Week 1 of the 2025 NFL Season is about over. Let's get into our power rankings as the first week of action closes out. Not surprisingly, the first week of the NFL season did bring some surprises, and that is putting it lightly.
This is how it goes in the NFL, though - teams are not playing at their true level, whether good or bad, when Week 1 rolls around. It will take about a month, in my opinion, for teams to truly sort themselves out as being a contender, pretender, or somewhere in the middle.
We've got one more game left in Week 1 when the Chicago Bears host the Minnesota Vikings. As we have done each week during the regular season, our power rankings are here.
NFL Power Rankings: Already a ton of movement as Week 1 closes out
32. New Orleans Saints
It was a Week 1 loss for the New Orleans Saints, at home against the Arizona Cardinals. This wasn’t a shock at all, but the Saints did keep it close. They have been our worst team in the NFL for a while now, and a close loss will not change that.
31. Miami Dolphins
So, uhm, are the Miami Dolphins going to be this bad? I mean, that was a horrific showing in Week 1, and it’s not like the Indianapolis Colts are that good of a football team. Absolutely nothing was working on either side of the ball. Miami craters in our latest power rankings.
30. Carolina Panthers
Bryce Young and the Carolina Panthers could not get it done in Week 1, and while it’s early, I now have a hunch that Carolina just isn’t going to be much better than they were in 2024.
29. New York Giants
Is there already a QB controversy for the New York Giants? A bad loss in Week 1 has the Giants left with an obvious decision; yes, it’s Week 1, but it might already be time for the team to send Russell Wilson to the bench.
28. Tennessee Titans
The Tennessee Titans did hold a lead multiple times in their Week 1 game against the Denver Broncos. A loss is a loss, but this was shaping up to be a trap game, but the Titans just could not get out of their own way, as they made countless errors on both sides of the ball, and the rookie in Cam Ward came out on multiple occasions. Overall, though, it was a solid showing, and the Titans only lost by one score. They are 28th in our latest power rankings.
27. New York Jets
The New York Jets and Pittsburgh Steelers playing as entertaining of a game as they did was definitely not expected, but both Aaron Rodgers and Justin Fields did have themselves a game. The Jets have to be encouraged with what they saw from their newly-signed QB1. Sure, the Jets could end up regressing on offense, but for the entire NFL world knowing that this team is going to run the crap out of the ball, them being able to hang that many yards on a Steelers’ defense is impressive.
26. New England Patriots
I was wrong about the New England Patriots in Week 1 - I thought they were going to beat the Las Vegas Raiders. This is going to be a bit of a process for the Patriots, and this team is absolutely going to be a lot better at the end of the season than they are right now. New England is 26th in our power rankings, as they drop a few slots.
25. Seattle Seahawks
An interesting Week 1 game for the Seattle Seahawks drop them to 0-1 on the season in a very huge loss, actually. This game was in Seattle, and it was a great chance for the Seahawks to defend their home turf against a team in the San Francisco 49ers that is surely going to compete for the NFC West title.
This was not an ideal loss for Seattle. They come in at 25th in our power rankings.
24. Cleveland Browns
By all accounts, the Cleveland Browns outplayed the Cincinnati Bengals in this one, but they could not get out of their own way. It was a sad day for Browns’ fans, as this team had the Bengals on thin ice multiple times throughout the contest. This is likely going to be the name of the game for the Browns in 2024 - they do have enough talent to hang around, but they also don’t have enough talent to close out games at the same time, if that makes sense.
23. Dallas Cowboys
The Dallas Cowboys had a solid effort in Week 1 against the Philadelphia Eagles, but I can only imagine how hard it is for a shaky roster to go into the defending Super Bowl champs’ house and come out with a win. I don’t really knock Dallas all that much for this game - they were likely going to lose under most circumstances.
They don’t have a great roster and are in year one of a new coaching staff, so them starting 0-1 was likely this entire time. The Cowboys are 23rd in our power rankings.
22. Indianapolis Colts
It’s important not to get too hung up on a Week 1 result, but how about the Indianapolis Colts? From start to finish, this was a massive drubbing, and Daniel Jones had himself a game, surprisingly. The Miami Dolphins cratered in our latest power rankings, but the Colts do rise up a few spots.
The Colts host the Denver Broncos in Week 2, and that is a much more formidable team, so we’ll see if that high-flying offense we saw can keep it up when the best defense in the NFL comes to town.
21. Chicago Bears
The Chicago Bears host the Minnesota Vikings in Week 1 of the 2025 NFL Season on Monday Night Football, so it’s the last game of the week. The Bears hope to take advantage of JJ McCarhy making his first NFL start. He is still, in some ways, a rookie, so the Bears’ defense should be all over the Vikings’ offense, but with how dysfunctional this team was in 2024, it’s hard for us to rank them much higher without seeing the result of that Week 1 game. Chicago is 21st in our latest NFL power rankings.
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.
16. Minnesota Vikings
The Minnesota Vikings are in Chicago to face the Bears on Monday Night Football. We’ll leave them as the 16th-ranked team in our power rankings, and that feels fair. The unknown of JJ McCarthy is a huge factor in this one, so until we truly figure out what kind of quarterback he will be, the Vikings aren’t going to rise up a whole lot in our power rankings.
15. Detroit Lions
A two-touchdown loss by the Detroit Lions in Week 1 of the 2025 NFL Season has some of our worst fears with this team perhaps being true. Them being able to rebound from losing both Aaron Glenn and Ben Johnson does not feel likely, and sure, things can change, but you don’t get the sense that they’ll change all that much for this team.
The Lions fall quite a bit in our power rankings, as they are 15th and do truly feel like an average team. Can the insane roster talent on the Lions help this team work its way through the mud in 2025?
14. Arizona Cardinals
It was a close win, and one that should have been bigger, but a win is a win, as the Arizona Cardinals get the party started in the 2025 NFL Season. I do believe this team can win the NFC West this year and win double-digit games, but they’ll have to play a lot better against more formidable opponents going forward.
At one point 6-4 in 2024, the Cardinals could be a frisky team to keep an eye on as the season progresses. They’re 14th in our power rankings.
13. Kansas City Chiefs
Folks, I do not want to sound too aggressive here, but are the Kansas City Chiefs going to be all that good in the 2025 NFL Season? This team is missing serious talent on either side of the ball and got exposed by the Los Angeles Chargers in Week 1. Kansas City is missing downfield receiving threats, a legitimate RB1, and also have notable holes in the secondary. There just isn’t a lot on this roster that really scares you, and a Week 1 loss has them dropping quite a bit in our power rankings approaching Week 2.
12. Pittsburgh Steelers
How about Aaron Rodgers? The gunslinger is still playing at a high level, as ‘vintage Aaron Rodgers’ definitely came out a bit for the Pittsburgh Steelers in Week 1. They beat the New York Jets in one of the more surprisingly entertaining games of the week, as I am not sure many of us expected that many points to be put on the board.
The Steelers get a huge conference win and have to be feeling great about their QB situation for the rest of the 2025 NFL Season. Pittsburgh is 12th in our power rankings as Week 1 closes out.
11. San Francisco 49ers
A huge NFC West win for the San Francisco 49ers has them climbing our NFL power rankings a bit. The Niners are 11th and are feeling themselves after this one. It was a sloppy game overall, but stud pass-rusher Nick Bosa sealed the deal for the Niners late in the fourth quarter. The main thing that has held this team back has been the injuries, so if they can get healthy as the season goes on, watch out…
The 49ers do have an easier schedule, so stacking up a ton of wins could be likely.
10. Tampa Bay Buccaneers
Yet another team winning in dramatic fashion in Week 1, the Tampa Bay Buccaneers took care of business against the Atlanta Falcons, but you have to give credit to the Falcons for hanging around like they did. This could bode well for the Birds down the stretch, as Michael Penix Jr may only get better as the season goes on.
Baker Mayfield and the Bucs’ offense did enough to win a very important divisional game, as they did get swept by the Falcons in the 2024 NFL Season. The Bucs are 10th in our latest NFL power rankings.
9. Cincinnati Bengals
The Cincinnati Bengals winning a Week 1 game could bode well for their chances that things actually change for the better. The Bengals did get outplayed in this game, so that’s important to note, but they closed it out, and good teams are able to find ways to win even when most things do not go their way.
Joe Burrow and the offense weren’t all that great in this one, but both sides of the ball simply made enough plays, and the Bengals being 1-0 is something we have not seen in a little while.
8. Denver Broncos
This had ‘trap game’ written all over it, and the Denver Broncos were able to escape with a win. It was a sloppy performance from Bo Nix and the offense, but both RJ Harvey and JK Dobbins did each play a crucial role in the win. The defense was, as expected, all over the place. They had rookie QB Cam Ward running for his life and racked up six sacks, including a sack on the Titans’ final offensive play of the game. The Broncos could be ranked lower, but a win is a win.
7. Los Angeles Rams
Matthew Stafford went 21/29 for 245 yards and one touchdown in the LA Rams’ win over the Houston Texans, so the Rams surely scored well over 20 points with that kind of statline, right?
Well, not exactly. It was a pretty dramatic game, and the battle-tested and well-coached Rams were able to pull through in the end. The Rams are now 1-0 on the season and are surely hoping to not start 1-4, which is what they did in 2024, primarily due to a ton of injuries.
The Rams are seventh in our power rankings as Week 1 closes out.
6. Washington Commanders
The Washington Commanders took care of business in Week 1, beating the New York Giants. I won’t lie, I did think this game could have been a trap game for Washington, but they really didn’t allow it to delve into that.
Washington has bigger fish to fry this year, as they came within one game of the Super Bowl and surely added enough talent to get over the hump. Jayden Daniels, their star QB, is also going to earn a ton of MVP votes this year.
This franchise has turned itself around over the last calendar year and are comfortably a top-10 team in our power rankings.
5. Los Angeles Chargers
The Los Angeles Chargers beat the Kansas City Chiefs in Brazil in Week 1, and the better team won this game, period. The Chargers aren’t oozing with high-end talent, but they are simply the better football team, and they proved it. Justin Herbert was playing out of his mind in this one, and this did strike me as an early statement win for the Bolts.
In 2024, the Chargers went 11-6 and were a Wild Card team, but now having an early advantage over the Kansas City Chiefs could go a long way in the team competing for the AFC West title in the 2025 NFL Season. LA is fifth in our power rankings.
4. Green Bay Packers
How about the Green Bay Packers? The Packers defended Lambeau Field and beat the rival Detroit Lions by two touchdowns in a dominating performance, and this could be a changing of the guard, if you will, in the NFC North. The Packers adding Micah Parsons did infuse their defense with the necessary talent, but it also felt like this was a symbolic move of which team is winning this division in the 2025 NFL Season…
The Packers skyrocket up our power rankings and are now inside the top-5. Can Green Bay finally ascend to that elite tier in 2025?
3. Baltimore Ravens
The Baltimore Ravens now lead the Buffalo Bills by 10 points as I type out these words, but we’ll place them one spot lower than the Bills in our latest power rankings. A lot can change in a game, and I just get the sense that Buffalo is going to be a bit better in the 2025 NFL Season.
It’s honestly just a hunch, and I can’t really lie about that or try to dance around it. Both Buffalo and Baltimore are simply excellent and have MVP quarterbacks, but neither team has been able to get over the hump in the playoffs in recent years.
Baltimore is third in our power rankings.
2. Buffalo Bills
The Buffalo Bills currently trail the Baltimore Ravens as I type out these words, and I would assume that Baltimore could hang on here, however, I am placing the Bills one slot higher than the Ravens. Buffalo has simply proven to be an ever-so-slightly better football team, and I might be cheating a bit here, as I am also factoring in recent playoff success.
You could argue that Buffalo is one of the most talented teams in the entire NFL, but another addition in the secondary would not hurt. It would be hard, though, to put Buffalo any lower than third, as this team
1. Philadelphia Eagles
It’s hard to argue that there’s another better team in the NFL than the defending Super Bowl champions, as they start out the 2025 NFL Season 1-0 and earn a crucial divisional win against the Dallas Cowboys. The Eagles did lose some key players in the offseason, and I have actually predicted them to lose the NFC East this year, but we have 16 more games of action, so a lot is going to change.
This honestly might be a place-holder for the time being, as Philly isn’t going to be the best team in the NFL in 2025. For now, they’re first in our power rankings, as there really isn’t much of a reason to knock them off.