NFL Power Rankings 2025: Ravens Rise to No. 1 Despite Losing to the Bills

NFL Power Rankings updated Sept. 9, 2025

Group A:


Baltimore Ravens (0-1) – Previously: 2.
Yes, the Ravens are No. 1 in these NFL power rankings despite losing. They absolutely dominated the Bills for 55 minutes. If they replay that game 10 times, I’m confident Baltimore wins the majority of the iterations. I still can’t believe that Derrick Henry coughed up the ball. We were robbed of two units.

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Philadelphia Eagles (1-0) – Previously: 1.
The Eagles did not look like a Super Bowl champion in the opening game against the Cowboys, but they didn’t resemble a Super Bowl contender in the early parts of 2024 either. Jalen Carter being ejected made Philadelphia’s defense much worse and exposed the depth issues on their defensive line.


Buffalo Bills (1-0) – Previously: 4.
What an incredible comeback. The Bills had to get lucky with the Derrick Henry fumble, but they got the win when a Baltimore win seemed like a lock. Having said that, I don’t want to be the guy who rains on a parade, but the Bills were outplayed for 55 minutes, so that doesn’t give me optimism for a rematch in January.


Washington Redskins (1-0) – Previously: 5.
My heavy bet on the Redskins to win the Super Bowl per my Super Bowl LX Betting Futures page is looking good so far. The Giants are terrible, but the Redskins were looking ahead to the Thursday night game and made some mistakes, yet they won rather easily.


Green Bay Packers (1-0) – Previously: 6.
Looks like moving the Packers into Group A in the wake of the Micah Parsons trade was the correct decision. It was only one game against a Detroit team on the decline, but the early returns are very promising.


Kansas City Chiefs (0-1) – Previously: 3.
I don’t think it’s fair to judge the Chiefs’ offense for its poor performance against the Chargers because Xavier Worthy was knocked out of the game on the opening drive. The defense, however, looked pathetic trying to stop the Chargers in the second half. I expected better from Steve Spagnuolo’s unit. I would expect the Chiefs to rebound soon. Last I checked, they still had the best quarterback and the best head coach in the NFL.



Group B:


San Angeles Chargers (1-0) – Previously: 12.
It was nice to see the Chargers show some balls for a change at the end of the Kansas City game. They were so aggressive, which is something we’ve never seen from them before. Their defense also played better than expected, but I don’t fully trust it yet. It must be considered that Xavier Worthy getting hurt capsized Kansas City’s offense, at least in the first half before Andy Reid had time to make adjustments.


Los Angeles Rams (1-0) – Previously: 10.
I guess Matthew Stafford’s back is OK. For now, at least. Stafford struggled early versus Houston, but once Derek Stingley left with an injury, Stafford improved and engineered a couple of touchdown drives. I’d say it’s safe to bet the Rams now, but keep in mind that Stafford’s back could act up at any moment.


Minnesota Vikings (1-0) – Previously: 7.
J.J. McCarthy looked terrible through three quarters. His pick-six was atrocious, and he showed no signs of being a functional quarterback. And then, everything changed. McCarthy had a brilliant fourth quarter despite missing his All-Pro left tackle, Christian Darrisaw.


Detroit Lions (0-1) – Previously: 8.
The Lions, without their two coordinators and two star interior linemen from last year, remind me of a pretty girl who cut her hair. It’s still the same person, and she looks OK, but not nearly as pretty. Detroit still has Jahmyr Gibbs, Amon-Ra St. Brown, Sam LaPorta, and Jared Goff, but they resemble an empty husk of what they once were.


Denver Broncos (1-0) – Previously: 9.
I’ve put all the NFL teams into groups, ranging from A to F. Group A is comprised of the elite teams, while Group F is the worst. Not counting Week 18, Six of Denver’s nine wins from last year came against Group D and Group F. Their other three victories were very fluky or have occurred in weird circumstances. They finished 0-6 straight up, 1-5 against the spread versus teams above Group C.

I mention this because the Broncos looked like a Group C team once again versus the Titans. Then again, perhaps we should have expected this because Sean Payton is now just 3-19-1 against the spread in Weeks 1-2 since returning from his Bountygate suspension.


San Francisco 49ers (1-0) – Previously: 11.
It’s a good thing the 49ers replaced their kicker after he struggled so much last year. Well, at least Christian McCaffrey made it through a game after some drama throughout the week. This won’t last, so 49er fans should get used to Brian Robinson Jr. running the ball.



Group C:


Tampa Bay Buccaneers (1-0) – Previously: 15.
Emeka Egbuka is the real deal. Tampa Bay’s offense didn’t look like the real deal overall for much of the afternoon, but keep in mind that Tristan Wirfs wasn’t available. Things will improve once he returns.


Atlanta Falcons (0-1) – Previously: 14.
The Falcons lost to the Buccaneers, but they outgained the Buccaneers and averaged more yards per play. It came down to Younghoe Koo’s miss, though Koo wouldn’t have even needed to kick if Khadarel Hodge would have just looked for the ball when targeted in the end zone.


Pittsburgh Steelers (1-0) – Previously: 13.
The Steelers are moving down despite winning. Their defense is a complete mess. They couldn’t stop a new coach-new quarterback combination in Week 1 where they were battling Justin Fields behind an offensive line with a rookie right tackle and a backup right guard. Pathetic!


Houston Texans (0-1) – Previously: 17.
As if Houston’s offensive line wasn’t bad enough, the team lost its center to injury against the Rams. Derek Stingley also got hurt, but the big concern is how awful the Texans’ blocking is. Why did they trade Laremy Tunsil again?


Cincinnati Bengals (1-0) – Previously: 18.
The Bengals are now 2-9 in Weeks 1-2 in the Joe Burrow-Zac Taylor era. They didn’t deserve to win their first game in this dynamic because Dalvin Cook fumbled over midfield in overtime, and they didn’t deserve to beat the Browns, who outgained them 327-141. Cincinnati prevailed because of two receiver drops turned into interceptions, as well as two missed kicks.


Jacksonville Jaguars (1-0) – Previously: 19.
The Jaguars would have beaten the Panthers 30-3 had the officials let a pick-six stand at the end. It’s hard to tell if the Jaguars are much better now, or if they took advantage of battling the worst team in the NFL not named the Dolphins. We’ll get a better idea when Jacksonville travels to Cincinnati in Week 2.


Indianapolis Colts (1-0) – Previously: 28.
The Colts had a dominant win over the Dolphins in Week 1. I almost called it an impressive win, but there’s a chance the Dolphins are the worst team in the NFL, so I’m not sure if we’ll look back at this game in about a month and call what Indianapolis did impressive, despite what the final score says.


Arizona Cardinals (1-0) – Previously: 20.
The Cardinals had the game against the Saints well in hand through three quarters, but fell asleep at the wheel and nearly lost. I have to wonder if this had to do with Kyler Murray’s illness, whatever that was. Part of me wondered if he was trying to get out of playing in this game, almost like a kid who doesn’t want to go to school just so he can play video games at home.


Las Vegas Raiders (1-0) – Previously: 21.
A nice start for Geno Smith with the Raiders. He had a rocky first half, but caught fire after halftime. I just want to see him involve Dont’e Thornton more instead of Tre Tucker. Oh, and we’ll have to see if Brock Bowers is OK after he left the game with a knee injury late in the afternoon.


Chicago Bears (0-1) – Previously: 16.
Chicago fans had to be so excited for a while. And then, reality sunk in, and they remembered that Caleb Williams will probably be a bust. Ben Johnson, by the way, needs to understand when to call for an onside kick. Not doing so at the end of the Minnesota game was a horrible blunder.



Group D:


New York Jets (0-1) – Previously: 24.
The Jets nearly won in Week 1, but I wouldn’t be excited just yet. There’s a chance the Steelers have one of the worst defenses in the NFL. Still, Jets fans can be optimistic because Breece Hall looked great, which will make him a very appealing piece to move at the trade deadline.


Dallas Cowboys (0-1) – Previously: 26.
The Cowboys were competitive with the Eagles, albeit with Philadelphia not having Jalen Carter because of his ridiculous ejection. CeeDee Lamb dropped two passes in the fourth quarter, but the Eagles also dropped a trio of potential interceptions.


Seattle Seahawks (0-1) – Previously: 22.
The Seahawks nearly beat the 49ers, but they needed two missed San Francisco kicks and two weird Brock Purdy picks, plus a George Kittle injury to be close. The Seahawks generated just 230 net yards of offense, so that game could have been more lopsided.


New England Patriots (0-1) – Previously: 23.
The Patriots lost, which should perhaps make people who bet the over 9.5 wins a bit nervous. However, they didn’t look too bad. What they really need to do is stop the Rhamondre Stevenson nonsense. It’s quite obvious that TreVeyon Henderson is a million times better than Stevenson.


Cleveland Browns (0-1) – Previously: 31.
The Browns should have beaten the Bengals. They outgained them, 327-141, and they averaged nearly two more yards per play. They would have won if they didn’t have two drops turned into interceptions, and if the organization correctly chose veteran Dustin Hopkins over some guy named Andre Smzuyzkdydkdknrkesxxrgr.


New York Giants (0-1) – Previously: 25.
How did Brian Daboll come to the conclusion that Russell Wilson is a better veteran option than Jameis Winston? I think this should almost be disqualifying for Daboll if he ever tries to get another head-coaching gig. Wilson is an abomination of a quarterback at this stage of his career, while Winston at least has the upside of being able to throw a touchdown. Either way, I’m sure we’ll see Jaxson Dart soon.



Group F:


Carolina Panthers (0-1) – Previously: 29.
I can’t believe the Panthers were so bad in Week 1 after keeping games close against the Chiefs, Eagles, and Buccaneers. I mean, sure, they lost those games, and those teams didn’t try hard against them, but those results meant that Carolina was supposed to be soooo good this year.


Tennessee Titans (0-1) – Previously: 30.
The good news for the Titans was that they played a turnover-free game and had a chance to win in a tough environment in Denver. The bad news for the Titans was that they accumulated just 133 net yards of offense.


New Orleans Saints (0-1) – Previously: 32.
The Saints nearly beat the Cardinals at the end, but they trailed by double digits entering the fourth quarter. The good news for the team is that they were able to lose to preserve their draft positioning, all while not completely embarrassing themselves.


Miami Dolphins (0-1) – Previously: 27.
Serious question: Did Mike McDaniel bet on himself to be the first head coach fired in 2025? That’s the only explanation I have for Miami being so terrible against the Colts. We knew the Dolphins would be bad, but they looked like the worst team in the NFL in Week 1, and it wasn’t even close. They couldn’t do anything right on either side of the ball.