NFL Power Rankings: Seahawks beat Patriots’ new No. 1; Jaguars, Bears also rise, Packers fade in Week 17 originally appeared on The Sporting News. Click here to add Sports News as your go-to source.
Ranking all 32 teams in the NFL from best to worst every week during the 2025 regular season has been a wild ride. In such a top-heavy league, the hierarchy could see huge changes depending on some specific results.
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This often results in teams jumping higher or declining faster relative to other ranked teams. Even the backend has seen some major reorganization recently.
Here’s The Sporting News’ latest breakdown from top to bottom for Week 16:
More: AFC, NFC playoff pictures updated with Week 16 results
NFL Power Rankings
Sam Darnold
1. Seattle Seahawks 12-3 (last ranking: 5)
The Seahawks offense rebounded after a slow passing start to earn a thrilling victory over the Rams. They need Sam Darnold to cut down on turnovers and keep improving to live up to their lofty playoff status.
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2. New England Patriots 11-4 (3)
With Derek Meyer cooled and once again contained, the Patriots’ offense fell into more of a slump in Baltimore, putting their chances of stealing the AFC East in serious jeopardy.
More: Patriots lock up playoff spot for first time since 2021
3. Los Angeles Rams 11-4 (1)
The Rams had no issues moving the ball without Davante Adams, with Matthew Stafford spreading the ball around and getting more out of the run. But Seattle’s secondary issues became more prevalent when the front line couldn’t handle the pressure.
4. Denver Broncos 12-3 (2)
The Broncos couldn’t find enough clean offense from Bo Nix to pull off another comeback in the fourth quarter, and it looked more like a blowout loss to the Jaguars. There were major mistakes in their defense and their late development was unstable.
5. Jacksonville Jaguars 11-4 (9)
The Jaguars got their sixth straight win with a real win in Denver. Their dominance on the road and a strong fourth quarter bode well for their playoff prospects.
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More: 6 reasons why the Jaguars are legitimate Super Bowl contenders
6. Chicago Bears 11-4 (8)
The Bears should be excited for Caleb Williams to be in late-game comeback mode, always giving them a chance. Chicago is trying to stay strong in the playoffs.
More: Bears defeat Packers, take control of NFC North
7. San Francisco 49ers 11-4 (6)
The 49ers should love the fact that the Seahawks beat the Rams on Thursday night. Their offense is hot, and a win over the Colts puts them in control of the division and the top seed in the NFC in the final two weeks.
8. Buffalo Bills 11-4 (4)
The Bills then fell into a tough battle in Cleveland, where Josh Allen’s fumbles against a stout defense were saved by James Cook and the running game. The defense is lucky to survive against a team with limited weapons
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9. Los Angeles Chargers 11-4 (10)
The Chargers came into Dallas and used it to have a great offensive game, but their defense was even better. Justin Herbert needs this, and so does Jim Harbaugh.
10. Philadelphia Eagles 10-5 (11)
The Eagles have gotten their offense back, with Saquon Barkley running the ball well and Jalen Hurts passing the ball everywhere, silencing his critics. They no longer have to worry about the division and can focus on being the best defense possible for a Super Bowl in the playoffs.
11. Green Bay Packers 9-5-1 (7)
The Packers saw Jordan Love suffer a concussion in Chicago and Malik Willis performed well enough to win, but too many mistakes from the offense, defense and special teams created a bigger mess than the injuries.
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12. Houston Texans 10-5 (12)
The Texans held off the Raiders with a gritty offense and a signature enough defense. The hiccups that came up after the win were forgivable, but there are still plenty that need to be ironed out before next week’s game against the Chargers.
More: Texans beat Raiders to keep playoff hopes alive
Pittsburgh Steelers quarterback Aaron Rodgers
13. Pittsburgh Steelers 9-6 (14)
The Steelers found their running game again in Detroit to balance out a great run defense. They kept getting better at the right times and made the playoffs with the help of Aaron Rodgers.
14. Detroit Lions 8-7 (13)
The Lions have struggled to run the ball at will like they did last season and take away that element like the Steelers did. Combined with an injury-riddled defense, Detroit fell into failure as a playoff contender.
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15. Carolina Panthers 8-7 (18)
The Panthers showed a lot of grit in their win over the Buccaneers, with Bryce Young winning the biggest passing matchup of his career. If they make the NFC playoffs, there’s a good chance they’ll make some noise.
More: Panthers beat Buccaneers to take control of NFC South
16. Indianapolis Colts 8-7 (15)
The Colts tried to do more on Monday night against the 49ers, but their defense was in trouble and couldn’t do that.
17. Baltimore Ravens 7-8 (16)
The Ravens once again had a defensive collapse and other big mistakes in the fourth quarter that cost them a big lead again, this time against the Patriots, which spelled doom for a poor season overall and now perhaps the health of Lamar Jackson.
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More: Ravens’ playoff path gets bleaker with loss to Patriots
18. Tampa Bay Buccaneers 7-8 (17)
The Buccaneers made too many mistakes late in the game, from the defense to Baker Mayfield. They can still make the playoffs, but their incentive to hang on in a tough wild-card draw will be reduced.
19. Minnesota Vikings 7-8 (20)
While J.J. McCarthy was building positive momentum, the Vikings couldn’t seem to keep him healthy, but they still managed to earn another win with enough clutch plays and a much-needed tough defense against the Giants’ promising offense.
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20. Dallas Cowboys 6-8-1 (19)
The Cowboys look like they’ve run out of gas on offense and can’t continue to try to make up for a historically bad all-around defense. This disappointment cannot be blamed on Dak Prescott.
21. Atlanta Falcons 6-9 (23)
The Falcons are coming off a winning streak with wins over the Buccaneers and Cardinals that make them feel better about Raheem Morris’ future as head coach. Kudos to Morris for going out of his way to keep them inspired.
22. Kansas City Chiefs 6-9 (21)
Without Patrick Mahomes, Gardner Minshew and their top receivers, the Chiefs’ defense can’t rush the passer and the offense can’t pass the ball, and they can’t be expected to win. The fact that they lost so easily on the road to the Titans was astounding.
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More: Without Patrick Mahomes, how easy it was for Travis Kelce to make his retirement decision
Tyler Shoff
23. New Orleans Saints 5-10 (24)
The Saints beat the weaker Jets at home, with Tyler Shough having a great performance with the help of Kellen Moore’s various weapons. He should be entering his second year as the starting quarterback, and the defense has a lot of late-game belief.
24. Cincinnati Bengals 5-10 (25)
The Bengals showed little energy against the Ravens in Week 15, but they got off the mat and tore apart a weak and undermotivated Dolphins team, with Joe Burrow needing to return to good form late to try to end the season on a positive note.
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25. Miami Dolphins 6-9 (22)
The Dolphins bounced back from back-to-back disappointing performances against the Steelers and Bengals to quickly return to playoff contention. Mike McDaniel is once again feeling the heat as Tua Tagovailoa’s benching backfires.
26. Washington Commanders 4-11 (26)
The Commanders haven’t provided a reliable enough defense all season, and their age and youth are in the wrong places. They can only hope that things change again with a healthy Jayden Daniels leading the offense.
27. Tennessee Titans 3-12 (31)
The Titans have seen a lot of improvement from Cam Ward in recent weeks, which earned them a nice confidence win at home against the shaky Chiefs.
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28. Cleveland Browns 3-12 (29)
The Browns struggled against the Bills, and while the defense collapsed around Myles Garrett, Shaddell Sanders showed fight and performance that earned him a full-season audition as the 2026 starter.
More: Myles Garrett moves one step closer to NFL sack record with humble half-sack
29. Arizona Cardinals 3-12 (27)
The Cardinals’ positive offensive vibe has left Jacoby Brissett and the rest of the bench in trouble, with too much pressure on them to compensate for Jonathan Gannon’s potentially lame-duck defense.
30. New York Jets 3-12 (28)
The Jets are doing their best to stay competitive with Brady Cook back at quarterback, but the bigger issue is Aaron Glenn’s overall defense. They were a really lost, bad team.
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More: NFL draft order updated after Week 16
31. New York Giants(30)
Jackson Dart was expected to have a poor performance, but the Vikings defense handed the fumble to him. These bumps are enough to fully move forward with the new coaching system.
32. Las Vegas Raiders 2-13 (32)
The Raiders’ offense showed more energy in all areas of Houston’s performance against a poor Texans defense. They also played their most inspired defensive game in weeks. That still wasn’t enough to overcome their lack of execution.
