14. Detroit Lions
The Detroit Lions are no. 14 in our updated power rankings as the playoffs continue, and the Lions, of all teams, missing the playoffs, may have been the biggest surprise of the season. The offense was once again elite, as Jared Goff had another insane season, but the defense really struggled and battled injuries all year again.
The Lions went from winning 15 games in 2024 to just 9 in 2025. Make no mistake - this was still a good team, but they picked the wrong time to have a down year. After a brief run atop the NFC North, Detroit will have a bit of an uphill battle in 2026, as the Green Bay Packers and Minnesota Vikings also finished with 9 wins, and the Chicago Bears won the division with 11 wins.
I would not be shocked if the defense got healthier and the Lions came out swinging in 2026, but if 2025 told us anything, it’s that anything can truly happen. Detroit is a team to watch out for this coming offseason.
13. Pittsburgh Steelers
After nearly 20 years on the job, Mike Tomlin stepped down as head coach of the Pittsburgh Steelers, and it truly seems like he could be done with coaching altogether, which is insane to think about, but here we are.
For the first time in two decades, the Pittsburgh Steelers will have a new head coach, and it’s honestly good that Tomlin stepped down, as he saved the Steelers from making the mistake of bringing him back in 2026.
Pittsburgh needs some new blood, as the team struggled to become anything more than ‘good,’ as they have not won a playoff game since 2016, which is inexcusable for this franchise. This was still a 10-win team in 2025, but Pittsburgh isn’t really built the right way and could crater a bit in our power rankings next season.