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NFL Power Rankings: Ranking every team eliminated from the playoffs

Let's rank the 12 teams that have been eliminated from the playoffs.
Lou Scataglia
Lou Scataglia

NFL Spin Zone

NFC Championship Game: Los Angeles Rams v Seattle Seahawks / Kevin Sabitus/GettyImages

It's official - Super Bowl LX is set, as the New England Patriots and Seattle Seahawks face each other in the final game of the 2025 season. The two teams played each other in the Super Bowl way back in 2014, so it's going to be another rematch. However, both teams are obviously completely different 11 years later.

Given the betting favorites before the season began, it is a massive shock to see New England and Seattle as the two remaining teams. There was a ton of parity in the NFL this year, and the playoffs thus far only reinforced that, but given the craziness that was the 2025 season, 2026 could be on another level.

There have been 12 teams eliminated from the 2025 NFL Playoffs thus far. Let's power rank them all ahead of Super Bowl LX in two weeks.

Power ranking the 12 NFL teams eliminated from the playoffs approaching Super Bowl LX

12. Carolina Panthers

The Carolina Panthers were a losing team in the regular season and are nothing more than that - Bryce Young played the best football of his career in 2025 but was largely average, if that. Until Carolina upgrades at QB, they won't go further than this. To give the team credit, though, they did give the LA Rams a run for their money in the Wild Card Round.

11. Pittsburgh Steelers

The Pittsburgh Steelers went one and done in the playoffs again and now have Mike McCarthy as the head coach. Pittsburgh needs a roster reset in the worst way, but it seems like the franchise will again try to compete with the group they have while putting Band-Aids on key positions like quarterback. That isn't a recipe for success.

10. Los Angeles Chargers

The LA Chargers sported the worst offensive line in the sport this year and lost Jesse Minter to the Baltimore Ravens head coaching job, so this team might not maintain their level of success in 2026, but Mike McDaniel is now the team's new offensive coordinator, which is a plus.

9. Philadelphia Eagles

It's an every-other-year thing for the Philadelphia Eagles, and the search for another new offensive coordinator has not gone well. Until people are ready to talk about the main issue with the offense, which is Jalen Hurts, people will continue to wonder why Philly is where they are.

8. Green Bay Packers

The Green Bay Packers stumbled to the finish line during the regular season and blew a huge lead in the Wild Card Round to the Chicago Bears. The Packers are a very talented team but have some weaknesses in the secondary and along the offensive line, two key units that simply can't be below-average if the Packers hope to get over the hump in 2026.

7. Chicago Bears

The magical run for the Chicago Bears ended in overtime in the Divisional Round, but this squad has a lot to be excited about in the future, as Ben Johnson appears to be a home run hire of a head coach, and Caleb Williams took some steps foward this year overall. Chicago is no. 7 in our power rankings.

6. Houston Texans

The Houston Texans have a Super Bowl-caliber defense but also might have a below-average QB in CJ Stroud, who has honestly looked awful since the start of the 2024 season. Stroud has not been able to find that rookie season magic, and the Texans currently appear to be maxed out in the playoffs.

5. San Francisco 49ers

Despite all the injuries, the San Francisco 49ers advanced into the Divisional Round this year, so that goes to show you just how good this team can be when the key players return from injury. However, staying healthy has been much easier said than done for this squad.

4. Jacksonville Jaguars

The Jacksonville Jaguars shocked the NFL world in 2025 and were one of the major breakout stories of the season. It might be hard to again win 13 games in 2026, but the infrastructure is clearly there for this team in the long-term.

3. Buffalo Bills

Buffalo lost in heartbreaking fashion in the Divisional Round to the Denver Broncos and also moved on from Sean McDermott. I should rank them lower, but QB Josh Allen is such a force that it's hard to imagine Buffalo not being very good once again in 2026.

2. Denver Broncos

The Denver Broncos would very likely be in the Super Bowl if Bo Nix did not get hurt, as Denver nearly beat the Patriots at home in the AFC title game. While the game was sloppy overall, it does not take away from the big picture for the Broncos - this team is only getting started and might actually have a top-10 QB in Bo Nix.

1. Los Angeles Rams

The LA Rams could not get past the Seattle Seahawks in the NFC title game. Matthew Stafford is likely winning the MVP award, and Sean McVay has been a top-2 head coach in this league since 2018. The Rams will be just fine.

Lou Scataglia

Lou Scataglia

Lou Scataglia is a Site Expert for Predominantly Orange and NFL Spin Zone, while also contributing across the entire division. Having crossed the 5-year mark with FanSided, Lou has authored thousands of articles and also enjoys his career as a business education teacher.