The AFC is truly a bad conference through the first month of the season. Let's power rank it ahead of Week 5. It's safe to say that the NFC is a much better conference through the first month of the 2025 NFL Season, and it's really not close.
A lot could change, but the AFC is truly wide open, and even the best teams have notable flaws at the moment. With 14 regular season games left, though, a lot could happen. Even the 1-3 teams aren't totally out of it, but the two 0-4 teams in the AFC are surely done for.
Approaching Week 5, let's power rank the AFC.
Power ranking the weak AFC after a wild Week 4
16. Tennessee Titans (0-4)
Maybe the worst team in the NFL and a squad I legitimately believe could fail to win a game, the Tennessee Titans are a horrendously coached team, and having a rookie QB on top of all of this is just brutal, period. The Titans need to blow this thing up and start from scratch, actually giving Cam Ward a legitimate chance to develop.
15. New York Jets (0-4)
What do the New York Jets do well besides lose? It's an 0-4 start for the Jets, and between the subpar QB play, overall bad roster, and first-year head coach in Aaron Glenn, the Jets lined up everything possible to be among the worst teams in the NFL. The Jets and Titans are honestly 'get right games' for teams at this point.
14. Cleveland Browns (1-3)
No. 14 in our power rankings is the Cleveland Browns, a team now prepared to start Dillon Gabriel in Week 5. It might only be a matter of time before Shedeur Sanders sees the field as well, and I get the sense that we will see both rookies starting multiple games in the NFL in 2025. With two first-round picks in 2026, the Browns could rebuild a lot quicker than you think.
13. Cincinnati Bengals (2-2)
Getting blown out two weeks in a row now, the Cincinnati Bengals could probably be ranked lower than this, but I guess there is always a chance that QB Jake Browning could play marginally better and help the Bengals win a few more games.
It's another lost year for the franchise and another season-ending injury for Joe Burrow.
12. Las Vegas Raiders (1-3)
Losing now three games in a row, the Las Vegas Raiders are 12th in our AFC power rankings approaching Week 5. The Raiders don't really do a whole lot well and probably should not have used their first-round pick on a running back, as Vegas is soft up the middle.
Geno Smith is also, simply, a bad quarterback who has already thrown seven interceptions through four games. The Raiders are buried in the AFC and also happen to be in what could be the best division in football in the AFC West. It's shaping up to be another losing year for the Raiders.
11. Miami Dolphins (1-3)
The Miami Dolphins earned their first win of the 2025 NFL Season on Monday Night Football, but Tyreek Hill was lost for the season due to nasty knee injury. The Dolphins aren't going to make the playoff, but they could stack a few more wins. I personally get the sense that Miami would have to make the postseason for head coach Mike McDaniel to stick around in 2026 and beyond.
10. Baltimore Ravens (1-3)
The Baltimore Ravens are now unexpectedly a bad football team. The defense has fallen apart, and now Lamar Jackson is hurt. The other injuries are just too many to list out, so this might be one of those years for a top franchise.
Every once in a while, even the best teams have a forgettable season like this, and things aren't really trending toward getting better anytime soon, unfortunately. The defense is arguably the worst in the NFL, and now that Lamar Jackson is hurt, what does this team do well?
9. Houston Texans (1-3)
The Houston Texans could win their second game in the row in Week 5 if they can topple the Baltimore Ravens, a team we just talked about. Houston's offensive line is the worst in the league, so that's been their sticking point for a while, and it's been a huge reason why CJ Stroud has regressed.
Houston could end up around .500 here in a few weeks, but this team isn't a threat to do much of anything this year.
8. New England Patriots (2-2)
We're now slowly getting into some solid teams here approaching Week 5. The New England Patriots might still be a year away from being a playoff team, but second-year QB Drake Maye looks fantastic thus far, and things are beginning to take shape.
The Pats could give the Buffalo Bills a run for its money in Week 5, so watch out for that. Right now, New England is closer to average than good, but they have the foundation in place to finish with a winning record and to really make some noise in 2026.
7. Jacksonville Jaguars (3-1)
The Jacksonville Jaguars of all teams are 3-1 on the season. The defense has been fantastic, and head coach Liam Coen has already fixed the rushing attack. Trevor Lawrence's passer rating is actually below 80, but his wide receivers have struggled with drops this year.
The Jags could be a legitimate force and do have a path to winning the AFC South in the 2025 NFL Season.
6. Denver Broncos (2-2)
The Denver Broncos are 2-2 after two losses in a row to the LA Chargers and Indianapolis Colts. Both of those losses were on last-second field goals, so it's not like Denver got blown out. The Broncos took care of business on Monday Night Football against the Cincinnati Bengals and have a huge test in front of them in Week 5 against the Philadelphia Eagles.
Denver could really put the league on notice if they can knock-off the defending Super Bowl champions, but the Eagles aren't quite as good as their 4-0 record indicates, so this game could be very close. On paper, the Broncos might be a top-5 team in the NFL, but things have to get going here soon.
5. Indianapolis Colts (3-1)
Losing to the LA Rams in Week 4 kind of tells us what kind of team the Colts might be. They seem good, but that's it. Daniel Jones has had a great season thus far, but he's now thrown just four touchdown passes against two interceptions, so the touchdown production hasn't really been there. However, Indy has won three of its first four games and deserves credit for that.
4. Los Angeles Chargers (3-1)
The LA Chargers lost a stinker of a game to the New York Giants in Week 4. That game honestly had 'trap game' written all over it, and left tackle Joe Alt went down with an ankle injury. The Bolts are still first in the AFC West, but with the Broncos and Chiefs both winning in Week 4, the Chargers essentially just saw a two-game division lead practically evaporate.
A flawed roster but overall good team, the Chargers are fourth in our power rankings.
3. Pittsburgh Steelers (3-1)
The Pittsburgh Steelers are now the clear-cut favorites to win the AFC North in the 2025 NFL Season, and I am not sure anyone saw that coming. The Bengals lost Joe Burrow for the rest of the season, and the Ravens are just a total mess. Pittsburgh is 3-1 on the season and has a two-game lead over Baltimore and Cleveland, and the Bengals may as well be 0-4.
It's quite insane how quickly the AFC North flipped from what most of our expectations were.
2. Kansas City Chiefs (2-2)
The Kansas City Chiefs might be just fine. Now 2-2 on the season after an 0-2 start, the Chiefs could go on a run here, and wide receiver Rashee Rice returns soon. KC has won the division each year since 2016, but they do have a ton of work ahead of them to capture the AFC West for the 10th year in a row.
It was probably wrong of us to write-off this team after two weeks, as they still feel like a juggernaut.
1. Buffalo Bills (4-0)
One of two unbeaten teams in the NFL, along with the Philadelphia Eagles, the Buffalo Bills are 4-0 and the top team in our AFC power rankings. Buffalo's defense hasn't been great this year, but they have taken care of business against the teams they should have thus far.
With the Bills having an easier schedule, they should be able to close-out the race for the top seed in the AFC when the playoffs roll around, and that could end up being the key for them making a Super Bowl run in the 2025 NFL Season.
The Buffalo Bills stand atop the AFC approaching Week 5.