Pre-training camp NFL Power Rankings: Eagles, Ravens on top; Steelers, 49ers worth watching
The Super Bowl champion Eagles remain on top of our Power Rankings. Where do the Bills, Chiefs and Lions fit in?
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The first NFL game is less than two weeks away. It’s the Hall of Fame Game, but still, you know you’re going to watch. It’s football season. That means it’s time for our preseason NFL Power Rankings. We start where we left off with the Eagles coming off a dominant Super Bowl win and sitting atop the list. The question marks start right after that. Can the Ravens finally break through this year? Will the Bills’ defensive line overhaul be a key difference-maker? How long can the Patrick Mahomeses (also known as the Chiefs) keep doing this?
1. Philadelphia Eagles
Last ranking: 1The big names on offense are all back, a good thing because a defense that lost Milton Williams, Darius Slay Jr., C.J. Gardner-Johnson, Josh Sweat and Brandon Graham might have a tough time matching last season, when the Eagles finished second in scoring defense (17.8 ppg). The two biggest offensive questions: Can Jalen Hurts match a career-best season (.25 EPA per attempt) and how does Saquon Barkley respond after a 378-touch season, the fifth-highest workload in the last five seasons?
2. Baltimore Ravens
Last ranking: 4In the second half of the 2024 season, Baltimore was third in scoring (30 ppg) and second in scoring defense (18 ppg allowed). Lamar Jackson is coming off maybe the most spectacular non-MVP season in league history (41 TDs versus four interceptions, 915 rushing yards and the best EPA per dropback of anyone in the last five seasons, according to TruMedia). Now, it’s just a matter of snapping a streak of three straight one-score losses in playoff matchups. The only thing keeping the Ravens from the top of this list is that they lost 15 free agents in the offseason.
3. Buffalo Bills
Last ranking: 3Josh Allen, coming off his first MVP season, gets all the credit in Buffalo, but the Bills’ ultimate destiny this season will be determined by their lines of scrimmage. Buffalo was eighth in pressure percentage allowed (31.9) and fourth in rushing EPA (.06 per carry) last season and returns all its starters on the offensive front. Defensively, the Bills added Joey Bosa, Larry Ogunjobi, Michael Hoecht and three rookies to the line of scrimmage.
4. Kansas City Chiefs
Last ranking: 2Since Patrick Mahomes became the full-time starter in 2018, the Chiefs have played nine more games than any other team (137) because they have advanced to at least the AFC title game each of the last seven seasons. Last year’s team looked exhausted by the end, though, and the offense struggled by its standards (10th in EPA per play, 12th in scoring). Wide receivers Rashee Rice (pending suspension news) and Hollywood Brown, who played a combined six games last year because of injury, should provide a boost this season.
5. Green Bay Packers
Last ranking: 7The Packers have drafted six wide receivers in the first five rounds in the last four years, and they were second last season in yards per completion (12.8). Now, it’s up to quarterback Jordan Love to smooth out the rough spots in his game. Love was 22nd last year in EPA per attempt (.13) and 30th in interceptions per attempt (2.6 percent). He’s thrown 27 interceptions in the last two seasons, including five in the playoffs, which is two more than any other NFL quarterback in that span.
6. Washington Commanders
Last ranking: 6The Commanders added two offensive linemen — trading for Laremy Tunsil and drafting rookie first-rounder Josh Conerly Jr. — to protect the franchise’s most important asset — second-year quarterback Jayden Daniels. After a dynamic rookie season, Daniels is going to have to be great again. The Commanders finished in the bottom half of the league in almost every defensive category, lost defensive tackle Jonathan Allen and didn’t make any serious personnel upgrades on that side of the ball.
7. Detroit Lions
Last ranking: 5The Lions had to replace offensive coordinator Ben Johnson and two of his assistants along with defensive coordinator Aaron Glenn and one of his assistants. They also lost cornerback Carlton Davis, edge rusher Za’Darius Smith, guard Kevin Zeitler and center Frank Ragnow. They also must bounce back from a shocking 45-31 loss to the Commanders in the playoffs last season. Coach Dan Campbell is 37-11 in his last 48 games, but this will be his toughest test in a while.
8. Houston Texans
Last ranking: 10C.J. Stroud was sacked 52 times last season, more than anyone other than Caleb Williams. More than 10 percent of his dropbacks ended in a sack or interception, and Houston’s offensive line lost Laremy Tunsil. The defense might be good enough, though, to keep the Texans near the top of this list while the offense tries to regain its footing. Houston was second in defensive success rate (61.1 percent) and fifth in defensive EPA per snap (6.9) last year and added free agent safety C.J. Gardner-Johnson.
9. Los Angeles Rams
Last ranking: 8Despite defensive lineman Jared Verse’s game-wrecking rookie season, the Rams were 28th last season in pass defense (minus-.28 EPA per dropback), and while they bolstered their defensive line with Poona Ford, they didn’t make any significant additions to the secondary. They got a lot of attention for pushing the Eagles in the playoffs, but the Rams were the only playoff team with a negative point differential in the regular season and averaged 19.7 points in their last six games.
10. Minnesota Vikings
Last ranking: 9In 2023, Kirk Cousins was second in passing yards per game and Minnesota let him leave. In 2024, Sam Darnold was seventh in passing yards per game and Minnesota let him leave. Now, it’s J.J. McCarthy’s turn. The No. 10 pick in the 2024 draft sat out his rookie season after tearing his meniscus and hasn’t thrown a professional pass. The backup plan is Sam Howell, so the Vikings are banking on McCarthy to be very good.