Who is the best bet to win the Super Bowl in 2026? Well, it might be early to say, but that hasn’t stopped me before!
Below are my way-too-early 2025 NFL power rankings!
2025 NFL Power Rankings 1.0: Way-Too-Early Picks
The Contenders
1. Philadelphia Eagles
The reigning champs start our power rankings in the top spot for one reason and one reason only. They’re the best. At this point, all Eagles fans should have a flag outside their house that reads “In Howie We Trust” because even when you hate his offseason moves, they always seem to work out. I don’t expect he’s finished making a splash either, with a few big names getting some trade rumblings.
2. Baltimore Ravens
This feels like the year the Ravens get to the Super Bowl. If they do, I feel like they very well may walk away the winners. Lamar Jackson will have this team in the top ten as long as he is healthy and in his prime, but the pieces around him also make them such big contenders… at least on paper. The defense looks strong, with Kyle Hamilton returning to lead the way alongside superstar linebacker Roquan Smith. Offensively, Derrick Henry still looks every bit the king of the running back he has been for the better part of a decade. If they can ideally add one more complimentary piece (Keenan Allen maybe?), they might sneak up to number one before the season!
3. Buffalo Bills
I am banking on a big step forward for a few Bills players. Most notably, Keon Coleman and Dalton Kincaid. If one of them can become a reliable pass-catcher for reigning MVP Josh Allen, then this team has no one who can contain them. Offensive Coordinator Joe Brady seems ready for the head coaching ranks, but for now, he will continue to call a masterful game. Defense might be iffy at times, but I think this is as close to complete as the Bills have looked with Allen under center.
4. Kansas City Chiefs
Until they show me otherwise, the Kansas City Chiefs will be considered Super Bowl contenders. This is coming from perhaps one of the biggest Patrick Mahomes doubters in the NFL space. I am much more of a believer that Andy Reid is just that good at calling a game and building a scheme. I do believe Mahomes is a top-five quarterback in the league, but I do not believe he is the best. This team, however, is strong top to bottom. The main question is going to be that offensive line. If they worsen from last season, we may see a down year for the Chiefs.
5. Houston Texans
Addressing the defense was the key for this team. C.J. Stroud will get it done offensively with massive weapons like Nico Collins and Joe Mixon, but that defense was off all season and now we get to see Head Coach DeMeco Ryans having a defense worthy of his talent as a coach. Adding in guys like C.J. Gardner-Johnson could prove to be a championship-level move.
6. Los Angeles Rams
Apparently, I still believe defense wins championships. This Rams defense, led by Florida State alum Jared Verse, looks good. If they can take another step forward and address their propensity for allowing big plays (and a Saquon Barkley 200 rushing yard game), this team may as well be ready for the crown again. Matthew Stafford might be running out of steam, but adding Davante Adams to replace the slowed-down Cooper Kupp is as clean a transition that anyone could have hoped for. Puka Nacua and Adams should instantly become a top-five wide receiver duo in the NFL and Stafford should lead them well!
7. Washington Commanders
Jayden Daniels already looks like he’s trying to become the fifth elite quarterback in the NFL (behind Lamar Jackson, Josh Allen, Joe Burrow and Patrick Mahomes in that order). Adding some help defensively would have been nice and I would have liked another weapon not named Deebo Samuel, but the Commanders focused on offensive line and that is good enough for me to see a repeat in their success. If Daniels can avoid the “sophomore slump,” this team could make some noise in the postseason.
8. Denver Broncos
I hate myself for putting Denver this high, but looking at the overall makeup of this team, I couldn’t ignore the talent. Bo Nix is going to make or break this team’s season and he needs to take a step forward in being able to control games and not just participate in them for this team to really capitalize on its potential. I do not expect a massive scoring outburst from Denver, but with the defense they have built, with the best cornerback in the NFL, Patrick Surtain II, Nix needs to dictate the pace and move the chains to let the defense handle their business. Protect the ball, run it with rookie R.J. Harvey and watch the magic happen. But if Head Coach Sean Payton tries to force an air-raid big-time offense out of this team, it might result in disappointment for the fans in Mile High.
The Underdogs
9. Detroit Lions
Losing both of your coordinators, one of whom was the best offensive coordinator in football for the last two seasons, necessitates a drop in rankings. I don’t see Detroit being the unstoppable offensive force of the past few years this season. I expect a step back for Jared Goff, causing the whole offense to suffer. Their defense is still suspect and Aaron Glenn isn’t there to hide their flaws. Add in the retirement of Frank Ragnow and I am not loving Detroit as much this season.
10. Cincinnati Bengals
Cincinnati may as well have the best offense in the NFL this season. It is so good that it will, ideally, be able to counteract what may be the worst defense in the league. If the defense can just be bad and not terrible, this team could shock the world and make a run at the Super Bowl. However, the old saying of “defense wins championships” still exists and holds true for the most part. I am not totally out on the Bengals, but I am not feeling great about their odds.
11. Green Bay Packers
Green Bay has multiple good players, but really doesn’t have any great ones. They have some talent at every position, but no one who could be considered top five at that position. With the release of Jaire Alexander, the secondary now looks a bit more suspect than before and I wouldn’t be surprised to see this entire defense take a step back without a true number one corner. Offensively, Jordan Love doesn’t seem to be the guy who can truly lead a team to a Super Bowl and they don’t have the talent surrounding him to carry him there.
12. Tampa Bay Buccaneers
Defense is still half of the battle and Tampa Bay, for some reason, opted for a wide receiver in the draft when that was probably their least-needed position. I don’t think many people expected the Bucs to go with Ohio State wide receiver Emeka Egbuka, not when their defense needed so much help at the linebacker and secondary spots. They better hope Antoine Winfield Jr. can cover sideline to sideline and everything else in between because the man has very little help around him.
13. Los Angeles Chargers
A running back like Omarion Hampton doesn’t change the game all that much; however, rookie wide receiver Tre Harris might. A big and physical wide receiver out of Ole Miss may be the missing piece for this offense. Adding in Najee Harris and aforementioned running back Omarion Hampton also gives their running game a lot of variety and potentially some receiving punch. This team will rely on Justin Herbert, who everyone says is elite but has done absolutely nothing to show he’s elite. A certified “Houdini” on the field, as one game he’s there and the next poof he’s gone.
14. New York Jets
My sleeper “good team.” I believe in Justin Fields, I do and I can’t apologize for following my heart. That being said, this is a fairly complete team around him. Breece Hall and Garrett Wilson are as good of weapons as one could ask for, with a decent offensive line and a very good defense, this could be the year for the “Frisky Jets”, as we lovingly refer to them here at In-Between Media. Rookie Head Coach Aaron Glenn might be able to bring that magic over from Detroit and if he can, this team could make some real noise. But, they’re still the Jets, so they will sit at fourteen for now.
The Longshots
15. Minnesota Vikings
J.J. McCarthy is a major question mark for the team under center and not someone I was particularly high on coming out of Michigan. A game manager kind of player, I fear he will struggle to get the most out of Justin Jefferson and Jordan Addison. Add in the aging Aaron Jones and T.J. Hockenson and I am worried this team may underperform. They do have one of the best head coaches in the league, Kevin O’Connell, and maybe the best coordinator in Brian Flores, so who knows? They sit in the middle of the pack for now, but this could well be a team that flies up the rankings as the season progresses.
16. Miami Dolphins
This team is all over the place, with a bunch of older talent that may or may not be washed and all of that equals a lot of confusion. Their line needs to play better and Tua Tagovailoa needs to stay healthy if they want to compete but Tua staying healthy is a very big if at this point. Zach Wilson is certainly a better backup than what they’ve previously rolled out there, but we’ve yet to see him truly grasp the NFL speed. Until I see one way or another for Miami, they will sit right here at sixteen and like it.
17. New York Giants
This is the Wario to Cincinnati’s Mario. A defensive juggernaut with what should be the best pass rushing attack in the league, comprised of Brian Burns, Dexter Lawrence, Abdul Carter and Kayvon Thibodeaux. This is where the Giants are going to be ferocious. Add in that they’ve improved the quarterback room, regardless of who starts, and the fact that they have one of the best wide receivers in football in Malik Nabers. This is a team on the rise.
18. Arizona Cardinals
This is a case of talent at multiple spots but no cohesiveness. The glue guys aren’t good enough to push the Cardinals over the hump yet and I am not sure if that’s a coaching issue, or a talent issue. Kyler Murray looks fine and Trey McBride is elite; Marvin Harrison Jr. was disappointing in his rookie year, but there’s time to improve. But the rest? I’m not sure. Maybe, if they can get a two-headed monster going in Trey Benson and James Conner out of the backfield, this offense can find consistency and some more explosiveness. They’re fine defensively, but at this point, they are not good enough to be considered contenders or even playoff-bound.
19. San Francisco 49ers
Injuries have decimated this team and age is going to play a factor going forward. With Deebo Samuel gone and Brandon Aiyuk being hurt, George Kittle has to carry way too much of that passing attack for my liking. Add in that Christian McCaffrey is coming off an Achilles injury and nothing about this seems ideal. Two major contributors on defense have also left and they handed a massive contract to Brock Purdy, which really boggled my mind. This seems like a team whose window has passed and they don’t want to accept that as a reality.
20. Chicago Bears
If Caleb Williams takes a real step forward, I will eat my words on this ranking. However, until I see him process the game at the level needed to not take stupid sacks and throw dumb interceptions, I will be holding back on the Bears love. Weapons are everywhere in this offense and they hired the best offensive coordinator in the NFL, Ben Johnson, to lead the charge. Defensively they also have weapons, but I would like to see them really address the pass rush a bit more and get some help at the secondary level. Again, this is really a case of Caleb Williams either making or breaking this team.
No Chance
21. Pittsburgh Steelers
Mike Tomlin doesn’t have losing seasons. He’s such a good coach that this team could very well overperform and end up in the playoffs. But that’s a big problem. Pittsburgh needs to be bad, that way they can get their next franchise quarterback at the helm. I know they’ve gone and picked up Aaron Rodgers but we’ve seen enough of the aging and clearly out-of-their-prime quarterback carousel. Adding D.K. Metcalf was nice but trading George Pickens was strange. The defense will be very good, as usual but I think this is the year we see them fall short of a .500 record.
22. Jacksonville Jaguars
Let’s be honest, Trevor Lawrence has been a disappointment. To call him a bust would be extreme, but to say this is what Jacksonville was expecting out of the highest-touted quarterback prospect since Andrew Luck would be a lie. Adding Travis Hunter doesn’t move the needle for me; I am a known detractor of his impact at the NFL level. Evan Engram went to Denver and their defense still doesn’t look that good. I don’t know how to fix this franchise but I don’t think Travis Hunter was the pick.
23. Atlanta Falcons
I don’t believe in Michael Penix Jr., I don’t believe in their defense. I don’t believe in the Falcons. Drake London and Kyle Pitts are good players, Bijan Robinson is great, but again, there are no glue guys to really allow this team to thrive. They are relying on a wildly inaccurate quarterback, not to mention a statue in the pocket. That doesn’t seem to be a recipe for success.
24. Indianapolis Colts
Quarterback is crucial. That’s the bottom line. Daniel Jones isn’t good, but he looks to be the frontrunner to win the quarterback battle, which means their third overall pick from a few years ago will be benched before ever getting a real chance to develop. I believe Anthony Richardson could be a good quarterback in this league, but he needs time. Now it’s a hodgepodge of talent all over the place and no one to pull it all together. This feels like one of those seasons where everyone is on the chopping block, from the coaches to the front office to the players. A bad season will mean a changing of the guard in Indy.
25. Dallas Cowboys
I think this team sucks. At this point, it’s hard to imagine Dallas will ever right the ship with Jerry Jones running the show. Every move he makes is one step forward and then two steps back. Every good move is followed up by a series of boneheaded moves that have Dallas fans ready to put him on the pike. I do think they’re the worst team in their own division and I don’t think it will be a fun season for the Cowboys.
26. Seattle Seahawks
I mean…no one really loves this team, right? Sam Darnold is there now, which could be good. But it also could go so unbelievably wrong that he ends up benched and replaced with project quarterback Jalen Milroe. Between adding the ghost of Cooper Kupp was something and not addressing the wet piece of paper that is their offensive (emphasis on offensive) line, this team should be just awful this year.
27. Las Vegas Raiders
They didn’t need Ashton Jeanty. They didn’t need a running back. It’s proven that as a high draft pick, it might be the least valuable position to spend on. Now, did they get an absolute stud-muffin? Yes. Will he help them win games? No. The rest of the team isn’t good enough to make Jeanty’s talent matter.
28. New England Patriots
I am going to try and not roast the shit out of New England but holy hell is it difficult. Between botching any of the wide receiver signings, hiring Mike Vrabel and not adding Tetairoa McMillan in the 2025 NFL Draft, this was a disaster offseason for the Patriots. Drake Maye is being done dirty and if his progression suffers, it will be entirely on the organization for not giving him the help other young quarterbacks are getting.
29. Tennessee Titans
Their receivers are mid, their running backs are mid, they spent the first overall pick on a decent but not great prospect and the rest of their team is bad. Add all of these up and you end up with a team picking inside the top five again next season.
30. Carolina Panthers
Bryce Young doesn’t inspire confidence in me. They have a strong offensive line, but other than that, every other position is lacking. Offensively and defensively, they have one player on either side of the ball to be excited about and other than that, it’s been a weirdly long run of bad. Let’s hope Dave Canales can right the ship before the ownership loses patience.
31. New Orleans Saints
They kicked the proverbial can down the road as long as possible with the salary cap. However, it is time to pay the piper and the Saints are going to pay with being the worst or second-worst team in the league. At this point, I don’t understand why they haven’t hard-launched a rebuild but maybe someday someone will hire me as their GM…
32. Cleveland Browns
It’s the Browns… They have five quarterbacks on the roster and zero starting quarterbacks. Only Cleveland could have pulled that off. What the people of Cleveland have done to deserve such misery is beyond me. I actually enjoy the area and the people are quite friendly but this franchise needs to be kicked out of the league and replaced with something else.
Thanks for reading my “2025 NFL Power Rankings 1.0: Way-Too-Early Picks.” For more entertainment and sports takes, find me on Twitter/X, @Steve_Lawson93.
*Photo Credit: Tina MacIntyre-Yee/Democrat and Chronicle – USA TODAY Sports*
