At the beginning of the season, I don't know that anyone expected the AFC to look like it did 10 years ago. But after 11 weeks into the season, that's exactly what it looks like.
The Patriots, Broncos, Steelers, and Colts are atop their respective divisions. While it would be way too early to say the mighty have fallen in the AFC, it's clear that some teams are firmly back in the mix, and even if the overall quality of the AFC is not as good as we expected, the new fighters in the arena could shake up the presumptive playoff picture considerably.
How do each of these AFC teams stack up against each other after 11 weeks? Our latest NFL Power Rankings ahead of Week 12 will take a look at what each team has done so far, and how big of a factor they might be going forward. As always, these rankings are purely subjective, but we include a number of factors, including record, head-to-head matchups, and overall talent.
NFL Power Rankings, Week 12: Broncos, Patriots on top of AFC after Week 11
16. Tennessee Titans
Over the course of the 2025 regular season, we've seen the Titans prove what most of us already knew going into the season: This is the worst team in the NFL. There's really no question about it at this point. Although the Titans may have their QB of the future in Cam Ward, there is very little on this roster to build around for the future.
Titans general manager Mike Borgonzi has a massive renovation project ahead of him in the 2026 offseason, and he knows it. It's helpful to have direction at the quarterback position, but Ward needs a better supporting cast around him ASAP.
15. New York Jets
The Jets have proven over the course of this season that they are most likely the top team in the AFC in need of a future franchise quarterback in next year's draft. Although the Jets don't have to limit themselves to just the NFL Draft option, they went with the reclamation project route in 2025 (Justin Fields), and it didn't work out.
The investment the Jets made in Fields is looking more like a waste of time than anything else, but this offseason was not the only option for them to solve that situation. Fields has now been benched for Tyrod Taylor, and the Jets have clearly taken a couple of steps backward this year (trading Sauce Gardner and Quinnen Williams) to hopefully take at least one step forward in the near future.