NFL Power Rankings takes stock of all 32 teams throughout the season.
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BUF | CAR | CHI | DEN | GB | HOU | JAX | LAC | LAR | NE | PHI | PIT | SEA | SF
1. Seattle Seahawks (14-3)
Mike Macdonald
The Seahawks are the best team in football heading into the playoffs, and much of the credit goes to the potential Coach of the Year. Laying the foundation for an elite defense last season was just the start of a dream transition to this new era. That unit reached even greater heights in Year 2, tying for first in EPA/play and allowing a league-low 17.18 points per game. But the head coach is more than just a defensive guru. Macdonald also sparked Seattle's offensive breakthrough by making the bold decision to move on from Ryan Grubb after one year. He'll be on the hunt for another offensive coordinator if Klint Kubiak leaves for a head coaching job, but that's a problem for later. First, the Seahawks need to parlay this coaching and team-building masterclass into a Super Bowl title.
2. New England Patriots (14-3)
Drake Maye
Mike Vrabel and his coaching staff have been sensational throughout their first year in New England. The Patriots' swift re-emergence as a Super Bowl contender wouldn't be possible without the organization's instant culture change. It also wouldn't have happened without their sophomore quarterback establishing himself as one of the best in the game. Maye finished the regular season with 4,394 passing yards and 31 touchdowns while completing a league-high 72% of his passes. That would be impressive enough on its own, but he also threw for 8.9 yards per attempt, well clear of the second-place finisher at 8.5. Oh, and he just so happens to be among the NFL's most effective running quarterbacks, chipping in another 450 yards and four scores on the ground. Any talk about the Patriots benefiting from a soft schedule will seem silly if and when Maye's performance carries over to the playoffs.
3. Los Angeles Rams (12-5)
Balance
The football world knows all about the Rams' passing game by now. Matthew Stafford throwing to Puka Nacua and Davante Adams is pretty much a cheat code. The 37-year-old quarterback finished the year with 46 touchdowns - the most by any player since 2020 - with over half of them going to his star receiver tandem. But that's not all this offense can do. Kyren Williams and Blake Corum combined for 2,000 yards on the ground as Los Angeles produced top-two outputs in both EPA/rush and rush success rate. Being so dangerous in both phases of the game essentially makes Sean McVay's offense matchup proof. No matter who they face in the playoffs, you can bet the Rams will find ways to put points on the board, even in the cold.
4. Jacksonville Jaguars (13-4)
Coaching
Although the Jaguars made a few savvy moves to improve the roster, nobody expected them to be legitimate contenders this season. Their ascent is all about coaching. Liam Coen has Trevor Lawrence playing the best football of his career on the heels of an extended stretch where his $275-million megadeal was starting to look like a misstep. The first-year head coach also nailed his most important staffing decision upon stepping into the new job, bringing aboard Anthony Campanile as defensive coordinator. Jacksonville's defense was one of the NFL's most well-rounded units, finishing fourth in EPA/dropback and tied for third in EPA/rush. Other playoff teams may have more talent, but not many coaching staffs are maximizing their personnel like this.
5. Houston Texans (12-5)
An elite defense
If defense still wins championships, the Texans' path is pretty clear. The numbers make a compelling case for this unit's place among the most fearsome in the game. Houston finished the regular season tied for first in EPA/play, second in success rate, second in points, and first in yards. And then there's the eye test: Nobody overwhelms opponents quite like these Texans. Their four-man rush is lethal, the cover talent on the back end is as good as it gets, and all 11 players on the field provide an overwhelming level of physicality. You can feel the energy radiating through your TV screen. This is the exact type of defense that can carry a team to a Super Bowl no matter how much (or how little) support it gets from the offense.
6. Denver Broncos (14-3)
An unstoppable pass rush
My concerns about the Broncos' offense have remained pretty consistent. Despite some exciting peaks, the valleys make me worry that this group might struggle to string together enough performances to go all the way to the Super Bowl. But opponents will also have to find a way past Denver's defense, and that may be the even taller task. I'm just not sure how many teams are capable of dealing with this pass rush. The Broncos finished the year with 68 sacks, four shy of the record set by the 1984 Bears. The unit's 292 pressures were the most since PFF began tracking that metric in 2019. Even if Bo Nix isn't as efficient as you'd like a potential Super Bowl quarterback to be, a Sean Payton offense is bound to put points on the board with extra possessions consistently coming its way. And with the Broncos giving up just 18.29 points per game, good for third league-wide, they don't need many scoring drives to give themselves an opportunity to win.
7. Philadelphia Eagles (11-6)
A healthy roster
The Eagles have been a frustrating watch all season. While the state of the offense creates the impression that their ceiling is much lower than last year's championship-winning edition, that's not necessarily true. Philly's defense has proven more than capable of leading the charge when operating at full strength. And with Jalen Carter back in the mix after missing a few games at the end of the season, that unit heads into the playoffs with its entire starting lineup intact. Don't overlook the impending return of Lane Johnson, either. The Eagles' run game won't recapture last year's glory, but getting an All-Pro back on the the offensive line at least enables a meaningful step back in the right direction. This roster still has just as much talent as any other, and Super Bowl runs are all about getting hot at the right time. Heading into the postseason healthy could give the Eagles a major edge in that department.
8. San Francisco 49ers (12-5)
Kyle Shanahan
The 49ers are facing some real problems on defense. It's not necessarily their fault - injuries have torn that unit apart - but the harsh reality is that pretty much any NFL offense can hang 30 on this group. That would be a fatal blow for pretty much any other team. It's less of an issue when you've got an offensive mastermind cooking on the sideline. Leading a top-five scoring attack by both EPA/play and success rate with several key players in and out of the lineup solidifies Shanahan's status as the best in the business. And while he's come up painfully short twice before, he's no stranger to winning at this time of year. The 49ers can score with anyone, making them a threat no matter how bad the defense might be.
9. Chicago Bears (11-6)
The run game
The new-look Chicago offense struggled on the ground to start the season, ranking 24th with a 43.5% rush success rate through the first four games. But it was only a matter of time before a Ben Johnson-led unit began to dominate in that area. Sure enough, the Bears put up a league-best 55.4% rate from Week 5 through the end of the regular season. Kyle Monangai and D'Andre Swift hit their stride as Johnson's newest thunder-and-lightning duo, which was key to Chicago finishing the year on a 9-4 run and coming away with the team's first NFC North title since 2018. The formula is simple: pound the rock, set up big passing plays off play-action, and keep your turnover-dependent defense off the field as much as possible. The Bears will be a tough playoff matchup for anyone if they can continue executing that approach.
10. Buffalo Bills (12-5)
Josh Allen
I don't think it's a stretch to say this is the worst team the Bills have fielded since Allen broke out in 2020. The defense is downright helpless against the run, having finished the regular season ranked 31st in EPA/rush, and a thin receiving corps continues to limit the passing game. Yet no shortage of experts will pick Buffalo to go to the Super Bowl - all because of the quarterback. Football is the ultimate team sport, but can you really argue against the logic here? The Bills will always have a chance with the ball in the hands of No. 17. Although his team has never been less capable of helping him, nobody could possibly be surprised if Allen puts everyone on his back for four games to get it done.
11. Los Angeles Chargers (11-6)
Jesse Minter
His decimated offensive line might make it difficult for Justin Herbert to light up the great defenses he'll likely encounter on any road through the AFC playoffs. Fortunately for the Chargers, the unit on the other side of the ball ensures the quarterback doesn't have to do it all himself. Sunday's regular-season finale was the cherry on top of Minter's rock-solid case for a head coaching job, as L.A. held Denver's offense without a single touchdown drive despite resting key starters. In an AFC playoff field lacking any true juggernaut offenses, the Chargers' rising star at defensive coordinator makes them a potential dark horse.
12. Green Bay Packers (9-7-1)
Jordan Love
The Packers would have been a popular pick to come out of the NFC a month ago. Not so much anymore. Green Bay backed into the playoffs, losing four straight games after Micah Parsons went down in Week 15. The defense might be in trouble without its superstar pass-rusher, but the offense is capable of picking up the slack. That's the benefit of having one of the best quarterbacks in football. Love finished the regular season second only to Maye in EPA/dropback, throwing 23 touchdowns to six interceptions. His ability to push the ball downfield gives the Packers a shot to win even if they're playing from behind.
13. Pittsburgh Steelers (10-7)
The inexplicable
The Steelers team we saw in their Week 17 loss to the Browns - and on several other occasions, for that matter - did not deserve to be in the postseason. The brand of football they played for much of Sunday night's win over the Ravens arguably wasn't playoff quality, either. And yet here they are. No matter how many times we want to count this team out, Pittsburgh always finds a way to compete. The magic of that inevitability under Mike Tomlin hasn't translated to playoff success in recent years: The Steelers lost their last five postseason games. But who's to say they can't suddenly start playing spoiler there, too? Perhaps the steady presence of a wily veteran like Aaron Rodgers makes the difference this time around.
14. Carolina Panthers (8-9)
Miracles are possible
Carolina is simply not in the same class as the rest of these teams. While the Panthers' impressive list of regular-season stunners includes an upset win over the Rams, who are back in town for a wild-card matchup this week, almost every promising performance was followed by a letdown. The Panthers haven't won consecutive games since October. There's no reason to expect that will suddenly change against a gauntlet of NFC powerhouses in January. That said, just getting to the playoffs is often the name of the game in the NFL, and that's what the Panthers can hang their hat on. They've given themselves a chance, however slim, to shock the world. Why not them?
Dan Wilkins is theScore's senior NFL writer.
