32: Cleveland Browns

We're very low on the Browns and think they have set up some very good coaches to fail by refusing to seriously invest in the quarterback position. Shedeur Sanders could surprise us, and become an NFL starter. Even if he does, this isn't looking like a good football team.

30: Carolina Panthers

The Panthers had the worst defense in football last year, and the fourth-worst offense, per Fox Sports. Do we really expect a team that bad to turn it around in one offseason? It's a huge year for Bryce Young, who may be running out of time.

29: New York Giants

The Giants could have one of the best defensive lines in football this season. Unfortunately, there isn't much else to be excited about on this roster, Malik Nabers aside. They also have to play the rest of the NFC East, which won't be easy.

28: Tennessee Titans

The Titans have done a decent job of surrounding Cam Ward with veteran talent, which should help him ease into NFL football. Still, expectations are low given the struggles Tennessee had last year.

27: New York Jets

We actually think the Jets made some sensible moves this offseason that should keep them in good stead moving forward after attempting to go all in the past couple of years. Still, it's tough to turn things around in one year, and Justin Fields isn't that good, so we don't expect much.

26: New England Patriots

The Pats will probably be fine in 2025, we just don't see them as a team likely to challenge for the playoffs in Mike Vrabel's first season back in Foxborough.

25: Indianapolis Colts

Is this Anthony Richardson's last chance? Possibly, and given some analysts are excited about Daniel Jones possibly replacing him, he hasn't exactly set the world on fire. Still, this team went 8-9 last season, and we expect something similar again.

23: Atlanta Falcons

We have to admit, we're pretty excited to watch a full season of Michael Penix Jr. He throws a beautiful football, and has the weapons around him to win football games. The defense should be better purely through the addition of some pass-rushers.

22: Miami Dolphins

Ralph Vacchiano sums up the Dolphins well in his recent power rankings, writing, “How are they better than the ugly team that went 8-9 last year? They’re probably a lot worse.” He’s not wrong given the talent drain across the roster. This could be a tough year in Miami.

21: Seattle Seahawks

For want of repeating ourselves, the Seahawks downgraded at quarterback this offseason, so why should we expect them to perform better? The defense will probably be better in Mike Macdonald’s second season, but we don’t think the offense will be anything to write home about.

20: Las Vegas Raiders

The Raiders have built a team to win a respectable number of games. After years of being one of the worst teams in football, competence is the order of the day. We don’t expect them to be challenging for their division or anything, but this should be a solid football team.

19: Arizona Cardinals

Arizona are just a middle of the road team, and one we don’t expect to be in the playoff mix. If they are, it’s probably due to their division rivals struggling. Kyler Murray needs to be more consistent, if he is, this team will be competitive at least.

18: Chicago Bears

Until we see Caleb Williams take a big step, we don’t know if he can. We have high hopes for the Bears under Ben Johnson, we just want to witness the improvement first. This is a franchise not used to winning in recent seasons, and one that has rarely had elite quarterback play. Both could change this year.

17: Pittsburgh Steelers

It’s the Steelers, we know roughly what they’re going to look like and how they’re going to play, even with Aaron Rodgers under center. 9-8 is almost guaranteed.

16: Denver Broncos

If the Broncos’ defense plays as well as it did last year, Denver will be competing for the AFC West title. Typically, elite defenses aren’t sticky year to year, so there’s no guarantee that they will reach those same heights, and we don’t think the offense is good enough to win them games by itself.

15: Dallas Cowboys

There’s a lot of pessimism around the Cowboys from some in the national media, which we understand, we’re just not sure if we fully agree. This is a team loaded with talent, regardless of some of the ongoing contract issues. If Dak plays near his best, the Cowboys will win a lot of fames. Based on last year, that’s a huge ‘if’...

13: Los Angeles Rams

Some are very excited for Matthew Stafford’s last couple of seasons, and we understand that. We just also worry a lot about this defense, especially the secondary, which looks bad. Jared Verse et al. up front will have their work cut out if they want to stop opponents from scoring.

12: Houston Texans

We worry we are massively underrating the Texans, but we don’t know where else to slot them on these rankings. If C.J. Stroud rebounds, and plays at the level of his rookie season, plus this defense continues to improve, this is a scary team for any opponent. These are still questions that need answering, though.

11: Tampa Bay Buccaneers

Baker Mayfield has roughly a million options in the passing game, all of whom are seriously talented. If new OC, Josh Grizzard, is anywhere near Liam Coen’s level, and per an ESPN report, Tampa Bay has high hopes for him. We’re not sure how you stop this team.

10: Los Angeles Chargers

Justin Herbert, at some stage, needs to put it all together and take his team deep into the playoffs. He’s too talented to not let that happen. This could be the year, given the surrounding roster.

9: Detroit Lions

Last year ended in tough fashion for the Lions, getting blown out 45-31 at home by the Commanders. Then, they lost both coordinators and two offensive linemen. That’s not insignificant and could lead to some problems Jared Goff hasn’t had to overcome in recent seasons.

8: Washington Commanders

Jayden Daniels could continue to showcase his unique skillset, or, like many great players before him, take a slight step back in year two. Outside of him, we just don’t think this roster is especially talented, so there’s a chance they regress just a touch. Still, this is the best Washington team in years, so there’s plenty to be optimistic about.

7: Minnesota Vikings

J.J. McCarthy is no sure thing under center, but Kevin O’Connell won games with Joshua Dobbs playing quarterback having joined the team just a couple of days before he was due to start, so we’re not overly worried. Brian Flores can paper over a thin defensive roster, too.

6: Cincinnati Bengals

Will the Bengals decide to play good football in September this year, or wait until the playoffs are almost out of reach before turning up? We’re really not sure. Either way, Joe Burrow and this offense are elite, which is enough to win you plenty of football games.

5: Green Bay Packers

There were many in the NFL media who expected the Packers to be elite last season, and they weren’t. They were a good football team, with exploitable flaws. This year, they could be the same again, which could make this ranking look a bit silly. We just have a feeling they’re going to be very good.

3: Buffalo Bills

We know roughly how the Bills' season will go, as we’ve seen it play out a bunch of times now. Josh Allen will play like an alien, the defense will be solid-good, and they’ll win 12 or more games.

2: Baltimore Ravens

It's hard to find a weakness on this Ravens roster, it's absolutely loaded with talent. You could say that about previous iterations too, and they haven't been able to get over the final hurdle, which is something we're sure they're looking to fix in January.