As we enter the second half of the 2025 season, the race to Super Bowl 60 remains as crowded and as confusing as ever with 17 of the leading teams separated by just two games.
Recency bias definitely plays into these Power Rankings because there is no “best team in football” and those who do rise to the top seem to fall as soon as they get there. I’m talking to you Detroit and Kansas City! Here are my rankings with two new teams in first and second positions.
- SEATTLE SEAHAWKS +3
The Seahawks are the complete package. Sam Darnold is playing well at QB, Jaxson Smith-Njigba is on a record tear and they commit to the run. Add in newly-arrived wide receiver Rashid Shaheed and we could be forgiven for almost overlooking an excellent defense.
- LOS ANGELES RAMS +3
In their last two wins, the Rams have outscored Jacksonville and New Orleans 69 points to 17. Matthew Stafford has thrown nine touchdowns and no picks in those games. Stafford has an NFL-high 21 TD passes and just two interceptions in 2025 and is an MVP candidate.
- INDIANAPOLIS COLTS -1
I’m not going to kill the Colts for losing in Pittsburgh (they were not going 15-1) and it was only by seven points with six turnovers. But I do worry about how quickly the pass rush got to Daniel Jones and how easily Jonathan Taylor was shut down. Was that a one-week thing?
- BUFFALO BILLS +4
The Bills flexed some physical muscle in Sunday’s win over Kansas City, inflicting the most hits on Patrick Mahomes in his NFL career. And Buffalo are running the ball really well. James Cook has picked up the load, meaning Josh Allen can be sparing with his scrambles.
- DETROIT LIONS -4
The Lions did not look themselves against Minnesota in Week 9. They did not run the ball well and that has been a key to their victories this season. And the protection of Jared Goff also left something to be desired. It was a disappointing showing for an up and down team.
- PHILADELPHIA EAGLES +1
The 6-2 Eagles are nicely positioned in the NFC and general manager Howie Roseman clearly believes they can make another title run after trading for edge rusher Jaelan Phillips and cornerbacks Michael Carter and Jaire Alexander. Will Jalen Hurts come out of the bye hot?
- KANSAS CITY CHIEFS -4
Just when the Chiefs were beginning to heat up and scare the rest of the AFC, they got handled by the Bills in Buffalo. There are numerous offensive line injuries affecting Mahomes and the lack of a running game was also stark. They remain dangerous but also beatable.
- TAMPA BAY BUCCANEERS +1
The Bucs are getting healthier with Bucky Irving back at running back and Emeka Egbuka returning at receiver. And they’re in great shape at 6-2. But there are three tough tests in a row coming up – home to New England, at Buffalo, at Los Angeles Rams. They will be telling.
- NEW ENGLAND PATRIOTS +2
Drake Maye has quickly morphed into one of the best quarterbacks in football. Maye has topped 200 passing yards and a 100 QB rating in eight straight. The others to achieve that feat are Tom Brady, Aaron Rodgers, Peyton Manning and Patrick Mahomes. Elite company.
- DENVER BRONCOS --
Denver have walked the tightrope in recent weeks with wins over Philadelphia (4 points), NY Jets (2 points), NY Giants (1 point) and Houston (3 points). But a six-game winning streak in this league is a rare thing these days and it could stretch to seven at home against Las Vegas.
- GREEN BAY PACKERS -5
That was an ugly home loss to Carolina last Sunday and it featured one ugly Jordan Love interception and one that would have been even uglier were it not dropped in the end zone. The loss of tight end Tucker Kraft to a season-ending torn ACL is a real body blow to the Pack.
- PITTSBURGH STEELERS +2
Aaron Rodgers continues to provide stability and assurance on the offensive side of the ball, but it was the defense that starred in Week 9’s win over Indianapolis. The unit responded brilliantly to adversity, hunting down Daniel Jones and limiting Jonathan Taylor all day long.
- SAN FRANCISCO 49ERS --
The 49ers continue to get great production from Christian McCaffrey, who is well supported by Brian Robinson. But how much longer can the defense hold up? First-round defensive lineman Mykel Williams went down with a torn ACL in New York – the latest to fall this year.
- LOS ANGELES CHARGERS -2
I was a little worried about the Chargers letting Tennessee hang around last weekend and now I’m even more concerned following the news that offensive tackle Joe Alt is going to miss the remainder of the year with an ankle injury. That directly affects the play of Justin Herbert.
- BALTIMORE RAVENS +3
The Ravens have looked more like their old selves in the past two games – both wins – and getting Lamar Jackson back in Week 9 was a real boost. He threw four TD passes, Derrick Henry rushed for more than 100 yards and this team is feeling like a playoff fightback is on.
- JACKSONVILLE JAGUARS -1
It was an emotional win in Las Vegas as the Jags knocked down an overtime two-point conversion attempt to escape with a 30-29 victory. Wins are hard to come by in the NFL, but how do you feel about being played so close by the miserable Raiders? That’s concerning.
- CHICAGO BEARS -1
The Bears are 5-3 and they are a wild ride. They scored on 10 of their 12 drives against Cincinnati last week and still needed a long-range Colston Loveland TD with 17 seconds remaining to win. Ben Johnson’s attack – and QB – look legit. But what about that defense?
- HOUSTON TEXANS -1
The Texans fought hard when CJ Stroud went out of the lineup with a concussion, but they kicked too many field goals (five in an 18-15 loss) vs Denver. Davis Mills could be on base if Stroud cannot go in Week 10. Their defense keeps them in games, but they need much more.
- CAROLINA PANTHERS +2
Bryce Young barely broke 100 passing yards in Green Bay and it often looks like he is just asked to stay out of the way. Rico Dowdle went for 130 and two touchdowns on the ground and has become the undoubted driving force of this team. And their D is much improved.
- MINNESOTA VIKINGS +3
JJ McCarthy was far from perfect in Detroit, but he did give his team some juice with two touchdown passes and a scoring run in Week 9. Minnesota’s blitz-heavy defense is going to need to pick up some slack as their young passer grows on the job. Next for them? Lamar!
- ARIZONA CARDINALS +4
With the Cardinals playing so well on defense (Josh Sweat and Calais Campbell shone in Dallas on Monday night), they only need consistency and efficiency on offense, nothing too spectacular. That is likely the reason they are sticking with Jacoby Brissett over Kyler Murray.
- ATLANTA FALCONS --
The Falcons continue to break the hearts of their fans. They rallied behind the excellent Drake London in New England only to see John Parker-Romo miss the game-tying extra point late in the fourth quarter. This is a weird team with some good wins and embarrassing losses.
- DALLAS COWBOYS -3
Jerry Jones called for reinforcements ahead of the trade deadline, wheeling and dealing for Jets All-Pro defensive tackle Quinnen Williams and Bengals linebacker Logan Wilson. The latter had been benched by the only defense in the league worse than the Cowboys!
- WASHINGTON COMMANDERS -5
With Jayden Daniels sidelined with a gruesome elbow injury and an already-disappointing defense losing cornerback Marshon Lattimore to a season-ending torn ACL, it feels as if any challenge is sliding away. The magical run of 2024 suddenly seems a very long way away.
- CINCINNATI BENGALS -1
Zac Taylor can spend the bye week healing divides in a locker room where the offensive players look and sound like they want to rip the heads off their defensive counterparts. If it got into a fight and a defender tried to take down an offensive star, he would probably miss!
- NEW YORK GIANTS --
There was a brief period of excitement as Jaxson Dart and Cam Skattebo worked in unison in the backfield. Now, Dart cannot do it all by himself. New York’s defense has softened up and I don’t think general manager Joe Schein or head coach Brian Daboll are very safe at all.
- LAS VEGAS RAIDERS +1
Sunday’s loss to the Jags – during which Pete Carroll made the right call to go for two and the win – reminded Geno Smith of one thing if he wants to keep his job. Throw the ball to Brock Bowers (12 catches and 3 TDs). With Jakobi Meyers gone, he doesn’t have much choice.
- CLEVELAND BROWNS -1
There are many who find the whole Shedeur Sanders song and dance a little annoying. And his talents don’t seem to match his ego. But at this point of the season, would it hurt to find out what he can give a 2-6 team down the stretch? Cleveland are in the long-term QB market.
- MIAMI DOLPHINS -1
Chris Grier is gone as GM, but Mike McDaniel survives; for now. His long-term future has to be in doubt, surely? And there are no guarantees Tua Tagovailoa lasts. He leads the NFL with 11 picks and must put better film on tape for the new general manager to assess in 2026.
- NEW ORLEANS SAINTS --
Tyler Shough made a few nice throws against the Rams but another double-digit loss felt inevitable. The Saints are miles off the NFL pace when it comes to roster quality and they just traded a game-breaking WR to Seattle. It’s going to be a miserable plod to the finish line.
- NEW YORK JETS --
The Jets enjoyed a victory before their bye week but clearly didn’t feel like any big run was going to come soon. Selling off key defensive pieces in Quinnen Williams and Sauce Gardner suggests this thing is going to get built from ground level with a new QB in 2026 or 2027.
- TENNESSEE TITANS --
The offense continues to look lost at sea and I don’t think it gets better until there is more talent in front of and around Cam Ward. But what mental state will the young QB be in by the time the personnel cavalry arrives? He’s taking a weekly beating in his first NFL campaign.