There was some crazy action here in Week 14 of the 2025 NFL Season, and the NFL hierarchy has changed once again. We are getting to the point where some playoff-clinching scenarios are going to begin to develop here in the coming weeks.
But for the most part, the best teams are still the best, and the worst teams are still the worst, so there are no major developments outside of Daniel Jones, who unfortunately tore his Achilles in Week 14, so he's done for the season.
As we have done, let's get into our NFL Power Rankings. We continually rank teams based on their total body of work, and that is the primary factor here, as we are getting quite late into the season.
NFL Power Rankings, Week 15: Packers get statement win, Colts crater
32. Las Vegas Raiders
The Las Vegas Raiders are last in our NFL Power Rankings, but at least Geno Smith did not throw an interception this week. The Raiders don’t have much direction and might need to blow this thing up again, just one offseason after doing that exact thing.
What have the Raiders done well this year besides lose? It’s just another season to forget, and it feels like one of the worst ones this team has had in quite some time.
31. New York Jets
The New York Jets are no. 31 in our latest power rankings. The Jets lost in blowout fashion to the Miami Dolphins in Week 14, and their QB room is getting beaten up. The Jets did get multiple first-round picks back for trading Sauce Gardner and Quinnen Williams, and it’s pretty clear that this team is building toward 2026 and beyond.
Is that any consolation for Jets’ fans at this point? The QB class in the 2026 NFL Draft appears to be solid...
30. Cleveland Browns
Shedeur Sanders threw for 364 yards and three touchdowns in an early career-best performance, and it was truly a good one. The usually stout Browns defense was not, but the passing attack was largely sharp.
The Browns do have a playoff-caliber defense and might just be one strong offseason on the offensive side of the ball from being something worthwhile. Myles Garrett did get closer to the single-season sack record, so that could be broken in the coming weeks.
Overall, though, Cleveland is a mess, and I would not be shocked if long-time head coach Kevin Stefanski was shown the door after the 2025 NFL Season. Cleveland maintains a low residency in our NFL Power Rankings.
29. Tennessee Titans
The Tennessee Titans got in a surprisingly high-scoring affair with the Cleveland Browns in Week 14 and came out victorious. Cam Ward threw for just 117 yards, but he had two passing touchdowns. Running back Tony Pollard had 161 yards and two touchdowns himself.
It was a nice win for the Titans, but, for the time being, Tennessee does not have the first pick in the 2026 NFL Draft. If they do end up with the first pick, which is possible, they could likely trade out of that pick for a haul.
The Titans simply do not have many good players on this roster and will not be able to see the full potential of Cam Ward until they get better players. The team isn’t going to draft a QB if they pick first overall, so you can throw that idea out the window.
Tennessee is years away from winning anything of note at this point. Cam Ward is also not in a great situation, so you hope that the Titans are able to make the right moves this coming offseason.
28. Washington Commanders
This is just about the time when you pack it up, as the Washington Commanders have now lost eight games in a row and are 3-10 on the season after once being 3-2. Jayden Daniels hurt his left elbow again and did not finish this game, and you really have to wonder how this team will be able to get out of this rut.
The main issue with Washington, and this is something I overrated, was the overall roster talent. This roster was not nearly as good as I and others thought, and it was also quite old. It’s been a season plagued by injuries, and anytime your starting QB is missing considerable time, you know nothing is going to go to plan.
This team was just one game from the Super Bowl in 2024 and has now doubled their loss total from the 2024 NFL Season, as they were 12-5 last year. Washington has a lot of work to do to get back to where they were in 2024.
They continue to fall in our power rankings.
27. Atlanta Falcons
The Atlanta Falcons were able to hang around with the Seattle Seahawks for a little bit in Week 14, but they ended up getting blown out in one of the more unsurprising finishes of the week. Atlanta has been without starting QB Michael Penix Jr for weeks now, and Kirk Cousins is clearly a washed-up player.
The Falcons also do not have a first-round pick in the 2026 NFL Draft, so this team could be in a position to be aggressive next offseason, as I do think the current regime could be shown the door, and a new regime coming in might want a first-round pick, so a trade could be made.
Atlanta has more talent than the record might indicate, which is a testament to how bad the coaching has been, and it’s just another season to forget for the desperate and dysfunctional franchise that once consistently stood near the top of the NFC.
26. New Orleans Saints
Is Tyler Shough, good? I did have the New Orleans Saints as a team to watch to play spoiler in Week 14, and it seem like I was right, Shough and the Saints play with a ‘count us out’ type of toughness, and I really think the rookie has played well enough for the Saints to not need to take a QB with their first-round pick in the 2026 NFL Draft. Shough took over for Spencer Rattler earlier in the season, as he was sent to the bench.
Shough is closer to 30 than he is 20 at this point, so people were giving him a hard time coming into the NFL as one of the oldest rookies you will see, but all of that collegiate experience seems to be paying off to a degree.
The Saints are still a bad team, but they have something to hang their hat on this year.
25. Arizona Cardinals
The Arizona Cardinals lost in blowout fashion to the Los Angeles Rams in Week 14 and continue falling in our NFL Power Rankings, and it’s simply been a season to forget. Kyler Murray is not suiting up for the rest of the season, so the Cardinals might go in a new direction at QB.
But is Jacoby Brissett going to be the answer for a year? Things are just very uncertain for this team right now, and it’s hard to believe that they were actually 6-4 at one point in the 2024 NFL Season. Heck, they were 2-0 earlier this year.
Things were looking up for a short period of time, but the NFL is a brutal business, and things can change just like that. Arizona has way more questions than answers at this point and are a ‘get right’ game for most of their opponents.
24. New York Giants
The New York Giants are a horrendous football operation right now, but Jaxson Dart has looked sharp. The main issue with Dart, though, has been his not being able to protect himself, as he has taken a lot of unnecessary hits and has been concussed this year.
Going forward, the Giants will not only need to hit on the coaching staff, but they’ll need to ensure they coach the recklessness out of him, which might not be easy. If nothing else, though, Dart seems to be the guy.
There is light at the end of the tunnel, after all, but it’s another double-digit loss season for the Giants and one to forget, as Brian Daboll was fired a few weeks ago. The Giants’ DL is talented, and Malik Nabers is a legit no. 1 WR, so the foundation is there.
23. Minnesota Vikings
Well, it seems like ‘nine’ had himself a game here in Week 14. The Minnesota Vikings shutout the Washington Commanders at home, and McCarthy tossed three touchdown passes, having his best day as an NFL QB.
For the time being, the Vikinga can finally enjoy something in a season where they have largely just suffered. This team totally botched the QB position this past season, as Sam Darnold departed in free agency for the Seattle Seahawks and has looked solid with them.
And it was a season to forget for the de-facto rookie McCarthy, but they can use this Week 14 offensive showing to build from for the rest of the season. Perhaps there is some light at the end of the tunnel for the Vikings?
This team still largely has a question mark at the QB position, but JJ McCarthy did show signs of life here in Week 14. The Vikings moved to 5-8 with the win. The playoffs aren’t going to be a thing or anything, but a win is a win.
22. Cincinnati Bengals
The Cincinnati Bengals had to win out and get some help to earn the AFC North title in the 2025 NFL Season, and that did include beating the Buffalo Bills in Week 14, but that did not happen, and it’s turning out to be another lost season for the Bengals.
Joe Burrow was very good in this game but did throw two late-game interceptions, which were not ideal, but Burrow is still among the best. He tossed four touchdown passes and threw for nearly 300 yards in bad conditions.
There isn’t much to like about the Bengals in 2025 besides Burrow and, obviously, the two elite wide receivers. That clearly isn’t enough in today’s NFL, though.
21. Indianapolis Colts
Daniel Jones suffered an Achilles injury in the Indianapolis Colts’ Week 14 loss to the Jacksonville Jaguars, and, all of a sudden, the Colts’ once-promising season has turned upside down. The team traded two first-round picks for Sauce Gardner and does not have a first-round pick until 2028.
Indy was once 7-1 on the season and atop the AFC, but this is the NFL, and the reality can be brutal sometimes. Now without much direction, the Colts are going to have to hope that the rest of the QB room, namely Riley Leonard, a rookie, can do enough to squeeze out another win or two.
The AFC South is definitely out of range at this point, but perhaps a Wild Card berth could be enough to infuse some direction into a franchise that has had QB issues for years now. Daniel Jones likely has a recovery time that could be up to 12 months.
The Colts crater in our power rankings.
20. Baltimore Ravens
The Baltimore Ravens are a broken team, and it used to be hard to go into Baltimore and win a game, but it now seems to be easy. Lamar Jackson has been awful for most of the season, and I am not sure the Ravens should want to get into the playoffs at this point. With the Bengals losing to the Bills, though, the Ravens do get a little bit of breathing room below them.
But now at 6-7, they trail the Pittsburgh Steelers, and this game was seen by many as the game for the AFC North crown. It now seems very likely that the Steelers end up winning the division and hosting a playoff game in 2025.
Baltimore needs a bit of a reset - this roster needs a refresh, and the team needs to get healthier. Heck, I would not be shocked if some Ravens’ fans were even tired of the John Harbaugh era, as it seems like he has overstayed his welcome at this point in time.
Baltimore is just 20th in our power rankings.
19. Tampa Bay Buccaneers
Another broken team is the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, who got upset by the New Orleans Saints in Week 14. All of a sudden, the 7-6 Buccaneers have the same record as the Carolina Panthers, which almost feels hard to believe, but here we are.
We are now at a point where the Bucs might fall out of the NFL Playoff Picture entirely to make way for the Panthers. It doesn’t feel fair that one of these teams gets to host a playoff game, but here we are.
The Bucs are one of the most ‘good’ teams in the NFL, but they have taken a step back from the good this year. Baker Mayfield is a good QB, but he’s not consistently an elite one, and Todd Bowles is a pretty average head coach.
When you don’t have a great QB or head coach, the margins are pretty slim. Tampa continues to drop in our power rankings, but it’s important to note that injuries have also played a huge part in this as well.
18. Carolina Panthers
The 7-6 Carolina Panthers are still alive in the NFC South race and could legitimately host a playoff game this year, which is something I did not think we’d be saying before the season began. The main issue with the Panthers has been that they’ve been pretty up-and-down this year and have not really played consistent football.
That could be a QB issue. Bryce Young has been fine this year, but he’s not developing into a franchise QB. The size will always be a concern with Young, and the Panthers will soon have to make an interesting decision about his fifth-year option.
Another issue here is that if the Panthers wanted to try to upgrade over Young, where do they turn? The roster is in a good spot and ready to win now, and there might not be an immediate upgrade available this coming offseason.
17. Pittsburgh Steelers
Well, a win is a win. The Pittsburgh Steelers don’t feel like more than an average team at the moment, but they are 7-6 on the season and now in the driver’s seat in the AFC North, which is not something we thought was going to be the case this year.
Unfortunately for Steelers’ fans, this is not a team that can win a playoff game, as it’s the same type of team just packaged with a different QB. It’s likely the final year for Aaron Rodgers, and it looks like he could host a postseason game for the first time in years.
The Steelers haven’t built this roster the right way, as many of their primary contributors are aging and just not very good at this point in time. Pittsburgh is an average team right now and is no. 17 in our NFL Power Rankings as Week 14 closes out.
16. Kansas City Chiefs
The Kansas City Chiefs probably have to beat the Houston Texans to keep their season alive, and a seventh loss would take them out of the running for the AFC West title, which would end a nine-year reign.
The Chiefs have been average this year, and it’s reflected in the record. Approaching Sunday Night Football against Houston, we just have not seen much of anything of note from this team on either side of the ball.
The roster talent is average, and the shortcomings of GM Brett Veach are being exposed. Frankly, he rode the coattails of what former GM John Dorsey was able to do, and it’s catching up to Veach.
The Chiefs have to begin hitting on some draft picks immediately, as the Broncos and Chargers both have more overall talent than KC. Perhaps a year without the playoffs is what this team needs to reset a bit and start this dynasty back up?
Kansas City is at huge risk of losing to the Texans, and I think Houston ends up pulling it out. That defense might be too much.
15. Miami Dolphins
The Miami Dolphins are all of a sudden 6-7 on the season after another win, blowing out the New York Jets in Week 14. It’s been a late-season resurgence for the Dolphins, who are creeping back into the playoff picture and are now just two games out of that final Wild Card spot, held by the 8-5 Indianapolis Colts.
I am not sure the Dolphins will do enough in the end to make the playoffs, but this is a pretty good streak for them, and they deserve a lot of credit for it. Earlier this season, the Dolphins parted ways with GM Chris Grier and also traded Jaelan Phillips to the Philadelphia Eagles.
The Dolphins are a solid team right now but do have some notable roster flaws, and I am not sure the QB is someone who can consistently lead this team late in the season. To be fair, though, Tua Tagovailoa has actually never finished a season with a losing record in his NFL career.
14. Los Angeles Chargers
The Los Angeles Chargers are playing the Philadelphia Eagles on Monday Night Football. LA is one of the more obvious Wild Card teams in the NFL, but they still do have a path to the AFC West title.
However, if LA loses its next two games against the Eagles and Chiefs, and the Broncos get to 12 wins, which feels likely, the division race is over. LA has struggled with injuries this year, and the overall depth of this team has never been that great to begin with.
Justin Herbert has been running for his life and also hasn’t played that well this year. The Chargers are a flawed team, but they’re as well-coached as any in the NFL. LA is one of the most ‘good’ teams in the NFL, if that makes sense.
And until they bring in more roster talent, the Justin Herbert era will continue to be wasted. Besides the great regular season stats, what else can the Chargers hang their hat on?
13. Buffalo Bills
The Buffalo Bills have a defense problem, so I am not looking at this win over the Cincinnati Bengals as being anything spectacular. For the time being, though, Buffalo keeps the winning up and is still in range to take back the AFC East from the New England Patriots.
The Patriots are two games ahead of Buffalo and did beat them earlier in the year, so the Bills do not control their own destiny for the division title. Josh Allen can be superman at any given time, and that is still the case in 2025, but the defense has regressed, and it felt like Joe Burrow was able to move the ball with ease during much of this game.
Burrow had nearly 300 passing yards and four touchdowns, and that simply can’t be the kind of defense that the Buffalo Bills take into the playoffs, especially if they are having to go on the road, which feels more likely with each passing week.
Buffalo is a good team, but that’s about it.
12. Philadelphia Eagles
It has been a season to forget, for the most part, for the Philadelphia Eagles. The team is still 8-4 entering Week 14, but things have not gone as well as the record indicates. The offense has fallen off a cliff and regressed big-time, and the defense is missing a consistent pass rush.
Frankly, this team could be one-and-done in the playoffs, and the Super Bowl hangover is real. If nothing else, the Eagles have somehow managed to find a way in most weeks, and this team does seem to thrive when the going gets tough.
They should be able to beat the Los Angeles Chargers and get to 9-4, and that would all but end things in the NFC East, as the Cowboys suffered a sixth loss, losing to the Detroit Lions on Thursday Night Football.
Philly is going to win the NFC East this year, but with all that has gone on, you can’t really trust this team to do much damage in the postseason. Philly is falling a bit in our latest NFL power rankings as Week 14 closes out.
11. Dallas Cowboys
It’s hard to get a good reading on the Dallas Cowboys, as they were 6-5-1 at one point, but the defense collapsed against the Detroit Lions. You still want to give them the benefit of the doubt to a degree, as the offense is flat-out elite, and the defense does have some playmakers.
The issue here, though, is that it may be too-little-too-late for Dallas, so turning to 2026 could bring much more success. Dallas is going to go heavy on defense next offseason and could end up being one of the better teams in the league.
Another stellar Dak Prescott season could be wasted, but the first year of the Brian Schottenheimer era has largely been a success. And, somehow, the Micah Parsons trade might work out for this team in the long-term.
10. Jacksonville Jaguars
The Jacksonville Jaguars beat the Indianapolis Colts at home in Week 14 and moved to 9-4 on the season. Indy lost Daniel Jones to an Achilles injury, so you have to figure that the Jaguars only now have to fend off the Detroit Lions in the AFC South.
This might just be the best division in the NFL right now, and first-year head coach Liam Coen has done an outstanding job and should be a frontrunner for the Coach of the Year award. The Jags had little to no direction until Coen's arrival, and now a top-4 seed in the AFC and at least one home playoff game is likely.
I am still not fully buying into this team, as the roster talent really isn’t anything special, but what they have going is truly something to watch, and this team could quickly emerge as a contender in the 2026 NFL Season once GM James Gladstone has another offseason of adding talent.
But the Jags did trade their first-round pick in the 2026 NFL Draft to move up to take Travis Hunter, so that could complicate things a bit.
For now though, the Jaguars can enjoy this heater of a season they’ve been on.
9. Detroit Lions
The Detroit Lions get to 8-5 on the season with a huge win over the Dallas Cowboys. It might be too late for them to get back in the running for the NFC North, but this win does wonders for their playoff chances.
However, Brian Branch has a torn Achilles, and that’s just another brutal reminder of how unforgiving the NFL can be, as the Lions have been dealing with injuries for the better part of two seasons now.
Injuries were the main reason why this team went one-and-done in the playoffs, and it could be the reason why they miss the playoffs this year. The NFC North appears headed for the Chicago Bears or Green Bay Packers.
And the Lions just do not have that bite to them that they had in the 2023 and 2024 seasons if you ask me. Detroit is still a good team, but that’s really it at this point.
8. San Francisco 49ers
The San Francisco 49ers being 9-4 despite all of the injuries they have dealt with is quite impressive. This team isn’t going to win the Super Bowl or anything, but getting into the playoffs feels like a guarantee at this point.
The Niners could also win the NFC West this year depending on how the rest of the season goes. San Fran has been missing players like Nick Bosa and Fred Warner for much of the season, and the overall roster talent is not what it used to be.
Former foundational players like Talanoa Hufanga and Dre Greenlaw left in free agency last year, and Brandon Aiyuk isn’t going to suit up for this team again.
Once this team gets a bit more talented, we could be talking about them once again being a Super Bowl contender, but that year won’t be in 2025.
7. Chicago Bears
The Chicago Bears fell to the Green Bay Packers in Week 14, and the NFC North, for the time being, is now the Packers’ division. This was as good a loss as you could have though, if you’re the Bears, as Ben Johnson’s team is playing with house money a bit, and taking the Packers to the final seconds of the game is impressive.
The Bears might still be a year too early right now, but their being 9-4 despite the loss is a testament to how much they have done right this year, and the NFC North is still a division they can win. Chicago will now have a good bit of work to do to get there, but they do host the Packers at Soldier Field in a couple of weeks, so there could be a good time for revenge.
You would like to see Caleb Williams tighten some things up, but there is light at the end of the tunnel, and this team is good enough to take the division back and win a playoff game this year. Chicago is no. 7 in our power rankings.
Good for the Bears, as this has been a great season so far.
6. Houston Texans
The Houston Texans have a huge primetime game in Week 14 against the Kansas City Chiefs, and this could be a game that Houston wins despite it being at Arrowhead. The Chiefs are down multiple starters along the offensive line, and Houston’s defense is the best unit in this matchup.
After an 0-3 start, the Texans have since gone 7-2 entering Week 14 and are the best team in the AFC South right now. CJ Stroud has returned to the lineup as well and will likely begin to play better as he gets more reps under his belt.
He missed a bit of time with a concussion. On paper, Houston is quite good, but the offensive line has been a sore spot for more than a year now. If that unit can hold their own as the season finishes up, they’ll make some noise in the postseason.
This is a rare case where a team is better than their record even being this late in the season. Houston will be a tough out in the playoffs this year.
5. Seattle Seahawks
It was looking questionable there in the beginning part of the game, but the Seattle Seahawks pulled away from the Atlanta Falcons and improved to 10-3 on the season with another win, and Seattle continues to prove to the NFL world that they are one of the best and most balanced teams in the league.
Seahawks’ QB Sam Darnold hasn’t played super well since that four-interception performance against the LA Rams a few weeks ago, so that is something to take note of, but, overall, the Seahawks are a juggernaut and could make a deep playoff run.
Seattle is in a heated race with the Rams and the San Francisco 49ers for that NFC West crowd, and we are rumbling toward all three teams finishing the season with at least 11 wins, which is just insane.
The Seahawks are also, oddly, a lot better playing away from home than they are at home. It’s a weird trend with Mike Macdonald, but I guess that’s just how things shake out sometimes.
4. Green Bay Packers
This was a huge win for the Green Bay Packers, as they moved to 9-3-1 on the season and held the fort down at home against the Chicago Bears. The NFC North has turned into the best division in football, and the Packers are in first place for the time being.
With the Packers, they are simply more of a proven commodity than the Bears are, so the result here was not shocking. What the Packers have struggled with in recent years, though, is simply getting over the hump when the playoffs roll around.
Matt LaFleur has not been great in the playoffs, but I guess 2025 could be different. On paper, this team has everything you’d want in a Super Bowl contender, and with Jordan Love playing as well as he has this year, this could be the year.
The Packers are in Chicago in a couple of weeks and could put a dagger in the NFC North race if they can beat the Bears and sweep them. The Packers are now a half game ahead of the Bears in the division and 1.5 games over the Detroit Lions as well.
3. New England Patriots
The New England Patriots were on the bye in Week 14 and are 11-2. It’s hard to believe how quickly this team has turned around, but here we are. Second-year QB Drake Maye has been outstanding this year and could get some MVP voting, perhaps winning the entire thing.
The Pats are running away with the AFC East title and could earn the top seed in the conference, which guarantees them a bye and homefield advantage throughout. It almost feels unfair that the Patriots may have walked into another outstanding franchise QB.
Mike Vrabel is in his first year as the team’s head coach after a very successful run with the Tennessee Titans. Josh McDaniels is also back as the offensive coordinator, and this operation is just smooth from top to bottom.
The main issue I see with the Patriots is the overall roster talent, as it’s not great, but that could change when 2026 rolls around.
2. Los Angeles Rams
The Los Angeles Rams blew out the Arizona Cardinals in Week 14 and are no. 2 in our NFL Power Rankings. LA might have the MVP of the NFL as well in Matthew Stafford, who has been on fire this season.
LA might be the most likely team to win the Super Bowl this year, too, as they have done it before in recent years and have a stellar roster, as they really don’t have many weaknesses, but the playoffs are a different beast altogether.
It’s hard not to root for the Rams, as Stafford kind of rotted away for years in Detroit and is having this late-career resurgence that could propel him into the Hall of Fame. LA just misses out on the top spot in our updated rankings, though, as an 11-2 AFC team takes the top spot.
1. Denver Broncos
The Denver Broncos beat the snot out of the Las Vegas Raiders in Week 14, so the final score really doesn’t do the game much justice. Bo Nix was 31/38 on the day and was simply surgical, even throwing a no-look pass to Courtland Sutton at one point.
Denver has not lost a game since September and is the top team in our NFL Power Rankings. This team has truly come a long way since the 1-2 start and losing on back-to-back walk-off field goals.
The Broncos actually clinched a very important common-opponent tiebreaker over the New England Patriots, so that is going to do wonders for their chances at the first seed in the AFC. Overall, this could be the most well-rounded team in the NFL and the last team standing in the AFC when the Super Bowl rolls around in February.
Like them or not, the Denver Broncos are the best team in the NFL.