We have nearly made it, as the preseason is now over and the regular season is right around the corner. Let's unveil our final power rankings. It's been quite the preseason for a ton of teams, but it's important to remember that teams approach preseason differently.
Some teams hardly play their starters, while some like to get some of their starting players key snaps and reps before the regular season. Now that the preseason is behind us, teams will cut down their rosters, so a ton of players are going to hit the open market.
And while that happens, we have created our final NFL power rankings of the offseason, so let's get into it right here.
Final NFL power rankings before the regular season
32. New Orleans Saints
The New Orleans Saints are an unfortunately awful football team. They’ve needed to rebuild for years now, and that process certainly did not begin this offseason. I have said for a while now that the Saints could truly be the first winless team in the 17-game era, but the defense does have some talent, so I guess the franchise has that going for them.
31. Cleveland Browns
Starting Joe Flacco to begin the 2025 NFL Season, it feels like it’s only a matter of time before the Browns turn to one of their rookie quarterbacks. Cleveland does have two first-round picks in the 2026 NFL Draft, so it’s likely we see them making a major QB move next April.
30. Tennessee Titans
Taking Cam Ward with the first overall pick in the 2025 NFL Draft, the Tennessee Titans did put themselves on the right track. However, this rebuilding process might take a few years, so it’s good to have patience with this franchise.
29. New York Jets
The New York Jets are going to be a hysterically bad team in the 2025 NFL Season. Justin Fields is not a starting QB in this league, and a first-year coaching staff is going to show itself as one as well. It’s going to be another season to forget for this franchise.
28. Carolina Panthers
The Carolina Panthers recently extended right tackle Taylor Moton, which was a great move. On paper, the Panthers could be a fun team in the 2025 NFL Season, but the main thing holding this team back is Bryce Young. The third-year QB did look pretty solid down the stretch in the 2024 NFL Season, but he’s not a franchise quarterback and still an unknown at this point.
If Young can’t put it together in the 2025 NFL Season, Panthers’ GM Dan Morgan might be motivated to find a different solution at the position. Carolina is 28th in our power rankings.
27. New York Giants
Are we sure the New York Giants should start Russell Wilson in the 2025 NFL Season? All of Jaxson Dart, Jameis Winston, and Tommy DeVito looked better than the veteran, and the rookie Dart looked the best of all. If Wilson does get the starting nod, he might have an extremely short leash and could feel a ton of pressure from the fanbase to perform, as Dart certainly played well enough to win over a large part of the fans.
Yes, the Giants were a fun team in the preseason, but it’s the preseason and doesn’t count at the end of the day.
26. Jacksonville Jaguars
A potentially fun team in the 2025 NFL Season, the Jacksonville Jaguars are 26th in our power rankings as we approach the regular season. Hiring Liam Coen as their new head coach was a good first step in potentially fixing their offense, which has been the main sticking point for this team in the Trevor Lawrence era. Lawrence himself hasn’t been quite as good as he was billed coming out of college, but the franchise has been quite dysfunctional.
Until proven otherwise, the Jags will remain as one of the worst teams in the NFL, but they have room to grow, for sure.
25. Indianapolis Colts
Naming Daniel Jones as the starting QB, the Indianapolis Colts have their guy for the 2025 NFL Season, but many people have disagreed with them going with Jones over Anthony Richardson, but it’s quite simple: Anthony Richardson is a bad quarterback, and Daniel Jones is less bad.
The Colts definitely botched the QB position for years, and there is an argument that Richardson really didn’t get a fair shot, but the NFL is a tough business sometimes. On paper, the Colts do have a strong roster, but the QB position is so bad that it’s going to drag the entire operation down in 2025 and perhaps beyond.
24. Las Vegas Raiders
Someone would have to tell me why I need to be high on the Las Vegas Raiders? Why should I expect this team to be good in the 2025 NFL Season? Sure, Geno Smith and Pete Carroll were upgrades, but this team is absolutely the worst in the AFC West and have a pretty hollow roster outside of a few key players. It’s not going to be a great season for this franchise, but oddly enough, the duo of Carroll and Smith would be one of the more secure duos they have had in quite some time.
However, I don’t see a path to more than five or six wins for this franchise in the 2025 NFL Season.
23. Seattle Seahawks
The team that traded Geno Smith this offseason, the Seattle Seahawks managed to be the only double-digit win team in the 2024 NFL Season that didn’t make the playoffs, which is quite the interesting statistic. The Seahawks went to the younger Sam Darnold this offseason and also drafted Jalen Milroe in the 2025 NFL Draft.
On paper, I am not sure Darnold has nearly the supporting cast that he had in 2024 with the Minnesota Vikings, so a regression could be on the horizon, but I guess if you’re high enough on this defense, Seattle could be ranked a lot higher than 23rd. However, I just don’t see it with this team in 2025. They are low in our power rankings.
22. Atlanta Falcons
I do like the Atlanta Falcons as a team that could hit breakout status in the 2025 NFL Season. With a strong supporting cast on offense, Michael Penix Jr could be in store for a sizeable leap in his second year. The other thing to note here is that the NFC South could be wide open. With the Tampa Bay Buccaneers losing Liam Coen to a head coaching job, that offense might be due to regress, and Baker Mayfield is not necessarily a great QB, either.
While I have flip-flopped on this team for a while now on if they can win the division, the Falcons could finish with a winning record and build a ton of confidence for the 2026 NFL Season. Atlanta is 22nd in our power rankings.
21. Chicago Bears
The Chicago Bears’ fanbase has been dying for a good football team and a competent offense for years now. Could we see a competent offense in the 2025 NFL Season? Caleb Williams now has a solid offensive line and a ton of weapons at his disposal, and it’s Ben Johnson running the show, which is great. Sure, the NFC South is a crazy tough division, but the Bears do have the talent to be able to go toe-to-toe with all three of their divisional foes.
It’s going to be an interesting year, as Chicago could be the most ‘boom or bust’ team for the 2025 NFL Season. They are just outside the top-20 in our final power rankings before the regular season.
20. Dallas Cowboys
The Dallas Cowboys could field one of the best offenses in the NFL in 2025. Dak Prescott now has CeeDee Lamb and George Pickens in the passing game, but the defense leaves a lot to be desired, and the run game is not a known commodity at this point. It’s not going to be a smooth year for the franchise, as it feels like this team could max out at seven wins or so.
However, Prescott does tend to play quite well coming back from an injury or from poor play. And oh yeah, the Cowboys also have this unnecessary Micah Parsons contract standoff as well. Jerry Jones has his hands all over this franchise, and he is digging them into a deeper hole.
19. New England Patriots
The New England Patriots are going to shoot up these power rankings when the 2025 NFL Season gets underway, as they have everything in place to be a breakout team this year. Hiring Mike Vrabel was a huge first step in them stabilizing, and Josh McDaniels back as the offensive coordinator is going to do wonders for the offense and for Drake Maye.
Defensively, they’ll be just fine, as Vrabel will have that unit playing nasty and physical. Right now, we have the Patriots just inside the top-20, but expect them to rise.
18. Arizona Cardinals
Another team that could shoot up these power rankings in 2025 is the Arizona Cardinals, a team that won six of its first 10 games in the 2024 NFL Season. Adding to the defensive line this offseason, the Cardinals shored up their weakest spot on the roster and might just be the second-best team in the NFC West right now.
Does Kyler Murray have more in the tank? Can he actually have a breakout season? He’s a dual-threat player, and it feels like we’ve been wanting him to play better for years now.
17. Miami Dolphins
If nothing else, Miami Dolphins’ QB Tua Tagovailoa has never finished a season with a losing record, so that’s something. However, the Dolphins’ roster is quite average, and that feels like a great way to describe their QB. I would not be shocked to see the Dolphins finishing third in the AFC East in 2025. Right now, though, they are about as average as you can possibly get.
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.
12. Los Angeles Chargers
Did the LA Chargers get better this offseason? They did add some players, but Rashawn Slater is out for the year, Mike Williams retired, and the defense still doesn’t feel complete. It’s actually a disappointing offseason when you think about it, as LA won 11 games in the 2024 NFL Season and could have taken that next step into contention, but they still feel another year away.
The Chargers are 12th in our power rankings and are a logical choice for a top Wild Card seed in the AFC this year.
11. Tampa Bay Buccaneers
The Tampa Bay Buccaneers went 10-7 and won the NFC South in the 2024 NFL Season, and they could be the heavy favorites to win the division again, but the loss of Liam Coen is going to impact this team. Baker Mayfield played his tail off last year, but not having Coen there could bring some regression for the offense.
Tampa isn’t a great team, but they’re very good and well-coached on both sides of the ball. They come in just outside the top-10 in our power rankings.
10. Houston Texans
The Houston Texans regressed in 2024, primarily thanks to their offensive line blowing up in the wrong way, so that’s going to be the main thing to look out for with Houston in 2025. If their offseason moves along the OL end up being the right ones, we could be talking about the next contender in the AFC, but if things are again not fixed, this team could be at a huge risk of losing the AFC South.
Overall, they’ve got great roster talent and a franchise QB in CJ Stroud, so at the end of the day, they should be just fine. Houston is 10th in our final power rankings before the 2025 season.
9. Detroit Lions
Should we be worried about the Detroit Lions? Going 1-3 in the preseason, nothing really ever came easy. Detroit lost Aaron Glenn and Ben Johnson this offseason to head coaching jobs, and it seems to be impacting them in a big way. Roster-wise, this team could be the best in the NFL, so they do have that going for them.
However, roster talent only goes so far, and the head coaching expertise of Dan Campbell is going to be put on full display this season. If Detroit regresses, it really would not be much of a surprise,but at the same time, them again winning the NFC North wouldn’t be shocking, either.
A modest 11-win season feels like the most accurate prediction for the Lions in the 2025 NFL Season.
8. Green Bay Packers
The Green Bay Packers are a good football team that has failed to ascend to elite status. However, they are on the right track and did win 11 games in the 2024 NFL Season, up from their nine-win 2023 season. Jordan Love is now in his third year as a starter in the NFL, which could bring bigger and better things.
Love did sit behind Aaron Rodgers for a few seasons, so perhaps things will all come into view in 2025. The Packers added wide receiver Matthew Golden in the first round of the 2025 NFL Draft, so perhaps their first-rounder is going to be the true difference-maker on the offensive side of the ball.
Defensively, this team does need some secondary help, and they could address that as roster cuts happen these next few days.
7. Kansas City Chiefs
The Kansas City Chiefs went 0-3 in the preseason, and it’s just abundantly clear that this team doesn’t have great depth, and they honestly don’t have an intimidating starting lineup, either. The offensive line is a concern until it isn’t, and who knows what they’re going to get from their running backs and wide receivers.
It does feel like we’re going to see one of the weaker Chiefs’ rosters in the Patrick Mahomes’ era, so it’ll be interesting to see how Mahomes and Andy Reid are able to navigate through what is going to be a shockingly tough 2025 season.
6. Washington Commanders
Getting within one game of the Super Bowl in the 2024 NFL Season, the Washington Commanders are sixth in our power rankings. The roster isn’t great, but Jayden Daniels it not from this planet and could be in line for a massive year two. The coaching staff clearly knows how to put their players in positions to succeed, so this could again be one of the more well-coached teams in the league.
Washington is sixth in our power rankings.
5. Los Angeles Rams
If Matthew Stafford is on the field and healthy, the Los Angeles Rams are going to be an outstanding team in 2025, and the NFL is in better hands when Stafford is on the field. The Rams have rebuilt their team with a ton of high-quality draft picks, and their roster is the best we’ve seen since their Super Bowl team back in 2021.
4. Denver Broncos
Maybe I am overreacting here, but the Denver Broncos might just be a top-5 team in the NFL. They went 3-0 in the preseason with three wins by at least nine points, showcasing their top-tier depth. They’ve got the best defense on paper in the NFL and an offense that saw a ton of talent get added to it this offseason.
When you look at the entire Broncos’ roster, you’d be hard-pressed to find a notable hole, which is a testament to the depth and talent assembled by GM George Paton and head coach Sean Payton. I am prepared to be wrong here, but Denver is fourth in our power rankings.
3. Philadelphia Eagles
The defending Super Bowl champions will try to avoid the Super Bowl hangover in the 2025 NFL Season and do have the talent to again make a deep playoff run this season. Losing Kellen Moore to the New Orleans Saints’ head coaching job does again force Jalen Hurts to learn a new offense. Furthermore, the Eagles did lose some starters in the offseason, so we can’t pretend that the team’s 22 starters are as talented as they were in 2024. We can’t rank them much lower than this, though. Philly is third in our power rankings.
2. Baltimore Ravens
Perhaps the most talented team in the NFL, the Baltimore Ravens are second in our final power rankings before the regular season. They’ve had top-flight rosters for years and have honestly made the regular season look easy, but things change when the playoffs roll around. As you know, Baltimore has not won multiple games in the postseason since 2012, so it’s getting a bit ridiculous at this point.
Lamar Jackson is a two-time MVP and one of the best quarterbacks of all-time already, so it’s time for this franchise to stop wasting his prime and actually make a run to the Super Bowl.
1. Buffalo Bills
Will the 2025 NFL Season finally be the year for the Buffalo Bills? Many people thought the 2024 NFL Season would be the year for Buffalo, but it ended as you would have expected it to. What more do the Bills have to do to make a run to the Super Bowl? What change is it going to take? They again have the best team in the NFL approaching the regular season, but we already knew that.