The NFC has been a fun conference to follow this year, as the playoff picture is clearly missing a top team from last year - the Detroit Lions. The Lions' downfall in 2025 has really opened things up for other teams.
When Week 18 is over, the entire NFC Playoff Picture will be settled, and it would be the most 2025 season thing ever to see the San Francisco 49ers earning that top seed. San Fran has flown under the bus for most of the season but could still earn the top seed.
With one week left before the playoffs, let's dive into a fresh NFC power rankings.
Updated NFC Power Rankings sees Rams slipping, 49ers rising
16. Arizona Cardinals
Losers of eight games in a row, the lowly Arizona Cardinals were once 2-0 and are since 1-13. It's been a horrendous downfall for a team that once had a bit of optimism coming into the 2025 season. Arizona has been one of the worst teams in the NFL for over a month now.
15. New York Giants
The New York Giants might have something special in Jaxson Dart, but he has to learn how to protect himself better, and the Giants also need a new coaching staff. There is light at the end of the tunnel, but the Giants still have to get a lot right this coming offseason.
14. Washington Commanders
The Washington Commanders were within one game of the Super Bowl in 2024 and are now totally out of the playoffs. The team got banged up and lost their star QB for much of the season, so it's just been a year that this franchise is going to learn from, move on from, and sweep under the rug.
13. Atlanta Falcons
The Atlanta Falcons have too much roster talent to not be in the playoffs this year. I am struggling to see how both Raheem Morris and Terry Fontenot return in 2026. It feels like coaching has been holding this team back for years now. Atlanta is no. 13 in our power rankings and one of the more forgettable teams in the league.
12. Minnesota Vikings
The Minnesota Vikings could win their final game of the season against the Green Bay Packers and actually finish with a winning record this year, which sounds impossible, but it's true. The Vikings are probably going to bring in another quarterback to compete with JJ McCarthy in 2026, but McCarthy can't even stay on the field.
There is bound to be some change at that position in a couple of months for the Vikings, and it's needed if they want to get back to where they were in the 2022 and 2024 NFL seasons.
11. New Orleans Saints
How about the Saints? With a win in Week 18, the Saints would finish 7-10 and end the year on a five-game winning streak. Tyler Shough has been awesome over the last month and appears to be someone the Saints can build around.
If the offseason goes well, the Saints are absolutely going to compete for the NFC South title in 2026.
10. Tampa Bay Buccaneers
The Tampa Bay Buccaneers need a win and some help to get into the playoffs this year, and after a strong start in the first half of the season, Todd Bowles' team has totally collapsed, and I get the sense that this team would benefit more from not making the playoffs.
Whichever team wins the NFC South is going to get bounced out in the Wild Card Round anyway, so the Buccaneers and Carolina Panthers should not get their hopes up.
9. Carolina Panthers
The no. 9 team in our NFC power rankings is the Carolina Panthers, a team that has been a fun story to follow this year, but they aren't fooling anyone - Carolina isn't a playoff-caliber team and have a below-average quarterback. If they beat the Bucs in Week 18, the playoffs would be great, but a blowout in the Wild Card Round would be a guarantee.
8. Dallas Cowboys
If not for a horrific defense, the Dallas Cowboys would be competing for the NFC East title - Dak Prescott has been on fire this year and the trio of Javonte Williams, George Pickens, and CeeDee Lamb has been great.
Dallas has the formula to get back on track in 2026, but the front office has to bring in the right players on defense. The good thing here is that the issues are pretty much all personnel related, and personnel can always be improved.
7. Detroit Lions
Once winners of 15 regular season games in 2024, the Detroit Lions are 8-8 and are out of the playoffs this year. The defense has taken a huge step back, as the offense has had to carry the load. It's a sad ending to what was a fun breakout story starting in 2022 for Detroit. The Lions could be a logical team to bounce back in 2026, though.
6. Green Bay Packers
Locked into the seventh seed in the NFC playoffs, the Green Bay Packers are no. 6 in our power rankings. Micah Parsons is out for the year, and the team has just seen injuries begin to pile up, but this is still a good team. Now the seventh playoff seed for the third year in a row, you have to begin to wonder if this is the Packers' ceiling?
If so, that is a massive issue...
5. Philadelphia Eagles
Winners of the NFC East this year, the Philadelphia Eagles have taken a step back from the Super Bowl team in 2024, but Philly is still solid overall. They won't make it back to the big game this year, but a playoff win could be possible.
You can just tell that this team was hit with the 'Super Bowl hangover' this year - Philly just doesn't have that bite they had in 2024.
4. Los Angeles Rams
The Los Angeles Rams have now lost two brutal games in a row and are just not playing well. Now having lost out on the no. 1 seed in the NFC, the Rams will have to go on the road for much of the playoffs if they hope to get back to the Super Bowl.
3. Chicago Bears
The Chicago Bears won the NFC North this year and are locked into the second or third seed in the NFC playoffs. The Bears come in at no. 3 in our power rankings and have been able to run the ball at a very high level this year.
The defense can also force turnovers at a high rate - being able to run the ball and take it away is absolutely a formula to win in the playoffs.
2. Seattle Seahawks
Seattle just has to win or tie against the San Francisco 49ers in Week 18, and they'll earn the top NFC seed, but Sam Darnold hasn't exactly been playing super well in recent weeks, and he's not been that great in big games over the past two seasons. The Seahawks are still a great team, but you can envision a world where Darnold doesn't have a great Week 18 performance.
1. San Francisco 49ers
The San Francisco 49ers are just one win away from earning the top seed in the NFC playoffs. For a team that has kind of flown under the radar all year, this is an insane spot to be in. The Seattle Seahawks and LA Rams ran the division for most of the year, but the battle-tested 49ers have just hung around.
Right now, San Fran is no. 1 in our NFC power rankings, as Brock Purdy has been one of the best QBs in the league in recent weeks, and it's not hard to see how the Niners are a more trustworthy team than Seattle right now.