The AFC is honestly shaping up to be a bad conference. Let's power rank it as Week 4 approaches.
The NFC has dominated the AFC thus far, and it's honestly a big difference from recent years, as the AFC has been the better conference, but things have changed. The AFC does have the better QB talent, but it's clear that the NFC have the better overall teams.
Week 3 of the 2025 season is already over, and Week 4 is right around the corner. Let's power rank the AFC as the latest slate of NFL action begins.
Updated AFC power rankings as Week 4 approaches
16. Tennessee Titans (0-3)
The Tennessee Titans are a bad team and will be bad for the entire season. There isn't much to like with the roster, and rookie QB Cam Ward has looked like a rookie. Head coach Brian Callahan has already handed off play-calling duties, so I guess you can't say he isn't trying to fix this.
15. New York Jets (0-3)
Another horrific team that most of us expected, the New York Jets do have a good chance to earn their first win of the season in Week 4 over the Miami Dolphins, but the Dolphins will go into that game with the QB advantages. There are honestly too many issues for the Jets to list off here.
14. Miami Dolphins (0-3)
The Miami Dolphins are trending in the wrong direction and could begin to make some changes if they can't beat the New York Jets in Week 4. Miami can push the ball down the field, but that's about the only thing they can do.
13. Houston Texans (0-3)
Did we expect the Houston Texans to be 0-3? The offensive line might be the worst in football, and third-year QB CJ Stroud has been quite bad since the start of 2024. Massive changes might need to be made here.
12. New England Patriots (1-2)
The New England Patriots lost to the Pittsburgh Steelers in Week 3, but second-year QB Drake Maye really looks sharp and could continue to develop as the season goes on. The Patriots still feel a year away from contending for a playoff spot, but with how weak the AFC East is right now, it would not shock me if they finished second in the division behind the Buffalo Bills.
I would keep an eye out for this team as the season goes on, as Mike Vrabel knows how to coach and is going to get the most out of his players. New England is no. 12 in our updated AFC rankings.
11. Las Vegas Raiders (1-2)
The Raiders are bad. The offensive line is bad and the defense cannot stop a nosebleed. It's going to be a long season for this team, and with each passing week, their decision to take Ashton Jeanty in the first round of the 2025 NFL Draft looks more and more odd.
Vegas has a long road ahead and might be able to play spoiler a handful of times in 2025.
10. Cleveland Browns (1-2)
Rising up a bit in our power rankings is the Cleveland Browns. They beat the Green Bay Packers on a walk-off field goal and do have a great defense. If nothing else, that defense can keep them in most games, but their inconsistency on offense and them simply being the Browns is what'll doom this franchise in 2025, at least.
9. Jacksonville Jaguars (2-1)
A pretty iffy 2-1 team, the Jacksonville Jaguars are still 2-1 and did beat the Houston Texans, so that AFC South win is huge. I do not expect Jacksonville to finish the year with a winning record, but this is an encouraging start, and there is reason to believe in this franchise for the long-term.
8. Cincinnati Bengals (2-1)
The Cincinnati Bengals have a brutal reality in front of them. Despite the 2-0 start, Joe Burrow is missing the entire year, and when it rains, it pours. The Bengals got blown out in Week 3 against the Minnesota Vikings, and I struggle to see how this team is going to win many more games.
I could have easily ranked them lower, but it's tough, as Jake Browning has proven in recent years that he can be a high-end backup, so perhaps Cincy isn't quite as bad as we think.
7. Kansas City Chiefs (1-2)
Even in victory, the Kansas City Chiefs look shaky. This team is not very good and I am not sure they'll be a slam-dunk to win the division. The Chiefs are already two games behind the LA Chargers in the AFC West and just do not have any juice on either side of the ball. With how weak the AFC is, the Chiefs could still hang around and end up squeezing into the postseason.
6. Denver Broncos (1-2)
The Denver Broncos have lost two games in a row, but if nothing else, they have had leads late in the fourth quarter against the unbeaten Colts and Chargers. They had to be walked-off with a game-winning field goal, so the Broncos can hang around.
The defense, though, hasn't been great, and the offense has been inconsistent. Despite this slow start, there is reason to believe; Sean Payton tends to win about half of his games in September but around 70% in October and November, so a win over the lowly Bengals in Week 4 could have the Broncos in a good spot for the bulk of the 2025 campaign.
5. Pittsburgh Steelers (2-1)
A solid win for the Pittsburgh Steelers in Week 3 over the New England Patriots has them fifth in our AFC power rankings. Pittsburgh might again make the playoffs given how bad the rest of the conference is, and the Baltimore Ravens also do not feel like a slam-dunk contender.
4. Indianapolis Colts (3-0)
How about the Indianapolis Colts? The biggest question here is if they are able to keep this up for an entire season, as you have to figure that defenses will be able to key in on Daniel Jones, who has been a bad QB outside of this year. However, in the meantime, Indy is an unbeaten team and a heavy favorite to come away with the AFC South title in the 2025 NFL Season.
They're fourth in our power rankings.
3. Baltimore Ravens (1-2)
Another collapse late in the game has the Baltimore Ravens on the doorstep of 1-3 if they can't beat the Chiefs in Week 4. The Ravens' defense has simply not been good this year, and the troubling second-half performances are also a massive concern as well.
With how talented the roster is, though, the Ravens should be able to win a ton of games, and they should win the AFC North, but there are absolutely reasons to worry.
2. Los Angeles Chargers (3-0)
The LA Chargers have won three-straight games to open up the season, and they have all come over their AFC West rivals, so this team is in a great spot, and you really could not imagine a better start for any team in the NFL, frankly. I do wonder if this team has the high-end roster talent to truly seal the deal here, but the Bolts are looking at a 4-0 start with a win over the New York Giants in Week 4.
1. Buffalo Bills (3-0)
The top team in our AFC power rankings is the Buffalo Bills. Buffalo seems to be the clear favorite in the division thus far, and with the Ravens and Chiefs both looking shaky up to this point, all the Bills have to do is to not mess this up.
However, they have messed things up in recent years when the playoffs, but I suppose the 2025 NFL Season could be a lot different.