- A fifth team has risen to the top spot over a six-week period.
- Two teams from the same division occupy first and second place of power poll.
- Only one AFC team currently resides in the top five.
NFL power rankings entering Week 10 of the 2025 season (previous rank in parentheses):
Note: This week’s rankings will be updated accordingly until Tuesday’s 4 p.m. ET deadline to execute trades during the 2025 season expires. The ▲ and ▼ symbols indicate subsequent movement by specific teams over the course of Tuesday.
Check back here for further analysis regarding deals and how they might affect the positioning of clubs involved. For further insight into the day’s trade activity, follow along in our live blog.
1. Los Angeles Rams (3): Has there been a more valuable player than QB Matthew Stafford? Is there a more imposing defense in the NFC? Since losing to the Niners in Week 5, LA has won its past three games by an aggregate score of 86-20. Next? An opportunity for payback at San Francisco.
Trade alert
3. Denver Broncos (7): They’re now 4-0 in games in which they entered the fourth quarter trailing − quite the formula for taking control of the might AFC West. Yet still unclear if the Broncos are capable of staking the Silver and Black to such a lead in the Mile High City on Thursday night.
4. Philadelphia Eagles (8): They’ve seemingly been awfully productive despite not playing in a week − GM/EVP Howie Roseman adding OLB Jaelan Phillips and CBs Michael Carter II and Jaire Alexander rather than kicking back during Philly’s bye.
5. Green Bay Packers (2): Can TE Luke Musgrave, who was taken one round earlier than injured teammate Tucker Kraft two years ago, finally flourish at a time when the Pack need him to step up?
7. Buffalo Bills (10): They beat the mighty Chiefs. In the regular season. Again. Yawn − unless this becomes the game that tiebreakers the dynasty home after Week 18.
8. Kansas City Chiefs (1): Travis Kelce joined Jason Witten and Hall of Famers Tony Gonzalez and Antonio Gates as the only tight ends with at least 500 receiving yards in 12 seasons. He should consider making all of them groomsmen − and could start considering save the dates for January.
10. Tampa Bay Buccaneers (11): Hope they’re rested and ready coming out of the off week, their next three opponents (Patriots, Bills, Rams) a currently a combined 19-6.
Trade alert
▲ 11. Indianapolis Colts (4): Six turnovers? Maybe they had a bad day. Maybe they were overrated as some (raises hand) suspected. Maybe it’s a little bit of both. We’ll know for sure when the varsity schedule truly kicks in after a Week 11 bye. But they’re still the AFC’s No. playoff seed. Technically. For now … and maybe for a while longer with former Jets All-Pro CB Sauce Gardner joining the fold in Tuesday’s shocker.
12. Pittsburgh Steelers (12): ‘That dude came in here, man, and gave us some quality work,’ coach Mike Tomlin said of recently acquired S Kyle Dugger. The question now is whether GM Omar Khan will bring in anyone else for a team that could still use help at receiver and in the secondary.
13. Jacksonville Jaguars (14): They have five more road games this season, three in domes and one in Denver. We want to see K Cam Little get a field-goal shot beyond 70 yards. Though maybe given Tuesday’s acquisition of WR Jakobi Meyers, the Jags can get Little a little closer …
15. Baltimore Ravens (20): This bandwagon is picking up steam, though former Titans OLB Dre’Mont Jones was able to safely hop aboard Monday.
16. San Francisco 49ers (16): RB Christian McCaffrey now has 16 career games in which he’s rushed for a TD and found the end zone on a reception. The Niners might need him to have another eight like that this season in order to remain competitive.
17. Carolina Panthers (18): If they’re able to pump out two wins (but not three) over NFC South foes over the next two weeks, the Panthers will be in excellent position to chase their first playoff berth since the 2017 season.
Trade alerts
▲ 22. Cincinnati Bengals (23): Congrats to the only team since the 1970 AFL-NFL merger to score at least 38 points in successive games … and lose both. Since the start of the 2024 season, Cincy has lost six games in which it’s scored at least 30 points. It’s enough to make an average back like Chase Brown start lobbing F-bombs across the locker room. Yet − credit to them − they’ve managed to unload an expensive defender who hadn’t even managed to keep his job.
▼ 23. Dallas Cowboys (19): What a 24 hours for owner Jerry Jones. He saw his team get wiped by the Cardinals in front of a national audience on Monday night, then decided to start infusing talent into a 3-5-1 squad that’s currently in 11th place overall in the NFC. The big move was acquiring Pro Bowl DT Quinnen Williams from the Jets in a move that’s going to deplete the draft war chest Jones had loaded following this summer’s infamous export of DE Micah Parsons. Prior to that, he’d obtained LB Logan Wilson, who’s in the second season of a four-year, $36 million contract but lost his job in Cincinnati to rookie Barrett Carter. Maybe a D-lineman dropped by a team not exactly awash in talent and an off-ball ‘backer − one who apparently wasn’t good enough for the Bengals D and struggles in coverage − will be silver bullets for Dallas’. But don’t bet on it.
24. Washington Commanders (21): A team that caught almost all of the breaks in 2024 can’t find one in 2025 − now stuck in a four-game free fall and without QB Jayden Daniels for the foreseeable future.
26. Cleveland Browns (26): Kevin Stefanski just installed offensive coordinator Tommy Rees as the team’s new play caller. So when will he install Shedeur Sanders as the new quarterback?
27. Miami Dolphins (27): As interim GM Champ Kelly begins selling off parts, maybe coach Mike McDaniel can rally the remaining troops given it seems the pressure’s off of him now − at least on a weekly basis through the end of the year.
Trade alerts
▼ 29. Las Vegas Raiders (31): The defense has allowed an average of 29.5 points over the past six games … which would be awesome if they were the Cincinnati Raiders. Previously disgruntled Meyers hadn’t done much over the past month − other than double down on his trade request − but apparently he showed the Jags enough in person Sunday to compel them to swing a deal, which is a pretty good one long term for Vegas … if not immediately so.
▼ 31. New York Jets (30): A 1-7 squad coming off its bye is just a few breaks from being 5-3 − such is life in the NFL. Yet apparently, life hadn’t gotten so bad in Gotham, the NYJ are trading Gardner, whom they’d signed to a four-year extension just three months ago, to the Colts for two first-round picks. Also out is Williams, who’s fetching a first- and second-rounder. The Jets also take castoffs Mazi Smith from Dallas and Adonai Mitchell from Indy. Bold long-term moves − remember how the Jamal Adams swap panned out year ago − if ones that invite more pain in the interim.