Is there any truly great team in the NFL this season?
It seems like each week the ones perceived to be the best instead just remind everyone how flawed and beatable they are, as the Super Bowl picture remains totally muddled and wide open.
Take last week.
The Eagles blew a 21-point lead to the Cowboys while getting shutout after halftime by that maligned defense — huh? The Bills couldn’t look more average these days and were totally outplayed by the Texans. The Lions needed a big fourth quarter rally and overtime just to beat the depleted Giants. The Colts blew a chance to further bury the Chiefs, while Kansas City gets that much-needed win in overtime but not exactly one that restores full confidence.
And on and on.
For the second week in a row, we actually expanded the top tier of the power rankings because it’s hard to say any of these teams are definitively better than the others. Also, there is a change at the top!
Wide Open Super Bowl Race
1. Los Angeles Rams (9-2, up 1 spot): The answer to our question at the top may well be the Rams, who won their sixth straight game with a dominant 34-7 victory over the Buccaneers. Only one game in that winning streak has been closer than two touchdowns. This is looking like a complete team. Los Angeles ranks top 10 in both offensive yards and defensive yards allowed and has won games different ways with each unit taking the lead at times. Usually, it’s that high-octane offense, though, with Matthew Stafford (2,830 passing yards, 30 TDs and 2 INTs) and the elite WR duo of Puka Nacua (80 catches for 947 yards and 4 TDs) and Davante Adams (48-631-12). The Rams are also recognized as the Super Bowl favorite in the latest odds from BetMGM (+425).
2. Philadelphia Eagles (8-3, down 1 spot): For a head coach who just won a Super Bowl (and has led his team to two of the last three), Nick Sirianni sure is under a lot of scrutiny — mainly for his commitment to sticking with embattled offensive coordinator Kevin Patullo and being unable to fix the Eagles’ confounding offensive woes. The 24-21 loss to the Cowboys last week, blowing that 21-0 first half lead and getting totally shut down the rest of the game, only further raised concerns. A home game vs. the 8-3 Bears on Friday will be very revealing about which direction this team is going to go from here.
3. Detroit Lions (7-4, up 2 spots): The Lions move back up in the power rankings not because they earned it but rather due to the need to knock down a couple teams ahead of them. Detroit trailed the Giants by 10 points in the fourth quarter last week before rallying to win in overtime on Jahmyr Gibbs’ 69-yard touchdown run. Gibbs had a career-high 219 rushing yards on just 15 carries, plus 45 receiving yards and 3 total TDs, while continuing to show he’s one of the true game-changing talents in the league. The Lions have a big NFC North clash with the Packers on Thanksgiving.
4. Denver Broncos (9-2, up 2 spots): We moved the Broncos up five spots last week and two more this week even though they were on a bye. Basically, it’s late enough in the season to trust that a 9-2 team is legitimately pretty damn good and stop giving deference to the teams we expected to be the best in 2025. The Broncos, with their third-ranked defense and young QB Bo Nix’s fourth-quarter heroics, will look to add to their eight-game winning streak with favorable matchups this week at Washington and next week at Las Vegas.
5. New England Patriots (10-2, up 3 spots): Ditto for the Patriots. It’s time to fully acknowledge this is one of the best teams in the NFL this year. They’ve won nine straight, and while we were keeping that streak in perspective because it’s involved wins against the likes of New Orleans, Tennessee, Cleveland, Atlanta, the New York Jets and Cincinnati, the fact is the Patriots keep winning. Also, with the way QB Drake Maye is playing (NFL-leading 3,130 passing yards, 21 TDs, 6 INTs) and the emergence of TreVeyon Henderson over the last month, New England’s emergence feels very real. The Patriots get the Giants on Monday night.
6. Seattle Seahawks (8-3, up 1 spot): The Seahawks bounced back from a turnover-riddled loss to the Rams with a 30-24 win at Tennessee, as QB Sam Darnold shook off that 4-INT performance the week before and settled back in while WR Jaxon Smith-Njigba added to his NFL-leading receiving total with 8 catches for 167 yards and 2 TDs. Smith-Njigba (80-1,313-7) is on pace to break Calvin Johnson’s single-season NFL receiving yards record, albeit with an extra game. Seattle hosts Minnesota on Sunday.
7. Buffalo Bills (7-4, down 4 spots): The Bills can only be so low on this list as long as reigning NFL MVP Josh Allen is healthy, but man, they really aren’t inspiring much confidence. With the 23-19 loss at Houston, Buffalo is 3-4 over its last seven games with bad losses to Atlanta and Miami. The Bills go to Pittsburgh on Sunday.
8. Kansas City Chiefs (6-5, down 4 spots): Same deal here. With Patrick Mahomes and Andy Reid involved, there is just a high floor of confidence that eventually the Chiefs will get everything working like literally every other year they’ve been together. But Kansas City was perilously close to dropping a third straight loss and falling under .500 last week before overcoming an 11-point fourth quarter deficit and beating the Colts in overtime. Mahomes threw for a season-high 352 yards, but the most encouraging sign was the Chiefs defense, which forced four straight three-and-outs in the fourth quarter and overtime to allow that comeback to happen. Kansas City plays at Dallas on Thanksgiving.
9. Indianapolis Colts (8-3, no change): If the Colts truly wanted to be taken seriously as a top Super Bowl contender, they have to close out that game in Kansas City. That’s two losses in three games for Indianapolis, and NFL leading rusher Jonathan Taylor was held to 58 rushing yards (his second-lowest total of the season). A tough matchup against a Texans team with momentum awaits Sunday.
10. Baltimore Ravens (6-5, no change): The Ravens have won five straight, including all four games since QB Lamar Jackson returned from injury, but they haven’t looked especially assertive. Jackson is hardly running the ball these days and RB Derrick Henry also has yet to consistently find his 2024 form (just 64 rushing yards on 21 carries vs. the Jets last week). Baltimore gets an interesting matchup on Thanksgiving with the Joe Burrow and the Bengals.
11. Green Bay Packers (7-3-1, up 1 spot): The Packers finally looked like a Super Bowl contender last week in a 23-6 win over the Vikings, with the defense holding Minnesota to just 145 yards with 3 turnovers. But … that was against J.J. McCarthy, who is arguably the worst QB in the NFL. Let’s see them do it against the Lions on Thanksgiving before fully buying in again. RB Josh Jacobs returns from a one-game injury absence.
12. San Francisco 49ers (8-4, down 1 spot): Brock Purdy was shaky in his second game back from that prolonged turf toe injury, throwing 3 INTs in a 20-9 win over the Panthers, but the 49ers nonetheless won back-to-back games for the first time since September. Even with the defense depleted by injuries, it’s hard to count out a Kyle Shanahan team with a healthy Purdy and Christian McCaffrey, who leads the team in both rushing (796 yards and 7 TDs) and receiving (81-785-5).
In Playoff Hunt
13. Chicago Bears (8-3, up 1 spot): The Bears are the one surprise team we still haven’t truly vaulted up the rankings, and that may be unfair as they clearly are well-coached under Ben Johnson and former No. 1 pick Caleb Williams is ascending in his second season (2,568 passing yards, 16 TDs and 4 INTs). Chicago has won eight of its last nine games heading into a big showdown with the Eagles in Philadelphia on Friday.
14. Houston Texans (6-5, up 3 spots): The Texans won three straight games with backup QB Davis Mills filling in for C.J. Stroud (concussion), who could return this week. A 23-19 win over the Bills last Thursday opened a lot of eyes to this team and its elite defense, which gives up the second-fewest points (16.5) and fewest yards per game (264.3) in the NFL. Houston gets the Colts on the road Sunday.
15. Tampa Bay Buccaneers (6-5, down 2 spots): The Bucs have lost three straight and four of their last five. The 34-7 blowout loss on the road to the Rams last week was the worst yet, as QB Baker Mayfield departed the game with a sprained left non-throwing shoulder. His status is in doubt this week with Teddy Bridgewater in line to start vs. Arizona if Mayfield can’t go.
16. Jacksonville Jaguars (7-4, up 2 spots): After losing three out of four, the Jaguars have won two straight with a 27-24 overtime win at Arizona last week and should have a good chance to keep that streak going this week at Tennessee. But QB Trevor Lawrence continues to scuffle, tossing 3 INTs (with 3 TDs) in that game. He has 5 TDs and 6 picks over the last four games.
17. Dallas Cowboys (5-5-1, up 2 spots): Say what you want about the Eagles’ slumping offense, the Cowboys shutting out Philadelphia in the second half to overcome a 21-0 deficit and win 24-21 last week was a statement. Heck, a few weeks ago it would have been notable if Dallas’ beleaguered D shut out Blinn Community College for two quarters. The Cowboys are 2-0 since adding DT Quinnen Williams and LB Logan Wilson via trade, and the offense continues to hum with Dak Prescott, George Pickens and CeeDee Lamb forming one of the best pass game trios in the league. Dallas hosts Kansas City on Thanksgiving in a game that could truly reveal whether the Cowboys are a legit playoff team.
18. Los Angeles Chargers (7-4, down 3 spots): The Chargers had a well-timed bye to regroup from a brutal 35-6 loss to Jacksonville, but it doesn’t change the fact they will play the rest of the season without both starting tackles (Rashawn Slater, who has been out all year, and Joe Alt). Los Angeles needs to show it can protect star QB Justin Herbert if it wants to have any chance at making a postseason run. The Chargers get the Raiders at home Sunday.
19. Pittsburgh Steelers (6-5, down 3 spots): The Steelers were competitive with Mason Rudolph filling in at QB last week but still lost 31-28 to the Bears. Aaron Rodgers (fractured left non-throwing wrist) returned to practice Thursday, but his status has not been revealed yet for Pittsburgh’s clash with Buffalo on Sunday. After leading the AFC North all season, the Steelers are now tied with the Ravens and losing their margin for error in pushing for a playoff spot.
20. Carolina Panthers (6-6, no change): QB Bryce Young has been held under 200 passing yards in all but two games this season. He went and threw for a team-record 448 yards two weeks ago against the Falcons, but he couldn’t follow it up last week in a loss to the 49ers, passing for just 169 yards, 1 TD and 2 INTs. The Panthers’ record has seemed inflated all year, and after losses two of the last three games a matchup with the mighty Rams this week could continue Carolina’s slide out of the playoff picture.
Capable Of Playing Spoiler
21. Minnesota Vikings (4-7, no change): J.J. McCarthy’s struggles continued in a 23-6 loss to the Packers as he passed for just 87 yards and 2 interceptions, and now it looks like the Vikings may have an excuse to sit him again as McCarthy is in concussion protocol. Undrafted rookie Max Brosmer would make the start in his place if that holds.
22. Cincinnati Bengals (3-8, up 1 spot): QB Joe Burrow is back after missing nine games due to a turf toe injury. Cincinnati won just one of those games, so Burrow’s return is obviously huge for the team. But it does nothing to change the reality that the Bengals have by far the worst defense in the NFL.
23. Miami Dolphins (4-7, up 1 spot): Miami has won three of its last four games and could keep the momentum rolling while hosting the Saints this week.
24. Atlanta Falcons (4-7, down 2 spots): The Falcons actually won last week, 24-10 at New Orleans with Kirk Cousins in at QB as Michael Penix Jr. will miss the rest of the season. But we still moved them down because the overall upside is just lesser than the teams ahead of them here.
25. Arizona Cardinals (3-8, no change): The Cardinals have lost eight of nine games after falling in overtime to Jacksonville last week. Backup QB Jacoby Brissett continues to keep Arizona competitive more often than not, but the losses could keep piling up as it goes on the road vs. Tampa Bay this week, then home vs. the Rams and at Houston.
26. New York Giants (2-10, no change): The Giants have lost six straight and already fired head coach Brian Daboll, but they really challenge the Bears, Packers and Lions (losing in overtime) the last three weeks and expect to get rookie QB Jaxson Dart back from a concussion this week for a Monday night game at New England.
Nothing To See Here
27. Cleveland Browns (3-8, up 4 spots): The Browns are at least a curiosity with Shedeur Sanders now starting at QB. He won his first start last week vs. the Raiders, passing for 209 yards, 1 TD and 1 INT. He’ll make a second start this week vs. San Francisco.
28. Washington Commanders (3-8, down 1 spot): The Commanders were on bye last week but take a six-game losing streak into a Sunday night home game vs. Denver. Injured QB Jayden Daniels returned to practice this week but is not expected to play, as Marcus Mariota will continue to fill in.
29. New Orleans Saints (2-9, down 1 spot): Rookie QB Tyler Shough has 3 TDs, 2 INTS, one win and two blowout losses in three starts.
30. New York Jets (2-9, no change): Coach Aaron Glenn maintains the Jets won’t be tanking for draft position, so there’s that.
31. Las Vegas Raiders (2-9, down 2 spots): Pete Carroll fired offensive coordinator Chip Kelly 11 games into his first season as the Raiders continue to flounder as perhaps the biggest disappointment in the NFL this year.
32. Tennessee Titans (1-10, no change): The march for a second straight No. 1 overall draft pick continues this week vs. Jacksonville.