The Divisional Round is in the books, and we have some big changes at the top of the NFL power rankings heading into the Conference Championships.
Learn where each NFL team stacks up in our updated power rankings and the best NFL teams for the 2025 season.
NFL Power Rankings, 2025:
| Power Rank | Team | Change | Previous |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Seattle Seahawks | 0 | 1 |
| 2 | New England Patriots | +1 | 3 |
| 3 | Los Angeles Rams | +1 | 4 |
| 4 | Denver Broncos | -2 | 2 |
NFL Team Rankings:
1. Seattle Seahawks
After scoring a combined 26 points in their split regular season series with San Francisco, Mike Macdonald’s offense finally cracked Robert Saleh’s code, rolling up 41 points on their way to the NFC Championship game. Rashid Shaheed’s 95-yard return on the opening kick gave Seattle the jump start they needed, and it was off to the races from there. As special a connection as Sam Darnold has developed with Jaxon Smith-Njigba through the air this season, the Seahawks stuck to what got them their first win over the 49ers just three short weeks ago. Seattle ran the ball 39 times during Week 18’s trip to Santa Clara (their second-highest rate of the season), generating 180 yards and a Zach Charbonnet touchdown. In the playoffs, however, Macdonald put the spotlight on his RB1, and his decision paid dividends. Kenneth Walker III took 63.3% of Seattle's backfield carries (his second-highest rate of the season) for 116 of the team's 175 yards on the day, cashing in a trio of second-half scores on the way. The defense also put together a nice day of their own, holding their opponents to the fewest total yards of any team in the Divisional Round and finishing the day with a +3 turnover margin. It’s interesting to note that Darnold attempted just 17 passes in Saturday’s win, but he’ll almost certainly be forced beyond that if he hopes to keep pace in this next matchup. Darnold was pushed to a season-high 44 passing attempts when he first faced off against Los Angeles in Week 11, and 4 of them were intercepted. He found a more even keel in Week 16’s overtime thriller, but Seattle’s season hinges on his ability to outgun the rival Rams one final time.
2. New England Patriots
As conditions took a turn for the worse in Foxborough, Patriots fans witnessed the kind of playoff win that takes a fanbase right back to the good old days. Drake Maye took an ugly slugfest in the trenches (in which he took 5 sacks) and turned it into a fireworks display. Maye was one of three quarterbacks in the divisional round to connect on 3 touchdown passes, and he ranked first among them with a 100.7 passer rating (ranked 2nd out of all eight QBs this weekend). While the scoring was done through the air, this battle was very much won in the trenches. Rhamondre Stevenson once again led the charge on the ground for New England, muscling his way to three drive-extending first downs to seal Houston’s fate late in the fourth quarter on his way to a fourth-ranked 4.4 yards per carry. Defensively, New England capitalized on the miserable weather (and several offensive mistakes on the part of their opponents) to force key takeaways, including a 26-yard Marcus Jones touchdown return on C.J. Stroud’s second of 5 turnovers on the day. The Patriots’ defense ranks fourth in points allowed and ninth in passing yards allowed per game, and they could be a real nightmare for a quarterback who hasn’t seen real action since 2023. That being said, Maye will need to hold his own against yet another of the league’s top pass rushes if he hopes to take his team back to the promised land.
3. Los Angeles Rams
The Rams offense lulled after taking advantage of an early Caleb Williams interception to score on their opening drive. They gained just 86 yards and scored only 3 points on the next seven drives that followed, as their MVP-caliber passing attack struggled to find space amid the Bears’ minefield secondary. Matthew Stafford ranked seventh out of eight quarterbacks this week with a 47.6% completion rate, but he was still able to stretch the field with long completions to his tight ends (27 to Tyler Higbee and 35 to Colby Parkinson) to finish the day with a third-ranked 258 total yards. Similar to Seattle’s plan of attack this week, Sean McVay ignored his recent split backfield strategy and placed the bulk of the rushing burden on Kyren Williams. The Bears bottled up the run well, but Williams played to their weakness with outside zone carries, racking up 87 yards and scoring on LA’s first and last regulation drives. On the other side of the field, the pass rush was unable to bring Williams down for a sack, but they kept relentless pressure on the young quarterback (the fourth-highest rate this week) and collected 3 interceptions. The last of those picks came in overtime, setting up Harrison Mevis (who missed just one kick in his first season as a Ram) for a 42-yard game-winner. His kick punched the Rams a ticket to their first conference championship game since they won Super Bowl 56, and just like that 2022 season, they’ll have to take down a division rival in the NFC title game to make it back to the big one.
4. Denver Broncos
The Broncos were dealt a devastating blow immediately following their Divisional round victory over the Buffalo Bills when Sean Payton informed the media that Bo Nix suffered a season-ending ankle injury in the final moments of the game. He’ll be replaced in the AFC Championship game by Jarrett Stidham, who hasn’t seen a meaningful snap since 2023. If Stidham can limit mistakes, however, we could see this Denver team continue to scrape out wins in the same way they have all season. The 14-3 Broncos are 11-2 in one-score contests with a league-leading .846 winning percentage thanks to their juggernaut defense. Their pass rush harassed Josh Allen as they have almost every quarterback they’ve crossed paths with this season, leaving him battered and vulnerable as the secondary cleaned up the scraps. They took the ball from Allen 4 times, forcing 5 total turnovers from Buffalo’s offense and keeping them off the board for just long enough to stave off their late comeback attempt with a 23-yard Wil Lutz game-winner. While the odds are stacked against them with a backup quarterback under center, Denver at least maintains the promise of home-field advantage as the franchise prepares for its biggest game since Peyton Manning rode off into the sunset back in 2015.
2026 Draft Order:
| Pick | Team |
|---|---|
| 1 | Las Vegas Raiders |
| 2 | New York Jets |
| 3 | Arizona Cardinals |
| 4 | Tennessee Titans |
| 5 | New York Giants |
| 6 | Cleveland Browns |
| 7 | Washington Commanders |
| 8 | New Orleans Saints |
| 9 | Kansas City Chiefs |
| 10 | Cincinnati Bengals |
| 11 | Miami Dolphins |
| 12 | Dallas Cowboys |
| 13 | Los Angeles Rams (via Falcons) |
| 14 | Baltimore Ravens |
| 15 | Tampa Bay Buccaneers |
| 16 | New York Jets (via Colts) |
| 17 | Detroit Lions |
| 18 | Minnesota Vikings |
| 19 | Carolina Panthers |
| 20 | Dallas Cowboys (via Packers) |
| 21 | Pittsburgh Steelers |
| 22 | Los Angeles Chargers |
| 23 | Philadelphia Eagles |
| 24 | Cleveland Browns (via Jaguars) |
| 25 | Chicago Bears |
| 26 | Buffalo Bills |
| 27 | San Francisco 49ers |
| 28 | Houston Texans |
| 29 | TBD |
| 30 | TBD |
| 31 | TBD |
| 32 | TBD |
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