Ricky Bobby once said it best: If you ain't first, you're last. Being in second place isn't always the worst thing in the world, but these teams that finished in second place last year are obviously going to be trying to get to that next level in 2025, and some are better equipped than others.
There were second-place teams in the NFL last season that wound up making some noise in the playoffs (Commanders), and there were others that were completely irrelevant in the playoff discussion (Dolphins). The Minnesota Vikings caused the NFL to potentially start rethinking playoff seeding after finishing in second place with a whopping 14 wins last year.
Unfortunately, other than the Commanders, every second place team in the NFL last season wound up being an afterthought following the Wild Card round of the playoffs. Last year was not a good year for these teams, so how do they get to that next level and actually compete in the postseason? Which teams are even equipped for that?
Our latest NFL Power Rankings will look at every team that finished in second place last season and rank them for 2025.
NFL Power Rankings: Ranking every team that finished in 2nd-place for 2025
8. Indianapolis Colts
The Indianapolis Colts are a fascinating roster that could end up getting absolutely buried this season due to their quarterback situation. I think Shane Steichen is a good coach, and if one of the elite quarterbacks in the NFL had the weapons the Colts have, they'd probably win the MVP award.
That could end up being good news for someone like Daniel Jones, or it could end up highlighting just how badly this team fumbled the Anthony Richardson situation. Or perhaps how badly Richardson fumbled his golden opportunity.
7. Atlanta Falcons
I want to project the Falcons to be better than this in the 2025 season but they are in a 'guilty until proven innocent' category until the games begin. The Falcons have a young quarterback who showed promise last year, a lot of good weapons on offense, and a largely unproven defense.
The defense in Atlanta could once again prove to be this team's weakness in the armor, and ultimately that puts way too much pressure on your quarterback. The Falcons need immediate week-to-week growth from first-round picks Jalon Walker and James Pearce Jr.
6. Seattle Seahawks
I'm in the camp that doesn't like what the Seahawks did this offseason. I don't like swapping Geno Smith for Sam Darnold, and I definitely don't like swapping DK Metcalf for Cooper Kupp. Which means that it'll probably end up working out great for this team.
If Mike Macdonald can get his defense to play consistently this season, the Seahawks might find themselves in a much better position to succeed despite likely having a similar record as they did last year (10-7). They had way too many lapses on the defensive side last season as well as a horrendous offensive line.
5. Miami Dolphins
The Dolphins could be a 10-win team if they stay mostly healthy, but this is a roster that is going to be carried by a lot of guys who have not been able to do that in recent years.
Tua Tagovailoa is always a risk of missing time, and the Dolphins are hoping that Zach Wilson can be a better contingency plan after his rehab year in Denver. The trio of Bradley Chubb, Jaelan Phillips, and Chop Robinson could be special if those guys could stay on the field. There are questions about the offensive line, but Tagovailoa gets rid of the ball quick enough to mask that a bit.
It was a rough year for this team last year, and it's been a couple of rough offseasons in a row, but the talent is there for this team to be a thorn in the side of other AFC Wild Card teams in 2025.
4. Los Angeles Chargers
The Chargers laid an impressive egg in the playoffs last season after looking like one of the more well-rounded teams in the NFL last regular season.
Justin Herbert is solid. The Chargers have a stout offensive line and should have a massively upgraded running game with the additions of Najee Harris, Omarion Hampton, and offensive guard Mekhi Becton. The defense will be an interesting wild card for this team in 2025. The Chargers were outstanding last year but they did lose a couple of notable players including Joey Bosa and Poona Ford, among others.
If the new additions can thrive with the Chargers this year, they could win 11 games and compete in the AFC West again.
3. Pittsburgh Steelers
The Steelers shouldn't have as low of a floor as a team this year with Aaron Rodgers at quarterback compared to with Russell Wilson. Things went really well for a while with Wilson early on last season, but the Steelers were one of the coldest teams in the league late in the year and wound up making an early exit from the postseason.
Rodgers gives this team a more well-rounded player at quarterback compared to Wilson and the addition of DK Metcalf is fascinating because he's one of the most dynamic weapons in the NFL. You already know the defense is going to be good in Pittsburgh barring injury and this team should be a factor, but probably only for second place in the AFC North. The Ravens aren't losing more than two or three games.
2. Minnesota Vikings
The Vikings have a stellar roster overall, but there are two really big question marks that will lead to this team not repeating its 2024 success.
First of all, you have the addition of JJ McCarthy into the lineup. While McCarthy is capable enough and talented enough to help lead this team back to the postseason, maybe even a division title, growing pains should be expected.
The Vikings also might have one of the worst secondary units among contending teams in the NFC right now, at least on paper. They need guys to step up and play better than we've seen in the past. But as a whole, this is one of the best and most talented rosters in the league.
1. Washington Commanders
The Commanders are going to need the offense to really carry this team in 2025 and I'm not sure they're competing for anything other than second place in the NFC East yet again this year. But if the defense can outperform expectations after doing absolutely nothing to upgrade the pass rush off the edge, this team could give the Eagles trouble again.
Jayden Daniels has an upgraded offensive line and upgraded weapons around him. He's got the talent to keep this Commanders team in pretty much every game, and he doesn't make that many mistakes to take them out of games, either. The Commanders could be a legitimate title contender in the NFC but that defensive front is the biggest thing holding them back.
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