JetNation NFL Power Rankings

JetNation NFL Power Rankings – 2025 Preseason

It smells like bar-b-que and sunscreen, but we are closer to Fall than we are to Memorial Day. Training camp is coming, and the season starts in less than fifty days. It’s time to see who the top teams are as we head into the preseason schedule. Here is the preseason version of our NFL Power Rankings.

1. Philadelphia Eagles

The champs are entering the season with room to improve. That’s an unusual place to be after claiming the Lombardi trophy. Most of that room is in the passing game. Jalen Hurts threw for nearly 1,000 fewer yards last season than he did in 2022 or 2023. Philly still has a top-three offensive line in front of Hurts, a home-run hitter behind him in Saquon Barkley, and a more than capable receiving core. Some of the passing drop-off is explained by the monster season Philly had running with Barkley, but more plays are needed in the passing game to repeat as champions.

 Biggest Concern: Pass rush. When we last saw them, the Eagles front seven were mauling Patrick Mahomes in the Super Bowl. Many of those people who spent the day in the KC backfield are no longer Eagles. Josh Sweat, Bryce Huff, and Brandon Graham are gone. The defense will need to find replacements, and there are no obvious answers on the roster at this point.

2. Kansas City Chiefs

It was odd to watch the Chiefs get blown out in the Super Bowl simply because of how unusual it has been over the last several years. Despite the huge disappointment, Kansas City is still an elite team and capable of returning to and winning the Super Bowl. KC used their first pick in the draft on an offensive tackle and have added potential starters and depth along the offensive line after spending the Super Bowl watching the Eagles draped all over Patrick Mahomes. Mahomes is now thirty years old, and he may be entering this season more motivated than in the last few years with the bitter memory of the Super Bowl on his mind.

Biggest Concern: The changes along the offensive line and the receiving room. The line needs to solidify after the changes and gain their coordination before the season gets going. The receiver group needs to produce. Travis Kelce led the team with a paltry 823 yards receiving last year. Rashee Rice is returning from injury, and the team added speedy but often-injured Hollywood Brown in free agency last year. KC needs Xavier Worthy to step up and Rice and Brown to stay healthy. If they do, the defense is more than ready to make KC champions again.

3. Detroit Lions

The Lions stormed through the regular season only to flop spectacularly at home in the playoffs. The team enters the season with last year’s top-scoring offense. Detroit should continue to be a nightmare for defenses despite changes along the offensive line. Detroit is more balanced than any other team and can score on the ground or through the air from any point on the field.

Biggest Concern: The Lions’ short stay in the playoffs was not a reflection of their offense. Detroit could not get a stop against the Redskins. The defense will be helped by Aidan Hutchinson’s return and free agent corner DJ Reed. If Hutchson is fully healthy and can stay that way, and the Lions can overcome the deflating defeat in the playoffs, they will be a major contender for the conference title.

4. Baltimore Ravens

The Ravens will enter 2025 as the league’s number one-rated offense. Baltimore ran for 187.6 yards per game last year and scored 30.5 points per game. Lamar Jackson was the league’s top-rated passer. Jackson threw 41 touchdown passes and had just 4 interceptions last year. The combination of Derrick Henry and Jackson on the ground and Jackson’s capability as a passer make Baltimore a serious title contender.

Biggest Concern: The Baltimore secondary was porous last season. The unit was better as the year went on, but finished 31^st in passing yards allowed. The team drafted a safety with its first-round pick and added Green Bay cornerback Jaire Alexander in free agency. Those moves should add up to an improvement in 2025, but just how much better they will be is the question.

5. Washington Commanders

The Commanders plugged in a rookie at quarterback in 2024 and were able to go 12-5 and play in the NFC Conference Championship. Jayden Daniels finished in the top ten in passer rating and touchdowns in his first year in the league. Washington ran the ball well in support of their young quarterback, stacking up 154 yards per game on the ground.

 Biggest Concern: Run defense and Pass rush. Washington was 29^th in rushing yards allowed per game last year. Washington was 19^th in passer rating allowed. The Commanders added Von Miller to help a group that struggled to pressure the quarterback last season. Miller needs to help those numbers improve if Washington intends to take the next step in 2025.

6. Buffalo Bills

The Bills enter the season as the league’s second-highest scoring team. Josh Allen is a perennial MVP candidate, and he makes things go for Buffalo’s offense. The Bills added Joshua Palmer and Elijah Moore to the receiver core, but Buffalo didn’t address their offense until their second pick of the fifth round of the draft. They seem to be able to manage without an elite receiver and will enter the 2025 season in the same mode. The Bill’s defense ranked 17^th in the league. It’s not a dominant unit, but it is enough to complement their potent offense. The defense was the focus in the draft, and several of those rookies will be asked to contribute early.

Biggest Concern: Pass rush. The Bills let Vonn Miller go and are hoping to get pressure on the opposing quarterback from free-agent signee Joey Bosa. Bosa was last able to play a full season in 2021. The Bills have to be encouraged that Bosa was on the field for 14 games in 2024, but he has only tallied 14 sacks since his last full season in 2021. Buffalo needs someone else to step up. The team is not getting bounced from the playoffs because of their offense. In the last five postseasons, the Bills have given up 38, 42, 27, 27, and 32 to the teams that have eliminated them.

7. Houston Texans

The Texans had lofty expectations going into 2024, but injuries to the wide receivers and the offensive line derailed their hopes of a big year. This season could end up being what many expected 2024 to be. Danielle Hunter and Will Anderson will bring the heat for the Texan defense. Houston ranked fifth overall in total defense, so if the offense can be healthier at wideout and better on the line, the Texans will make a lot of noise in 2025.

Biggest Concern: Offensive line. The Texans are at their best when Joe Mixon has room to run and set up big plays downfield to Houston’s talented receiver group. None of that will happen unless the offensive line comes together and improves on its play from 2024.

8. Green Bay Packers

Green Bay was a juggernaut against average and lower-tier teams and another team completely against elite clubs last season. The team really didn’t threaten the Eagles in the wildcard round. The Packers were balanced, ranking fifth in offense and sixth in total defense in 2024. There is a lot of talent and much to be excited about going into 2025, including first-round pick Matthew Golden sliding in at wide receiver for third-year starter Jordan Love.

Biggest Concern: Cornerback. The departures of Jaire Alexander and Eric Stokes have left huge holes on the edges for Green Bay. This is a major concern for a team trying to catch up to the Lions. If the Pack can’t stop the pass, it will be hard to make the postseason in a division with Justin Jefferson, Amon-Ra St. Brown, and a rising group of pass catchers in Chicago.

9. Los Angeles Rams

After a 5-6 start to the season, Los Angeles ripped off five straight wins largely on the back of their surprising defense to take the division. After resting their starters in the season finale, the Rams throttled Minnesota on the road before giving Philadelphia a scare in the conference championship. The Rams added Devante Adams to replace Kuper Kupp.  The offense finished in the middle of the pack largely because of their struggle to run the ball. If the defense can play the way they played in the second half, and the line can push the Rams running game into the top half of the league, Stafford and the defense should win another division crown and return LA to the playoffs.

Biggest Concern: Offensive line. The Rams added two new offensive linemen in free agency, but it remains to be seen if that will move the needle. The Rams only allowed two sacks per game last season – tenth best in the league. It’s the run blocking that has the Rams playing one-dimensional football against the league’s better teams. If it doesn’t improve, the best the Rams will do is a short playoff run in 2025.

10. Tampa Bay Buccaneers
    Tampa lost four straight games to enter their bye week 4-6. They roared out of the bye and won six of their last seven to take their division. Tampa almost upset Washington on the road in round one of the playoffs. The Bucs offense boasts a top-five receiver core and one of the league’s best offensive lines. Tampa can run block and pass block, and a revived Baker Mayfield is entering the prime of his career behind a solid group to lead what was the league’s third-ranked offense into 2025.

Biggest Concern: Pass defense. The Bucs were in the bottom five against the pass in 2024. The Team signed rusher Hasan Reddick to get to the quarterback, but Reddick had just one sack last season after holding out with the Jets. The team used their second and third-round draft picks on cornerbacks. If the rookies can play, Tampa will be dangerous.

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20. New York Jets

The Jets may have been the most disappointing team of 2024.  Aaron Rodgers struggled behind a rebuilt offensive line that couldn’t run or pass block. The 2024 offensive line was somehow worse statistically than in 2023, which is hard to fathom as the team spent 2023 shuttling late-round picks and rookies in and out of the lineup. The defense also took a step backward in 2024, struggling against the run and falling to the middle of the league in rush defense.

Rodgers is gone, along with Devante Adams. Cornerback DJ Reed left for Detroit. The good news is that the offensive line should be better, as should the safety position. The Jets are hopeful to finally have a bona fide threat a tight end after using their second-round pick to upgrade the spot. Stepping in for Aaron Rodgers is Justin Fields. Fields was solid but not spectacular in Pittsburgh. He didn’t have great weapons around him, but he still managed to go 4-2 in his 6 starts.

It’s hard to know what to make of it all. There are exciting young talents all over the field, but the Jets need rookies and second-year players at several positions to step up to break their playoff drought. Will things come together for so many young players so quickly? Fields will be the biggest question. What will we see from him? It’s exciting to think about his mobility assuming the Jets’ young offensive linemen play to their pedigree. The question is what the Jets will get from Fields in the passing game. Will Fields improve with a more capable receiver group than he had in Pittsburgh? Can he finally become what everyone hoped he would be when he was a first-round pick out of Ohio State?

Biggest Concern: Offensive line. If the young tackles are not what everyone thought they were coming out of college, Fields will struggle, and the Jets defense will spend too much time on the field again as they did in 2024. If the young guys can fare better than the horrific play the Jets got from the old timers they trotted out at tackle in 2024, Fields can be exciting with his rushing and continue to develop as a passer. There are too many questions – more questions than answers, but the Jets do appear to be rising, and the sheer number of talented contributors on the roster has to mean that better days are ahead for this team.

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