NFL Power Rankings: Seahawks cement top spot, Patriots slide and other key season takeaways
The Seahawks ended the season like they played most of it — dominating on defense. They claimed the top spot in the season's final rankings.
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We at the NFL Power Rankings have some good news and some bad news.
The bad news? The NFL season is over.
The good news? We were right about the Seattle Seahawks, who ended the regular season as the top team in our rankings and ended the playoffs as Super Bowl champions.
There has been some shuffling in the standings after that, though. Let’s dig in.
1. Seattle Seahawks (17-3)
Last ranking: 1The takeaway: Defense is back!
This may be an exaggeration overall, but every game the Seahawks played this season against anyone but the Los Angeles Rams should have come with a parental warning for violence. Seattle led the league in both points allowed (17.2 per game) and defensive EPA (12.5 per 100 snaps), according to TruMedia. Against everyone but the Rams, those numbers improved to 15.6 and 15.
2. Los Angeles Rams (14-6)
Last ranking: 6The takeaway: The real runners-up
Let’s take a moment to appreciate the games that the Rams and Seahawks gave us this year. Seattle won two of three, and every game was a banger. The aggregate score was 88-85 in favor of the Seahawks. None of the games was decided by more than four points, and the games featured 10 lead changes. League MVP Matthew Stafford says he’s coming back next year, so expect both of his games against Seattle next year to be in prime time.
3. New England Patriots (17-4)
Last ranking: 2The takeaway: A surprisingly uncomfortable offseason awaits
The Patriots ended the regular season ahead of schedule and looking like another dynasty was in the offing, but their offensive line and young quarterback were so bad in the playoffs that their fans won’t feel great, even after reaching the Super Bowl. New England, which had the easiest regular-season schedule in the league this season, averaged 13 points per game in the playoffs. Drake Maye’s EPA per dropback in the Super Bowl (minus-0.34) was the sixth worst since 2000.
4. Denver Broncos (15-4)
Last ranking: 4The takeaway: Couples counseling awaits
The Broncos were the AFC’s top seed and reached the AFC Championship Game, but their head coach and quarterback still aren’t on the same page. After Sean Payton said the ankle injury that ended Bo Nix’s season in the divisional round was “predisposed,” Nix got a little cranky, saying on a conference call that it wasn’t. “I don’t think he really should share how many surgeries I’ve had in the past, to be honest with you,” he said. “He doesn’t even really know that.”
5. San Francisco 49ers (13-6)
Last ranking: 7The takeaway: The 2025 NFC West was unfair
The 49ers won 12 games in the regular season and finished ninth in the league in scoring margin (plus-66), but they finished what now feels like a distant third in their own division. The offseason conversation will be about backup quarterback Mac Jones and whether San Francisco will get some help in 2026 by trading him.
6. Buffalo Bills (13-6)
Last ranking: 8The takeaway: It’s Josh Allen’s show now
And that’s probably the way it should be. When the Bills fired Sean McDermott, the Buffalo head coaching job immediately became the most coveted in the league because of its star quarterback. Ultimately, the gig went to Bills offensive coordinator Joe Brady thanks to what is believed to be heavy input from Allen. Now Allen has to carry Brady and a subpar defense over the finish line.
7. Chicago Bears (12-7)
Last ranking: 9The takeaway: The offensive line still matters
The Bears’ signing of Drew Dalman and trades for Joe Thuney and Jonah Jackson were the second-most impactful offseason additions behind only New England’s huge haul in free agency. It led to a resurgent season for quarterback Caleb Williams and Chicago’s first playoff win in 15 years. This team might be a summer sleeper.
8. Houston Texans (13-6)
Last ranking: 5The takeaway: There’s a C.J. Stroud issue
The Texans probably thought after Stroud’s rookie season that this would be the offseason they would start working on a mega-extension for their young quarterback. But the last two seasons have raised a lot of questions. In that time, Stroud is 25th in the league in EPA per dropback (0.01), and he threw four interceptions in a 28-16 divisional-round playoff loss to the Patriots. That defense is really good, though.
Parker Washington and the Jaguars lost to the Bills in the playoffs, but they should be contenders again in 2026.
Mike Carlson / Getty Images
9. Jacksonville Jaguars (13-5)
Last ranking: 3The takeaway: You’re going to hear about them a lot
Jacksonville won its last eight regular-season games before being bounced from the playoffs in a three-point loss to Buffalo. Including the postseason, this team had the fourth-best point margin in the league this season (plus-135).
10. Philadelphia Eagles (11-7)
Last ranking: 10The takeaway: The offense has to prove it
After finishing 19th in the NFL in offensive EPA (minus-6.93), the Eagles replaced offensive coordinator Kevin Patullo with Sean Mannion. But the bigger news may be the voluntary departure of Jeff Stoutland, who is widely considered to be one of the top offensive-line coaches in the league. If Philadelphia doesn’t bounce back in 2026, head coach Nick Sirianni could be the next departure.