NFL Power Rankings 2024: Bears start in Top 15 |
Week 1 of the 2024-2025 NFL season is upon us! The Kansas City Chiefs were crowned victorious last February as back-to-back Super Bowl champions. Another exciting offseason of trades, signings, and draft picks ensued, and we are ready for a thrilling season. With that being said, here are our power rankings as the season begins.
*We decided to explain the top 16 and the Bears* 1. Kansas City Chiefs It will take some serious steps in the wrong direction to dethrone the Chiefs, who are firmly cemented as the NFL’s newest dynasty. An offense led by Patrick Mahomes and an aging Travis Kelce had acquired some new toys for Andy Reid: speedsters Rashee Rice, Xavier Worthy, and Hollywood Brown. Mix that with one of the league’s best defenses, and what you have is the NFL’s best teams. 2. Detroit Lions Pretty crazy to see the Lions this high in our rankings, but they’ve earned it. With elite playmakers on both sides of the ball, the Lions were a few different bounces away from representing the NFC in the Super Bowl a year ago. Dan Campbell has figured something out in the motor city and the Lions are on the up and up. 3. San Francisco 49ers The 49ers once again represented the NFC in the Super Bowl last season. Despite coming up short, the 49ers return almost the same team which was dominant all season long. There are some question marks in terms of an aging core, but this team remains a force to be reckoned with. Plus, they’ll be on their revenge tour in 2024-2025. 4. Baltimore Ravens Rounding out our top 4 is the final of the four teams that made the conference championship last season. Led by Lamar Jackson, who now has two MVPs in his trophy case, the Ravens had an incredibly strong season a year ago. The only knock on Lamar’s nearly perfect resume thus far is the fact that he hasn’t been able to get over the hump in the playoffs quite yet. Nonetheless, this team has crushed the regular season since Jackson has been in the league, and I don’t see any reason to expect any different. 5. Houston Texans Houston was perhaps last season's most surprising team, as CJ Stroud emerged as a top quarterback in the league in his rookie season. Take that highly-ranked offense from a year ago and add Stefon Diggs and Joe Mixon to it, and you’re looking at an All-Star team. Houston should be poised for another exciting year. 6. Buffalo Bills Buffalo may have lost Stefon Diggs, but any team with a healthy Josh Allen at quarterback deserves some respect in our rankings. They’ve been on top of a division that includes some very talented teams, and for that reason, they’re still top-six in our eyes. 7. Philadelphia Eagles You could easily make the argument that the Eagles have the best roster in football, and they added Saquon Barkley to it. However, the end of the Eagles season left a sour taste in the mouths of its fans — causing Philly to hire new coordinators. We should know pretty quickly if this Eagles team is a contender or a pretender. 8. Green Bay Packers Thanks to an extremely strong close to the regular season, the Packers squeaked into the playoffs and had an impressive display. The Packers went into Dallas and destroyed the Cowboys and then gave the 49ers all they could handle — leading Jordan Love to sign a contract that makes him the highest-paid QB in the league. The offense added Josh Jacobs to replace Aaron Jones, and the rest of the team is pretty much the same. It’ll be up to Love to prove that his strong finish wasn’t just a flash in the pan. 9. LA Rams After a disappointing season, the Rams are primed to get back on track this year, and the biggest reason is that they are healthy. Both Mathew Stafford and Cooper Kupp are healthy, Kyren Williams and Puca Nacua are ready to take another step, and this Rams team is looking to challenge the 49ers in the NFC West. 10. Miami Dolphins The Miami Dolphins have looked like the best team in football for the first two months of each of the last two seasons. Then as the weather turns cold their offense loses its fire power and their defense can’t carry them. However, the offense is still top-5 and if Tua Tagoviloa can stay healthy I see no reason why this team can’t win 10+ games. 11. Cincinnati Bengals I love the Bengals, but there are some major question marks. Will Ja’Marr Chase’s contract situation clear up, and can Joe Burrow stay healthy? If both of those questions are “yes,” the Bengals are Super Bowl contenders. But since we don’t know, we decided to leave the Bengals just outside our top 10. 12. Atlanta Falcons A new coach, new coordinators, and a new quarterback in the league’s assumed worst division have everybody on the Falcons bandwagon. Can Kirk Cousins, coming off of a torn Achilles, lead the Falcons deep into the playoffs? That remains to be seen. But on paper they are the NFC South’s best team and are ranked accordingly. 13. Dallas Cowboys The Dallas Cowboys are the league’s most top-heavy team. Dak Prescott, CeeDee Lamb, and Micah Parsons are three of the best in football, but there is a steep drop-off behind them. They also lost their OC and Tony Pollard. Is Dak Prescott capable of carrying a team? We’re about to find out. 14. New York Jets The Jets have arguably the best defense in football, and now they have a healthy Aaron Rodgers to pair with Garrett Wilson and Breece Hall. The biggest question to answer now is whether it can last more than four plays. 15. Chicago Bears The Chicago Bears are one of the most exciting teams in the sport right now. A strong finish to the 2023 season mixed with the new additions of No. 1 overall pick Caleb Williams, No. 10 overall pick Rome Odunze, veterans Keenan Allen and D’eandre Swift — the Bears are ready to embark on a new era of football. If Williams is as advertised, the Bears could be a playoff team in 2024-2025. 16. Seattle Seahawks Geno Smith is not a top quarterback in football, but he has displayed the ability to win games since becoming the Seahawks starter. With a strong offense and an improving defense, the Seahawks are hoping Smith can lead them to a wild-card berth in a crowded NFC. 17. Indianapolis Colts 18. Cleveland Browns 19. Jacksonville Jaguars 20. LA Chargers 21. Denver Broncos 22. Pittsburgh Steelers 23. Minnesota Vikings 24. Arizona Cardinals 25. Tampa Bay Bucs 26. Washington Commanders 27. Tennessee Titans 28. New Orleans Saints 29. New York Giants 30. Las Vegas Raiders 31. New England Patriots 32. Carolina Panthers Stay tuned as we update these power rankings periodically.
