20. Las Vegas Raiders
The Las Vegas Raiders beat the New England Patriots on Sunday in a solid win. Geno Smith was throwing the ball all over the place and had a ton of downfield completions. The Raiders aren’t a perfect team, but they did get the season started on the right foot.
Their ceiling is in question given how hollow their roster is and how deep the AFC West is, let alone the entire division. I don’t anticipate this team being tall that special in 2025. They’re 20th in our power rankings.
19. Jacksonville Jaguars
The Jacksonville Jaguars beat one of the worst teams in the NFL at home in Week 1, so we can’t crown them much of anything just yet, but it does get the season started on a nice note. Neither Trevor Lawrence nor Bryce Young were very good in this game, and the results really didn’t tell us much about either team.
The Jaguars are probably going to win seven games this year and build toward the 2026 NFL Season. Jacksonville is 19th in our power rankings.
18. Houston Texans
Houston, we have a problem. Are the Texans going to figure this out? Is the offense going to get better? It feels like ever since the 2024 NFL Season, the offense has been a major issue, and Week 1 against the LA Rams did not quell those fears. If CJ Stroud and the offensive line can’t ever find some legitimate consistency, Houston could miss the playoffs altogether.
I am not sure this team is very good. Right now, they’re below average in our latest NFL power rankings.
17. Atlanta Falcons
There is such thing as a good loss, and I think the Atlanta Falcons had one of those in Week 1. Sure, the special teams blunders weren’t ideal, but the Falcons offense did do enough in this game, and Michael Penix Jr is still quite young in the NFL, so by the time the end of the season rolls around, we could be having some different conversations about this team.