With Aaron Rodgers signing with the Pittsburgh Steelers, the AFC may have gotten just a bit more interesting. Let's power rank the conference.
Aaron Rodgers will likely play one more season in the NFL, and it'll come with the Pittsburgh Steelers. To be fair to Rodgers, he did throw for 28 touchdown passes in the 2024 NFL Season, so it's not like he was unplayable, and there is reason to believe that the Steelers will be a bit more competent than the New York Jets were in 2024.
But let's also be fair on the flip side of things - Rodgers is not nearly the player he once was and turns 42 years old at the end of the year, so he's probably only going to get slower and more brittle. With Rodgers now on the Steelers, let's power rank the AFC.
Ranking the AFC after the Aaron Rodgers news
16. Tennessee Titans
With an unproven rookie QB and a bad roster, the Tennessee Titans, are, comfortably, the worst team in the AFC. It would be a shock if they won five games in 2025.
15. Cleveland Browns
Perhaps the most dysfunctional QB room in the NFL in quite some time, the directionless Cleveland Browns don't have much to look forward to and are 15th in our AFC rankings.
14. Indianapolis Colts
But somehow, the Browns may not have the worst QB room in the NFL at the moment, as that may go to the Indianapolis Colts, a team who is already down Anthony Richardson for a bit of time, and that could put Daniel Jones in the driver's seat to be their starter. Yikes.
13. New York Jets
Yet another AFC team with a horrific QB situation, the New York Jets plan to start Justin Fields in 2025, so that kind of tells us they also don't intend on winning many games.
12. Jacksonville Jaguars
The Jacksonville Jaguars again have a new head coach - will Liam Coen be the right guy to get this franchise on the right track once and for all?
11. Las Vegas Raiders
Geno Smith and Pete Carroll won't be enough in the loaded AFC. Easily the worst team in the AFC West for 2025, the Las Vegas Raiders are also among the shakier teams in the conference.
10. Miami Dolphins
A team trending in the wrong direction, the rudderless Miami Dolphins come in 10th in our AFC power rankings for the 2025 season.
9. New England Patriots
I would not sleep on the New England Patriots for 2025; they added a ton of talent, and I truly believe Drake Maye was a lot better than you might think he was in 2024. He's going to explode with Josh McDaniels running the show on offense.
8. Pittsburgh Steelers
Aaron Rodgers and the Pittsburgh Steelers come in at eight in our power rankings. Another 10-7 season feels likely with this franchise.
7. Cincinnati Bengals
Seventh in our power rankings is the Cincinnati Bengals, a team that won five games in a row to end the 2024 NFL Season but only managed to finish with nine wins. They also missed the playoffs for the second year in a row.
6. Houston Texans
Overhauling their offensive line this offseason, the new-look unit could be the missing piece for this team to become a legitimate contender in 2025.
5. Los Angeles Chargers
Winning 11 games in 2024, it does feel like LA is again going to be 'good not great.' Another 11-win season feels likely, and just how good is Justin Herbert, exactly?
4. Denver Broncos
Shooting up our AFC rankings, the Denver Broncos might be just outside the 'big 3' with the Chiefs, Ravens, and Bills, but this team may have the best defense in the NFL and a QB ready to explode in 2025.
3. Kansas City Chiefs
The Chiefs likely won't win every single one-score game in 2025 like they did in 2024, but they're still a juggernaut until proven otherwise.
2. Baltimore Ravens
The Baltimore Ravens are second in our AFC power rankings - they again fell short in the postseason mostly thanks to a drop by Mark Andrews, but this team has not been very successful in the postseason during the Lamar Jackson era.
1. Buffalo Bills
The Buffalo Bills are the best team in the AFC, and I am not sure it's up for discussion right now. Yes, they lost in the playoffs yet again to the Chiefs, but heading into the 2025 season, they have the better QB and roster, which is plenty enough to rank them first.