Week 13 of the 2025 NFL season was about as good as it gets if you're a football fan. We had division rivalries, huge matchups in each conference, the return of Joe Burrow, games with playoff implications, and one of the most shocking upsets of the season.
The NFL is always king, but especially this time of year.
So after a wild weekend of action in Week 13, how do all 32 teams stack up against each other ahead of Week 14 in our latest NFL Power Rankings? As always, our weekly NFL Power Rankings are based on each team's whole body of work in terms of wins and losses, but recency bias matters a little bit. We take into account head-to-head matchups when applicable, but these rankings are subject to change dramatically week after week.
NFL Power Rankings, Week 14: Bears & Cowboys skyrocketing, Chiefs & Eagles plummeting
32. Tennessee Titans
Thanks for pulling the wool over our eyes last week, Titans. Really great stuff.
What we saw last week from the Titans was more of a competitive overall group than we’ve seen all throughout the season. I thought they were going to keep that momentum going this week against the Jaguars and maybe rally for a win, but clearly the tank is on.
The Titans had every opportunity to beat the Jacksonville Jaguars, but couldn’t take advantage of any of their mistakes. The Jags had 13 penalties, but the Titans didn’t take advantage of that, committing 10 penalties of their own and giving the ball away twice. They had just 11 first downs all game, including just four through the air. The 2026 NFL Draft, and offseason in general, cannot get here quickly enough for this team.
31. New Orleans Saints
You watch the Saints play, and you simultaneously see a team that has a lot of fight but is also very clearly trying to discover which young players to build around going forward. I would say that’s a pretty great reflection on rookie head coach Kellen Moore, whose team isn’t playing out of its collective mind, by any stretch, but they are showing something nice in some area most weeks.
Or maybe I’m just being too nice to the Saints under tough circumstances. You tell me. After getting down 16-0 at the half against the Dolphins, their comeback effort fell just short.
But in the second half, Tyler Shough made some plays. Second-year receiver Devaughn Vele, a disappointing trade acquisition to this point, had his best game with the team. The Saints went into Miami and “left with something” despite another loss pushing them closer to the top of that 2026 NFL Draft order.
30. New York Jets
Dare I say the New York Jets were fun this week against the Atlanta Falcons?
They were. They were fun.
Tyrod Taylor threw for a touchdown and ran for a touchdown, while AD Mitchell had his best game as a pro with over 100 yards receiving and his first NFL touchdown. That Sauce Gardner trade before the deadline definitely wasn’t the most popular move early in GM Darren Mougey’s tenure with the team, but it might have been really smart of him to get Mitchell along with a 1st-round pick.
After a 15-play touchdown drive to tie this game up in the 4th quarter, the Jets’ defense got a stop and Nick Folk redeemed his missed field goal earlier in the game by hitting a game-winner. Again, the Jets were fun this week.
29. Las Vegas Raiders
The more the season goes by, the more convinced I am that the Las Vegas Raiders need to end the Pete Carroll experiment after just one season. It’s not working out, and it’s more than just the quarterback position.
Carroll has already found two scapegoats for the way this season has gone, firing special teams coordinator Tom McMahon and then firing offensive coordinator Chip Kelly. Neither of those moves helped the team look any more competitive against the Chargers on Sunday as the Raiders just didn’t feel like they had a chance in that game at all.
They couldn’t stop the run, they couldn’t stop the Chargers’ playmakers, and Geno Smith can’t stop taking sacks and throwing picks. At some point, you can’t help but also wonder if the Raiders are going to pivot back to Aidan O’Connell. It’s been a horrendous year for Carroll and Smith together in Vegas, and the Broncos’ defense is on deck.
28. Arizona Cardinals
Another week, another 300-yard passing performance by Jacoby Brissett lost to the void. The Arizona Cardinals absolutely cannot figure out how to close games this year, regardless of who is injured and who isn’t. And even with 300 yards through the air, it still felt at times like Brissett left plays on the field.
A four-and-out late in this game for the Cardinals sent them to their ninth loss of the season already, and even though you can argue injuries have played a significant role in the outcome, is Jonathan Gannon on the hot seat?
When you bench a big-money starting quarterback, it’s one of the first signs that you are already into “last resort” mode. Gannon’s head coaching tenure with the Cardinals could be on the ropes with just five games left this season.
27. Washington Commanders
The Washington Commanders gave the Denver Broncos everything they could handle until the final play of the game, and it was an impressive overall performance. This didn't look like a team with three wins and six straight losses coming into the week.
Especially considering they were playing their backup quarterback. Going forward, I think you can definitely expect the Commanders to rise in our NFL Power Rankings. It has been a brutal season for them with injuries and not having Jayden Daniels consistently, but this was almost a legacy game for Marcus Mariota. The return of Terry McLaurin was absolutely huge for the Commanders' offense.
With nine losses already this season, it'll be interesting to see how Daniels's situation is approached. The Commanders might put an eye on the future, but it's probably too late this season.
26. New York Giants
Giants play Monday night vs. Patriots
Despite how low they are ranked on this list, the New York Giants have been one of the most interesting teams in the entire NFL to me over the last two months. Obviously, they’ve moved on from head coach Brian Daboll. Obviously, Jaxson Dart has been hurt. But over the past three games, the Giants have played some of the best teams in the NFL really tough. They beat the Eagles. They had the Broncos on the ropes before a 4th quarter collapse for the ages.
With Jaxson Dart returning to the lineup in Week 13 against the Patriots, it’s going to be fascinating to see what kind of effort we get out of this Giants team. They’re not the typical team that just fired its coach in-season. Mike Kafka is getting his official audition for the Giants and other franchises.
As far as their placement on this list, you have to have consequences for only winning two games. But I’m high on the Giants possibly pulling off an upset against the hottest team in the NFL on Monday night.
25. Cleveland Browns
If it wasn’t for the Cleveland Browns’ punt returner, things might have gone a little different against the 49ers, am I right?
The Browns got a win last week in the first start of Shedeur Sanders’ NFL career, but they couldn’t follow that up with another win at home against the tough San Francisco 49ers. Sanders could only do so much as it felt like a lot of his teammates were failing to come through in crucial situations, but this isn’t just about Sanders, either.
The Browns are what they are at this point. They have a great defense capable of keeping them in games, but when the offense is just 3-of-10 on third downs, 0-for-4 on fourth downs, and you lose the turnover battle 0-2, there’s only so much even the best defenses in the NFL can do. Myles Garrett had his obligatory sack, getting one step closer to the all-time single season record.
Michael Strahan can feel him coming at this point.
24. Minnesota Vikings
The Minnesota Vikings got an ugly reminder of what they’re missing this weekend with Sam Darnold quarterbacking the now 9-3 Seattle Seahawks, while the Vikings had to take a brutal flight home from Seattle after losing 26-0.
The JJ McCarthy experience is not going well…at all. The Carson Wentz experience is what it is at this point. The Max Brosmer experience? Well, we all saw how that transpired against a tough defense playing on their home field. Brutal, brutal way to get your introduction to the NFL, and it doesn’t help when you’re just heaving YOLO balls in the air.
This season has been an unacceptable disappointment for the Vikings, who are now completely buried in the NFC North. There’s nothing they can do the rest of the way this season except find a way to save face and hopefully get JJ McCarthy back on track. I don’t know that either of those things are going to happen.
23. Atlanta Falcons
The Falcons just showed us why situational football and the turnover battle are so important. Because if you look at some of the numbers they posted in this game, you would probably assume the game went well.
They scored 24 points, had 120 more yards of total offense than the Jets, went 3-for-3 in the red zone, and got 142 yards on the ground from Bijan Robinson. The key issues for the Falcons in this game? They were 4-of-12 on third downs and lost the turnover battle 0-1 against the Jets.
And that was the difference in the game. The first touchdown of the game for the Jets came after a muffed punt by Jamal Agnew. If hope was alive for the Falcons after their win last week, it’s officially gone now.
22. Miami Dolphins
The Miami Dolphins looked like a team that was playing against another team trying to figure things out this week. The Dolphins got out to a 16-0 lead at halftime against the Saints this week, and simply held on in the second half. A rare five-point fourth quarter preserved a win, but the Dolphins are one of a number of teams that won’t soon be complaining about getting a win, no matter how it’s packaged.
Very quietly, the Dolphins have crept back into the realm of relevance with a 5-7 record. They simply don’t have any margin for error with the way the rest of the AFC is playing out at this point, but certainly you feel like these wins are critical for Mike McDaniel.
De’Von Achane is a stud, and Chop Robinson had a big game in this win against the Saints. We’re not counting on the Dolphins being relevant in January, but for now, they’re putting some things together.
21. Cincinnati Bengals
The return of Joe Burrow was as impactful as you could have possibly hoped if you’re a Cincinnati Bengals fan. I mean, my goodness. It almost hurts more seeing the way this team played with Burrow out there where, on the road in Baltimore in primetime, he’s out there counting down the play clock for his center Ted Karras.
That’s the kind of butt-kicking the Bengals gave to the Ravens on Thanksgiving, and the only unfortunate reality is that it’s probably too late for them to be anything but villains the rest of this season. Even if the Bengals win out this year, it’s going to be far too competitive in the AFC to make it in with nine wins.
Who knows? Maybe nine wins would be enough to win the AFC North the way things have been going in that division. All the Bengals can do is take care of the business in front of them, and a win against the Ravens on Thanksgiving was a great step for them, certainly for head coach Zac Taylor.
20. Baltimore Ravens
The Ravens’ complete debacle against the Cincinnati Bengals on Thanksgiving is really indicative of just how different this team is this season. Obviously, the Bengals are below the Ravens in our power rankings this week, because Baltimore’s six wins have to count for something, but which team do we really believe in more going forward?
The Ravens and head coach John Harbaugh – who is ultimately responsible for offensive coordinator Todd Haley – completely mismanaged Derrick Henry on Thursday night. The Ravens turned the ball over so many times, I think they might have just turned it over again.
The Ravens look like one of a few teams in the AFC that is like the Monstars in Space Jam.
That’s not the Ravens, just a wannabe that looks like ‘em.
The urgency for this team is through the roof, even with the AFC North close at this point in the year. And frankly, the heat is on John Harbaugh.
19. Tampa Bay Buccaneers
I mean, when you talk about a team that barely snuck away with a win this week, the Buccaneers are Exhibit A. A win is a win, especially this time of year, and especially for the Buccaneers. They desperately needed a win to keep pace in the NFC South, as the Carolina Panthers got a signature win against the Los Angeles Rams.
This was not a signature win, barely scraping by against the Cardinals while playing at home, but again – you’ll take it.
At 7-5, the Buccaneers are about to find out if they’re truly a viable NFC contender as they appeared to be early in the season. They’ve got a couple of games they should easily win coming up against the Saints and Falcons before what could very well be a monumental matchup vs. Carolina three weeks from now.
18. Pittsburgh Steelers
The AFC North is an absolute mess right now, and the Pittsburgh Steelers are right in the center of it. When you look at that division, it might have been considered the best in the AFC going into the season. You have Lamar Jackson and Joe Burrow as obvious preseason MVP candidates, and then Aaron Rodgers playing in his swan song season.
What could go wrong?
Well, we’re seeing what could go wrong. The Ravens are a shell of their former selves. Joe Burrow is just coming back after missing the majority of the year. And now the Steelers. The Steelers are another disappointment. They’re just 2-3 in their last five games and don’t look like a playoff team at all. Luckily for them, the rest of the division has stunk.
The bad news for the Steelers and Ravens at this point? It feels like they left too much time on the clock for Burrow and the Bengals, who are just two games back after a debacle of a weekend.
17. Kansas City Chiefs
The Kansas City Chiefs’ loss to the Dallas Cowboys on Thanksgiving was predictable. The Chiefs have not been good on the road this season, and the Cowboys have been pretty fantastic overall at home. Dallas’s record isn’t indicative of how well the team has been playing lately, so the Chiefs weren’t going up against the same team that had the most laughable defense in the NFL just a month or so ago.
After completely dominating in one-score games last year, the Chiefs have fallen apart in that regard this year. So it goes in the NFL. It’s tough to pinpoint exactly what it is with this team, but they just don’t look like the same outfit capable of completely dominating on a week-to-week basis.
The Chiefs need to win in situational football, and lately, they’ve been collapsing in those critical situations. Nobody should be counting this team out just yet, but at 6-6, the Chiefs are obviously proving to be “human”.
16. Carolina Panthers
Wow, how about a signature win in Week 13 for the Carolina Panthers? A couple of weeks ago, we saw Bryce Young have arguably his best game as a pro in which he threw for over 400 yards and diced up the Atlanta Falcons. He coudln’t keep that up on Monday night against the 49ers, so expectations were understandably low for this Panthers team from the outside looking in going into their matchup against the Rams.
And now, the Panthers have proven to themselves and everyone else that they can legitimately beat what might be the best and most complete team in the NFL. And if they can do that…
Bryce Young once again played outstanding football, but this was a total team effort. The Carolina defense got to Matthew Stafford, forcing him to throw two picks early on and getting a perfectly timed strip sack late in the fourth. This Panthers team is fun.
15. Los Angeles Chargers
The Chargers came back from their bye week and kind of coasted to a win against the Las Vegas Raiders playing at home. I don’t know that you can sit here at this point in the season and say that the Chargers are the most threatening team in hte AFC, even with eight wins already this year, but they are interesting.
Justin Herbert is so great in moments, and the Chargers’ offense looks like it can be absolutely dominant at times. What we saw against the Raiders was true balance, with Kimani Vidal giving the Chargers a much better game than anyone could have possibly expected.
When they have that balance, they are tough to stop, because Herbert will pick defenses apart when they can’t get heat on him. But there is just “something” about this Chargers team that I’m not buying just yet.
14. Indianapolis Colts
The Colts have somewhat predictably started to tumble down our NFL Power Rankings in recent weeks. I don’t mean to say that I’ve never been a believer in what the Colts are putting together this season. They’ve been impressive and, at times, they’ve looked like perhaps the most impressive all-around team in the NFL.
But Daniel Jones, even though he’s playing hurt, hasn’t been the same quarterback that we saw through the first seven or so games of the season. Just before the bye week, he had a two-game stretch with four INTs and six fumbles.
The turnovers haven’t necessarily been an issue the past couple of weeks, but is Jones doing enough to push this team ahead of the rest of that AFC South? I don’t think so. The Colts were just 3-of-10 on third downs against the Texans on Sunday, and 0-for-2 on fourth down tries.
That offense seems to have lost its mojo a bit.
13. Jacksonville Jaguars
The Jacksonville Jaguars got a win against the Tennessee Titans on Sunday, and you can’t fault them for that. As a matter of fact, I have to eat some crow, because I predicted the Titans would win in my weekly NFL picks and score predictions, coming off of that impressive performance last week from Cam Ward.
The Jaguars proved themselves to be – clearly – the better team.
With that being said, I’m not buying Jacksonville as being the best team in the AFC South right now, which is shaping up to be a great race in the month of December. We’ll get some great clarity about this Jags team in the coming weeks with matchups against the Colts, Jets, and Broncos coming up next.
Forgive me, however, if I’m not overly impressed after the Jaguars were just 3-of-13 on third downs against the Titans, with 20 first downs overall and a disgusting 13 penalties.
12. Houston Texans
Just like last season, the Houston Texans have turned an ugly start to the year into one of the more impressive runs out of any team in the league. They just went on the road and beat a suddenly tumbling Indianapolis Colts team, but this is more about what Houston has been able to do than what the Colts have not.
And yes, the Texans are in front of the Jaguars here in our weekly NFL Power Rankings, and we know that they don’t have as many wins as either the Colts or Jaguars. However, the Texans have head-to-head wins over both the Colts and Jaguars in recent weeks, and I think it’s fair to say they are playing better all-around football than any of those teams.
Especially because of their defense, you can’t count out the Texans in that AFC South race, which is looking like it could be a photo finish in December.
11. Philadelphia Eagles
Black Friday was an ugly reminder of just how rough this year has been for the Philadelphia Eagles, who still have hold of the top spot in the NFC East…for now.
The Eagles have been getting by this season, they’ve looked really bad at times this season, and they’ve blown multiple fourth-quarter leads against teams like the Broncos and Cowboys. The Vic Fangio defense will stifle the Lions one week and get gashed left and right by the Bears’ running game the next.
It’s been such a weird year for the Eagles, and despite their record, I’m probably lower on them than I have been since Sean Desai was running the defense. You can tell that this team’s chemistry is off. They are not playing together, and they’re not playing for each other.
It’s been a brutal year for Philly, and perhaps the next few weeks against the Chargers, Raiders, and Commanders will provide some necessary respite. Or maybe it will further expose them.
10. Dallas Cowboys
If you’ve been reading our stuff here on NFL Spin Zone over the past few weeks, you would know we’ve been calling this rapid ascent for the Dallas Cowboys. Coming out of their bye week three weeks ago, the Cowboys not only welcomed Quinnen Williams and Logan Wilson into the fray defensively, but they got six or seven other players back at the same time.
The defense was unrecognizable coming out of the bye compared to the unit that was ranked dead last in points allowed with no end to the free-fall in sight.
The addition of Williams has been phenomenal. The return of DeMarvion Overshown has been better than anyone could have expected. And when Dak Prescott is playing like we saw on Thanksgiving, this Cowboys team truly looks like a contender in the NFC.
9. Buffalo Bills
The Bills got a much-needed win against the Pittsburgh Steelers on Sunday, but I don’t think anyone’s declaring them officially “back” after that one.
Beating up an injured Aaron Rodgers isn’t going to be the moment this team looks back on at the end of the season as a turning point or anything, but winning against the Steelers this week absolutely had to be done, because the Bills have fallen way behind the New England Patriots in the race for the AFC East.
Their loss on Thursday night against Houston in Week 12 was brutal, and really exposed a lot of issues with the team overall. I think a couple of things can be true about the Bills right now. Of course they are a legitimate and viable threat in the AFC. You can’t count them out with the big games Josh Allen has been in and how he plays when he has to put on the Superman cape.
But also, this Bills team is not nearly as good as others they’ve had in their recent window.
8. Detroit Lions
Oof. The Detroit Lions blew it at home on Thanksgiving against the Green Bay Packers, and that loss had bigger implications than anyone in Detroit could have possibly imagined. The Lions may have gotten screwed a little bit by a timeout that was granted to Matt LaFleur just before the end of the first half, but even so, they didn’t make nearly enough plays – especially defensively – to get a win.
After dropping this game to the Packers and watching the Chicago Bears go on the road for their 9th win this year against the Eagles, the Lions have to buckle down and fight back. They have to show some serious resolve, and the next stretch of three games is rough.
The Lions have to play the Cowboys, Rams, and Steelers over the next three weeks, and it’ll take everything they’ve got to get back into the thick of the NFC North and even the NFC Wild Card race.
7. San Francisco 49ers
You can’t take any wins for granted in the NFL, and the San Francisco 49ers accomplished exactly what they set out to do against Cleveland on Sunday. With Shedeur Sanders making just his second NFL start, you knew Robert Saleh was going to throw a lot of different coverage looks at him, and he did exactly that.
At times, the 49ers defense had Sanders looking like he was trying to figure out neuroscience when he dropped back to pass, getting to him for three sacks and coasting to a win.
Brock Purdy was much better for the 49ers in this game after a rough outing against the Panthers on Monday Night Football, and the 49ers just continue to look like one of the most underrated all-around teams in the NFL. They now have a (seemingly) very quiet nine wins.
6. Green Bay Packers
The Green Bay Packers made a necessary statement on Thanksgiving against the Detroit Lions. Not only did they “need” that win based on the way the Bears have been playing this season, but the Packers had kind of had a tough month of November prior to Thanksgiving.
They were able to grit out a win against the Giants a couple of weeks ago, but otherwise, the Green Bay offense hadn’t been itself and they just didn’t look like as “complete” of a team as we’d seen in the past this season. Nobody was more impressive than Green Bay to start the year.
Jordan Love stepped up in a big way with four touchdown passes, but that defense – led by Micah Parsons – really came through with some clutch stops. The Packers have a rough stretch upcoming with two matchups against the Bears sandwiching a road trip to Denver, but they seem to be hitting a stride at the right time.
5. Chicago Bears
I don’t think we can underrate the Chicago Bears any longer. The shirtless Ben Johnson video that went viral after their win against the Philadelphia Eagles on Black Friday really says it all about this team. The vibes are vibing. The Bears have hit a stride, and they’re just an impressive all-around team.
The thing about the Bears is that they don’t exactly have the most impressive roster in terms of household names defensively, but they’ve led the NFL in takeaways this season and have a number of guys stepping up each week offensively. Against the Eagles, it was the running game that just blew Vic Fangio’s defense away.
If the Bears can run the ball like that for the remainder of the year, they’re going to be in really great shape. This upcoming stretch with two of their next three games against the Packers is going to be must-see TV. If the season ended today, the Bears would hold the #1 seed in the NFC…
4. Seattle Seahawks
You can’t exactly put Sunday’s win for the Seahawks down as their most impressive of the year, but it was another important stepping stone on their path to potentially winning the NFC West. And the bigger outcome of the weekend for Seattle is the fact that the Rams lost on the road against the Carolina Panthers while the Seahawks took care of business against Max Brosmer and the Vikings.
If the Vikings had been in better shape, this one might have been a little bit more cathartic for Sam Darnold, but it was a chance to show the Vikings what they’re missing, nevertheless.
After letting him go in the offseason, the Vikings are clearly living in regret with the way their quarterback situation has transpired this season. Meanwhile, Darnold and the Seahawks continued to roll with a dominating, “easy” 26-0 win.
3. Los Angeles Rams
In the midst of one of the most impressive winning streaks of any team in the league, it was only a matter of time before someone brought the Rams back to earth, right? I still think you could easily put the Rams in the top spot of any NFL Power Rankings and it wouldn’t be a bad take, but Power Rankings are what they are.
There have to be consequences of losing.
The Rams went in the road where we have warned folks all season: Bad stuff can happen to even the best teams traveling from coast to coast and playing in that early time window. The Rams were just a little bit off early in their game against the Panthers, and a couple of picks by Matthew Stafford – including a pick-six – ignited the Panthers’ upset flame. The Rams are still arguably the best team in the NFL, but did the Panthers expose that secondary as more of a weakness down the stretch than it’s been all year?
2. Denver Broncos
The Cardiac Broncos struck again.
The Denver Broncos have won eight one-score games this season, and their win on Sunday night against the Washington Commanders was one of the craziest games they've played yet this season.
Bo Nix and the offense did just enough to get this team their 9th-straight win, but coming off of a bye, this was a rather unexpectedly bad performance from the Denver defense. The Broncos couldn't stop the run, and they couldn't stop Marcus Mariota and the Commanders' playmakers.
Except on the final two-point play. This was another gutty win by the Broncos, and this team clearly has championship resolve. The offense looked incredible on the drive they had in overtime, and you'd love to see them put that together consistently over the course of the rest of this season.
1. New England Patriots
Patriots play Monday night vs. Giants
The New England Patriots are the first NFL team to get to 10 wins this season, and while they won’t be the last, you have to tip your cap to the job that’s been done by head coach Mike Vrabel. He’s been so impressive with the way he’s had his guys ready to compete every single week, even though the Patriots were quite obviously in the early stages of a rebuild this offseason.
The progression of Drake Maye has obviously been huge for this team, but rookie running back TreVeyon Henderson has also come on as of late, and the defense has been stingy giving up touchdowns, ranking 4th in the NFL in points allowed per game.
The Patriots get to play Monday against the Giants, which will be a tough game, followed by a well-deserved bye week. A win against the Giants would put the Patriots in great position to come back and seize the #1 seed in the AFC, but they’ll have plenty of competition.