NFL Power RankingsOn the final episode of the 2024-25 season, the guys discuss if the Philadelphia Eagles are becoming a dynasty and where the Kansas City Chiefs go from here. They also touch on the Lions, Commanders, 49ers, and several other NFL teams as the offseason begins.
NFL Power Rankings is a production of the NFL in partnership with iHeartRadio.
And like that. It's a wrap Welcome to the final edition out of NFL Power Rankings. It is presented by energizer Mike Am and Eric at Home with you the final set of rankings. We know how it'll play at the top, but we'll do a deep dive on all of the top teams in the NFL. For full analysis of all the squad scan a QR code or you can just head to NFL dot com. Fans in Philly, they're always happy, Eric, and I know they're happy with you right now.
They are happy.
They could go back and read the Power Rankings for about three weeks ago when I had them listed fourth among the final four teams. I had a lot of people, to their credit who hit me up at the time and said less kind versions of you're wrong, dude, And they reminded me about you know, six minutes after the Super Bowl ended, so showed a little restraint as well.
I'm kind of proud of them.
You look, you can't make everyone happy, but those fans should be thrilled by the final result. Yes, what we witnessed in the Super Bowl. All right, let's get through the rankings here one through eight. Not a surprise, the Philadelphia Eagles sitting in that top spot. Congratulations to Jalen Hurts, the game MVP. The Chiefs, they dropped that spot. They'd been kind of hitting in that top spot for a while. At number one, it's the Bills, the Lions, and the Ravens. Rounding out three, four, five, The Commanders. What an amazing season. You think about where they were at the start of the Power Rankings, you could see a plus twenty the biggest move. We will do a deep dive on them in just a few minutes. The Minnesota Vikings also a team on a rise as well, up sixteen spots from where they landed in the first edition of the Power Rankings. And the Green Bay Packers your eighth squad. All right, let's take a closer look at the Philadelphia Eagles. Take way through this. What did we not necessarily see happening that explains why this team is a Super Bowl champion?
Yeah, I mean, obviously, if you kind of look back at their season and think about, you know, they had the two and two start they went into the buy turnovers were an issue, those were.
The biggest questions of the season.
They didn't lose a game after that, in which Jalen Hurt started and finished the game. It was that one loss to Washington where Kenny Pick had played most of it. So maybe we underestimated these Eagles coming in just a little bit. I finally switched my pick right before kickoff and said, I think Philly's gonna win. I had no idea they would blow out a team on the Vergia history like this, Like the Chiefs were so good in postseason situations, so good in the clutch time, but they finished on defense and they did just an off offensively to make it a successful day.
You know, got the passing game going early.
You knew they were going to gang up on Saquon Barkley and take him out of the game.
As best they could.
They did, you know, held him under one hundred yards total on thirty plus touches, but boy, they still couldn't keep him out of the end zone. Jalen Hurts outside of that one throw with spectacular And how about Vic Fangio's defense absolutely dominating from the start, really didn't let up until they were up.
Thirty four to nothing.
Even then, but boy, an absolutely outstanding performance from a coaching from a unit that I don't know that's gotten quite the respect that they deserved.
All throughout the course of the season.
They were mostly terrific this year, and you saw the upgrades that they made on all three levels this offseason. And a coordinator too, Fanjo, you know, arguably as a Hall of Fame type resume for a coach, for an assistant coach.
I don't want to be over overly dramatic here. Is this a bungeoning dynasty too? Super Bowl appearances in three seasons? Young Defense, got your quarterback locked up? Is this something that we're going to see in the years to come?
If you ask me right now who the favorites are next year, I think you'd say Philly. Now that's pre free agency, pre draft, pre cut downs, all that stuff, so there's a lot to be figured out. But if you had to have one team to sort of say, who do you think could win a next year?
Why not Philly?
Right?
For all the reasons you just stated. And I think you know, Jalen Hurt's kind of getting that monkey office back, so to speak. Right, everybody sort of putting a ceiling on him. And not believing he actually can win a Super Bowl. He proved that wrong after all the ups and downs he's endured from Alabama to his first head coach in Philly. Now with Nick Sirianni, they've seen the mountaintop and I think they could be back there, whether it's next year or beyond that. So yeah, maybe it's not what we've seen from the Chiefs level of success, but you bet they could be.
All Right, Where did the Chiefs go from here?
Great question? Right?
We still have to figure out what's Travis Kelcey's future. Right, what are the plans for the offensive line that had a really rough day? I understand that they went into that game maybe not wanting to change the chemistry up front after they'd made some switches, patched holes as best they could, but it became obvious that that pass rush was too much from And I think you could be talking about multiple offensive line spots this offseason that need addressing, whether it's Trace Smith leaving in free agency, that left tackle spot. You'd ideally moved Joe Toney back to left guard, his best home. You know, we hear now about DeAndre Hopkins possibly retiring. Maybe he is, Maybe he isn't sort of. He deleted a tweet that said he's still got some football left. But we'll find out what their plans are at receiver, on the offensive line, and also on defense. I think they probably need some more pass rush force, you know, to penetrate good lines like the Philadelphia Eagles. They just weren't able to do it consistently enough.
I know it's disappointing for Chiefs fans. This was still a really good season. This team is still not going anywhere, especially considering how they've drafted over the last couple of years. The Bills sit at number three here. I think they silenced a lot of critics who were concerned about massive changes to personnel. How big is this window for Buffalo?
Yeah, I mean I think a year ago a lot of people were suggesting that, Okay, they let a slew of veterans go on the first day of free agency. This is the blood letting. Josh has missed his window. They're going to have to go through some sort of period of rebuild. Well, look, if having the ball with a chance to win in the fourth quarter of the AFC Championship Game is a rebuild, then I think they're in pretty decent shape.
Remember, they didn't get a ton out of key.
On Coleman, their top draft pick this year at the top receiver, who you know didn't perform on the same level as z Avier Worthy did.
I think he can make a step.
I think the defense obviously needs some reinforcements, but Josh is still in the prime of his career.
We saw guys like Khalil Shakir breakout.
You know, it wasn't even the best year from Dalton Kincaid, So you know, I think they have the chance to be even more explosive offensively the next year. The question is, with limited resources this offseason, only so much cap space, only so high draft picks, how are they going to be able to add layers to that defense, which to me, by the end of the season you saw a depleted group, but one that for the most part, I thought held together pretty well throughout the course of the season.
Yeah. Look, attrition is an issue for a lot of teams in the NFL, and I think you saw some of that. Buffalo probably did a better job than most weathering that storm, much like the Number four team. I think we forget about the Detroit Lions and the amount of injuries that they had throughout the course of this season, yet an opportunity still to potentially even make it to a Super Bowl. They're going to be facing the same thing the Eagles faced a couple of seasons ago coming off of that Super Bowl run, losing built of their coordinators. What's the fallout for that change.
If they make the wrong decisions, you know, like the art Eagles arguably did. They moved on from both coordinators learned last season. It sets you back a year, but as they proved this season, if you make the right hires one year later, you can go win the Super Bowl. So you know, I know we think in terms of windows and how long this team can get going. Obviously, Ben Johnson and Aaron Glenn are a big part of their success, and this can't be overlooked. Other multiple assistants have left as well, so you know, it's a big challenge for Dan Campbell is as you know, golf kind of heads into the back half of his career. You know, maybe Kevin Zeitdler moves on some other pieces and fregency. They still have to fix that defense and ad Layer is a talent to that. We saw how it broke down at the end of the year, so you know this is no easy climb back up the mountain top. But again, I think there's a real strong belief and now a pattern history of success over two and a half seasons that you know this team isn't going anywhere. I don't think until proven otherwise. But that OC position. Ben Johnson did work some magic at times, and they're gonna have to find somebody who can match that.
I know, we haven't even hit the NFL draft. You were at the Senior Bowl, I was at the Shrine Shrine Bowl. Know that there's gonna be some talented players available. The lines have done a really nice job in the draft building this roster. Do we look at and just kind of assuming like, hey, they'll make some additions here that'll be positive for this team. Do we look at the Lions as still on the shortlist? I don't know where. I shouldn't even be talking about rankings for next season on our last show, but I got to imagine, like, in terms of complete teams, they're one of like three or four in the NFL that you would point.
To have to be. I think they absolutely are.
In fact, you know, my preseason top four might look pretty similar to what I've got here on this wrap up of the twenty four season. So yeah, the Lions will be right up there among the heavyweight contenders. We know they can score forty on any given day. They were playing very good defense prior to Aiden Hutchinson injury, which you know, just sort of started the avalanche. It seemed like every week they dropped a starter or two. You saw it happen to the Dolphins late in the twenty three season and.
They collapse completely. This is a better roster.
I think that what Miami had put together, and so you know, I firmly believe that they're going to be among the contenders next year. But again, like Philly twenty twenty three, there's no guarantee. They started out ten and one with those two new coordinators and ended up letting both go by the end of the season. So you never know in this league, and people make rass and decisions in tense situations.
Yeah, I think, Look, you take some heat on social media for these rankings, and I'll probably take some heat for this. I know the AFC by and large better conference than the NFC, but if you say to me, the most complete teams heading into next season regardless of the draft, because obviously rosters are going to change. Eagles are in that conversation, the Lions are right there, and I'm based off of the personnel, like I put the Baltimore Ravens in front of all those other teams just based off of roster. I get it here. Yep, there's still Kansas City and Buffalo. Just making that point, there are some teams that are on the rise. And there is one that I am thinking about in a big way time for Power Moves presented by Energizer. It is the Washington Redskins. I think about this trajectory. Week one of the season, you had them twenty six in your rankings, they took a loss, they dropped all the way down to twenty nine in week number two, and in the final rankings they're the six ranked team. What an accomplishment for Dan Quinn in year number one, and it helps to have the QB one in your future, maybe QB one for the NFL over the next few years.
If you had bought Stock and the Commanders back in week one, even week two, and I knocked him down a few pegs, this is like buying bitcoin in twenty twelve.
You're doing okay for yourself. Right.
In fact, I remember on Twitter hosting my initial rankings number twenty six, and a local Commander's writer said, I think this is the highest I've seen so far. So I wasn't the only one. In fact, I guess I had a more rosy view of them than others. But love what Adam Peters did to the roster. Loved the addition of obviously Jayden Dalees. I thought he'd be a great hit with the Cliff Kingsbury. Didn't imagine it would be so successful year one. But in a lot of ways, they're kind of in the same position that Houston Texans found themselves in one year ago. Right they were coming off a successful playoff run.
You know, they won the division.
The record wasn't quite as impro is what Washington did obviously, but young quarterbacks sort of thrust into the spotlight in the discussion as one of the you know, the top young quarterbacks in the game today. There's gonna be a lot of pressure on them now. The expectations are there. They're gonna be a winning team next season. That's sort of the belief around the campfire. So we'll find out how much more magic can they do? They have to add on that defense. I feel like we've said that about every contender except the Eagles, but they absolutely facing teams like Dallas, like Philly every year, you know are going to have to tighten things up on that side of the ball. But boy, like you said, the future is so bright down there. All of a sudden, think about what a year has done to the outlook of this entire franchise, not just the football team, but just the top to bottom the whole thing.
Yeah, I think that's why there's so many teams that are looking for a quarterback right now. In this year's NFL Draft, they'll point to Washington Commanders, the one guy can really change the trajectory of our entire franchise. By the way, before we even annoint them, we know sometimes it's not always a given, right. The Houston Texans, we were kind of talking about CJ. Stroud this way, and they were still a playoff team. They were dealing with some injuries. But it's just not a lock and a guarantee that you're going to be able to duplicate success from year to year. So just to keep in mind here and just temper some of those expectations for a Commanders stands, although I think you and I feel like it's going to be really a great season next year. More to come here on power rankings. How high up to the Rams, the Broncos and Bengals deserve to be that Answers coming up next. Yes, I'll back here on power rankings. Mike Imman Eric at home with you as you take a look at his squad's rank nine through sixteen. We'll do a deep dive on the Bucks. The Houston Texans so much expectations around CJ. Stroud. I think they figured it out late in the season, a little too late though. The Rams maybe the most intriguing team, at least in my mind in this grouping the Chargers, we know that arrow is pointing up the Broncos sitting at number thirteen. The Steelers got some real decisions to make this offseason. At fourteen, Cincinnati had fifteen. Why I was on that train for most of this season, and at sixteen it is the Seattle Seahawks. I break this down for me because the Bucks are a team that's consistently really good and yet haven't necessarily been able to break through. What's it going to take.
Yeah, Tom Brady coming out of retire No, I'm kidding. Obviously, Baker Mayfield's done a tremendous job, right, and you know they're changing offensive coordinators for roughly the thirty seventh year in a row. Don't quote me on that fact, but it's something like that.
And you know Mike Evans, Look, he was terrific.
He got his thousand yards last year, but he's in the final year of his contract. Chris Godwin's potentially moving on and for agency, you know, playing in this division, obviously it gives them an advantage. Right, Carolina is still figuring things out. Atlanta's starting over a little bit with Michael Pennix, right, So they're gonna win football games.
But to your point, how do they break through?
I think getting better depth and health on defense is a big part of it. But obviously, another play caller, another system. Mayfield's sort of answered the call, reinvented his It's been fun to watch, but can he do it again? Maybe he's got to take a page out of Jalen Hurts his book, right, another guy who's been through his share hoot sas and follow that path to success.
All Right? The Denver Broncos are thirteen, and I think a little bit of a different scenario as they're trying to break through. I look at your Week one rankings, you had them twenty seventh. They move up to thirteenth in the final one and look, that's a remarkable job from Sean Payton and this crew. They got it right. They hit the home run with bone knicks. What's that missing piece for this team?
Yeah, I think obviously defensively they're pretty strong. I think the offensive line has the parts. I think you'd like to see another weapon or two in this offense. And think back to what Sean Payton had in New Orleans. He always had that X factor, as he likes to call it, that joker, right, whether it was Jimmy Graham or Jeremy Shacky at tight end. You know, Taysom Hill is kind of a multi tool piece. Alvin Kamara, Reggie Bush, whatever you want to say. They had those kind of guys who were match up nightmares from the run back position, from tight end, they don't really have that. They tried four different backs last year, five guys really, three different tight ends. They all had their strengths, but you know, they really I think want one difference maker, and if they can find that player in the draft, that would be terrific. I know they're not anxious to spend a bunch of money in free agency, but just tighten a few things up defensively already a top ten unit, and then if they can give bo Nicks that one special playmaker.
We see a player who played at a pretty darn high.
Level as a rookie who could be able to elevate even further. So I'm excited to see what they do in this offseason and who they target.
All Right, two teams are the biggest jumps, the Commanders and the Broncos. Here the team you feel most confident in duplicating success or maybe even just leveling up next year. Which one would you pick between those two?
That's a great question because obviously the expectations for the Commanders are going to be sky high, even playing in the same division as the Eagles, the team that knocked them out of the playoffs. But you know, I would probably say Tampa Bays. They can fly below the race a little bit and also play in the weaker division, so maybe that factors in. We still haven't seen how the schedule lays out, or what happens at trade and see. But right now, you know, I mean even Jayden Dale's is the better quarterback. They beat the Bucks head to head in the playoffs in Tampa. But you know, as far as like expectations and playing above that are equal to that, you know, wouldn't be shocking if the Tampa Bay Buccaneers end up with more wins than expected.
If that makes sense, no question.
I mean those three teams in general, you throw them into the basket, you pull out a name, and you'd be like, all right, like that team could be pretty good this upcoming season. Now we're talking about teams that have made the huge jump. There's some squads that didn't necessarily live up to the expectations that we thought. Oh I feel bad for your Brock, Like, I get it. Eric actually had them as number two team heading into the season. Are they even contenders moving forward? The answer to that is coming up next. We're on power rankings. Mike Amman, Eric at Home with You, Team seventeen through twenty four the Arizona Cardinals. This was this is a good season for him. They did move up, and I know there were some issues as the season unfolded. Form but they're at seventeen. The Dolphins injury bug in a big way at eighteen. The Falcons, oh the way this season had turned out for him, But Michael Pennix is waiting in the wings at nineteen, The Colts at twenty, San Francisco forty nine ers we'll get to in a moment here at twenty one, The Bears at twenty two. They dropped six spots from that original ranking, The Dallas Cowboys at twenty three, and the Carolina Panthers. The ro is pointing up for that franchise. All right, let's focus in on this Niner squad. I think this is the most intriguing team in the entire list. You had them number two before the season starts. They fall to now twenty one. There's no way on the preseason rankings, correct me if I'm wrong here, they're going to be outside the top twenty.
Right, It would be hard to do, right, even if they end up trading Deebo Samuel, as has been reported and rumored. I think, you know, obviously it depends on what happens this season, right, but this offseason, I should say, but it seems to me like they're focusing on re signing party, giving him his long term deal how long we'll see, and then elevating one of those other receivers, whether it's Ricky Piersall their first round pick or Juwan Jennings and trying their best to get what they can for debo. Remember they tried to trade Brandon Auk last year. He ended up go getting hurt, Christian McCaffrey getting hurt, Trent Williams missing time. You know, virtually every single one of the key players that they couldn't lose missed at least one game, if not more.
So.
You know that's the reason they sunk so far. Am I gonna raise them all the way back up to number.
Two right now?
That feels a little bit unlikely, but Kyle Shanahan proven the history of success in November December. I mean, I feel it's safe to say they'll be somewhere around that top ten.
You will get a random text from me this summer and I'll be on vacation pool side somewhere with a little umbrella drink and the whole thing, and I'm gonna say, you're gonna have the Niners in the top ten. Just be prepared for that one. The Dallas Cowboys at this point sending at number twenty three. Is this as simple as McCarthy out and they get a shot in the arm with Shottenheimer.
I think if you send me that same text with the Cowboys, with the little drink and everything the emoji, I don't know that I can give you that same answer.
Right.
It might be a little different than what we say about the forty nine ers. This feels to me a little bit New York Jets ish in the sense that, hey, I know our plan last year didn't work, but let's mostly run it back. Let's take the guy who was essentially the first lieutenant for Mike McCarthy and make him the head man. I mean, if that's all it takes, then truly, I give a lot of credit to Jerry Jones for being patient and saying we're going to see this thing through.
But the other half of me is questioning whether this is the right move. Yes, this is a.
Team that went thirty six and fifteen over three years before that, but they fell to seven to ten, and even if injuries were part of the story, dak missing a big chunk of the year. I don't know that they're going to be a complete football team with the likes of the Ravens and the Lions and the Eagles and the other teams that we mentioned at the top of the show. Those teams are more complete right now. So we'll you see what the plan is.
But you know, maybe Schottenheimer does give him a.
Little energy, a little fresh perspective. Can he bring him through to the promise lay what Mike McCarthy couldn't do. I have my questions right now. Yeah.
I was talking Isaiah Standback, who does Good Morning Football. Right after the decision to go with Schottenheimer, he said, hey, verbiage language all going to be save for Dak which is definitely a huge bonus heading into next season. At city twenty five through thirty two. The Jets at twenty five, we know there's going to be massive changes. They are the Patriots at twenty six, the Raiders, what do they do with the draft? At twenty seven, the Saints have a new coach, officially, Kellen Moore is their guy. At twenty nine, it's the Jags, the g Men at thirty The Tennessee Titans might be thinking about QB one at thirty one in the draft, and the Cleveland Browns your last place team. I want to focus in on the Patriots because we've had some squads Eric that we're kind of in this range and became top fifteen teams. Can the Patriots do that?
I think if there's one you bet on, well, Like you said, every single year, somebody in this range ends up sort of thriving the next year. We've seen Drake may play very well, Mike Brabil comes in, Josh McDaniels comes back.
For a third ten yure in New England.
And yes, they have a lot of holes to fill, but when you have over one hundred million dollars of salary cap space, a good till of draft picks, and the willingness to spend, I think they're in for a big offseason and that could lead to more victories next year. So yeah, they're one of the leading cannons from this bottom Groves.
Cross for the Patriots, you're their best, Eric, always appreciate work, everything happen.
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