in the 2025 NFL Season.
15. Cincinnati Bengals
As of now, the Cincinnati Bengals are a non-playoff team. Trey Hendrickson is not on the field, and the offensive line is a huge concern again. The Bengals did ride a five-game winning streak to end the 2024 NFL Season, so you’d think that they made the playoffs, right?
Right?
Cincy is a poorly run franchise and is wasting the prime years of Joe Burrow and Ja’Marr Chase. As things stand right now, the Bengals are one of the more frustrating teams in the NFL, and they come in at 15th in our power rankings before the regular season.
14. San Francisco 49ers
With the easiest schedule in the NFL this year, the San Francisco 49ers have to try and stay healthy enough, and they should be able to win nine or 10 games and get into the playoffs. This is a good team, but they’re not great, and the injuries are piling up, so it’s just already a frustrating year for this team.
Brock Purdy and some of the other key players on both sides of the ball will be a steady presence and should help keep this team on the right track. However, San Fran isn’t anything special right now, as they are 14th in our final power rankings before the regular season.
13. Minnesota Vikings
The primary reason why I have the Minnesota Vikings low is because of the uncertainty with JJ McCarthy. I am fully prepared to rank this team a lot higher if the young QB ends up being legitimate, but as of now, 13th feels like a fair ranking. The roster is good on both sides of the ball, but we simply do not know what to expect from McCarthy until he takes the field in the 2025 NFL Season.