NFL Power Rankings for every division: Give the AFC South its due

When thinking of the best divisions in football, the AFC North and NFC East come to mind, and it isn't hard to see why. Not only do the reigning Super Bowl champion Philadelphia Eagles reside in the NFC East, but the AFC North figured to have three very competitive teams in 2025.

Well, the standings 13 weeks into the 2025 NFL season suggest that it's safe to say those two divisions might not be quite as scary as initially anticipated. In fact, the AFC South is the division that needs more respect when drawing up the NFL standings power rankings.

8. AFC North

Is it safe to say that the 3-9 Cleveland Browns are the only team playing as well or better than expected in the AFC North? That's a wild thought, since they're literally 3-9, but it's also the reality. I mean, there isn't a single team above .500 in this division.

Sure, the Baltimore Ravens and especially the Cincinnati Bengals can be excused somewhat due to injuries to Lamar Jackson and Joe Burrow, respectively, but still - they've gone a combined 10-14. Even with Jackson healthy, the Ravens' offense hasn't been close to as dominant as expected, and the Bengals' roster is flawed enough to suggest that with a healthier Burrow, they'd still be a .500 team at best. The team that deserves absolutely no sympathy is the Pittsburgh Steelers. They started 4-1 and have gone just 2-5 since, falling out of first place in the division entirely.

At the end of the day, while you can expect teams like Baltimore and Cincinnati to string wins together if their quarterbacks are healthy, you can't have a division without a single winning team and be anywhere but last in these power rankings.

7. NFC South

Had we made this ranking before the season, the NFC South probably would've been at or near the bottom, so it isn't surprising to see it ranked seventh on this list. In fact, FanSided's Christopher Kline had this division ranked last just a couple of weeks ago. Week 13 helped change things, though.

Not only did the AFC North disappoint in Week 13, but the Tampa Bay Buccaneers earned a hard-fought win to improve to 7-5, and the Carolina Panthers upset the Los Angeles Rams, a team many have as this year's Super Bowl favorites.

The Atlanta Falcons are a mess, and the New Orleans Saints are about as bad as we thought they'd be, but the Bucs sitting at two games over .500 despite the injuries they've dealt with, and the Panthers getting over .500 after beating a rock-solid Rams team is enough to keep this division out of the cellar even with the bad teams at the bottom.

6. NFC East

The NFC East is nowhere near as good as anyone would've expected. Sure, the Philadelphia Eagles are 8-4, but they've lost two straight and haven't looked right, particularly on the offensive end, all year. At this point, it'd be surprising to see them win a playoff game, if they're even able to hold off the Dallas Cowboys and win the division.

The Washington Commanders were bit hard by the injury bug as well, but 3-9 is 3-9. A season that began with Super Bowl aspirations has completely unraveled. The New York Giants are something like 6-6 in an alternate universe that has them finding a way to close games, but we live in a cruel world, and Joe Schoen somehow still has the GM job.

The only team playing somewhat relative to expectations is, ironically enough, the Cowboys. Many, myself included, were low on Dallas after the Micah Parsons trade, but to his credit, Jerry Jones has turned this thing around and the Cowboys are real playoff threats. Still, Dallas is barely over .500, and the other teams disappointing as much as they have make it hard to rank the NFC East any higher than this.

5. AFC East

Perhaps I'm being too harsh on a division that has the best team in football record-wise in the New England Patriots. In fact, if we swapped the Patriots and the Buffalo Bills, I don't think anyone would've been shocked when looking at how this division has played out through 13 weeks.

With that being said, as good as the Patriots have been, Buffalo has underwhelmed some, and the bottom-feeders are prevalent. Sure, the Miami Dolphins and the New York Jets have both played better football of late, but these are two bad football teams holding this division back.

Even with the best team in the NFL, the AFC East is ultimately too top-heavy to crack the top half of the division power rankings.

4. AFC West

This is where the rankings might get a bit controversial. You could rank the AFC West a spot or two higher and I wouldn't be too upset, but I'm lower on this division than most might be, mostly because I don't think the teams at the top are as intimidating as their records might suggest. The Denver Broncos are 10-2, but do you really trust Bo Nix to embark on a deep playoff run with how he's played? The Los Angeles Chargers are 8-4, but they've beaten a total of one team in a playoff spot right now.

Had the Kansas City Chiefs and Las Vegas Raiders performed as expected on top of what the Broncos and Chargers are doing, the AFC West would be ranked much higher, but that isn't the case. At 6-6, it's more likely than not that the Chiefs will miss the playoffs. As for the Raiders, their season has gone about as poorly as anyone could've expected.

The Broncos and Chargers are good enough to have this division in the upper echelon of the league, but not by much, thanks to the Chiefs and Raiders. This could age very poorly if the Chiefs become the Chiefs again, starting in Week 14.

3. AFC South

That's right - the AFC South is the best division in the AFC. Who would've thought? Three teams jockeying for playoff spots will ultimately do that. The Jacksonville Jaguars have won three in a row, catapulting into first place in the division as a result. The Houston Texans have rebounded following their 0-3 start, going 7-2 since, including three straight wins while fielding arguably the best defense in the NFL.

The Indianapolis Colts have lost two games in a row, but are still 8-4 with one of the best point differentials in the league. They're still a force to be reckoned with. It would not be surprising to see three teams in this division make it to the playoffs, which is something nobody could've expected entering the year.

The Tennessee Titans being as bad as they are is what has this team outside of the top two. Tennessee didn't have high expectations entering the year, but they're pacing to wind up with the No. 1 pick for a second straight year. It's hard to have a team that bad in the division and still rank in the top two.

2. NFC North

The NFC North was almost universally thought of as the best division in football entering the year. While the division hasn't quite played to that standard, it's still among the league's best. The Chicago Bears are defying all the odds, and have a legitimate shot at ending the year as the NFC's No. 1 seed. They just had their most impressive win in Week 13, and Ben Johnson has everyone ready to run through a brick wall with his victory speeches.

It feels like the Green Bay Packers haven't hit their stride, yet they're still 8-3-1 also with a legitimate shot at finishing the year as the NFC's No. 1 seed. The Detroit Lions have underwhelmed a bit at 7-5, but their roster is still as talented as any in the league. It'd be foolish to rule them out of any Super Bowl talk.

Ultimately, the Minnesota Vikings are what's holding this division back. The Vikings have been one of the most disappointing teams in the NFL at 4-7, and their quarterback situation is as rough as anyone could've imagined entering the year.

1. NFC West

The NFC West is far and away the best division in football right now. Sure, the Arizona Cardinals are a mess and sit at 3-9, but ultimately, some of that has to do with going 0-4 against their division rivals. Two of those losses even came by one score. The rest of this division is elite.

The Los Angeles Rams might've suffered a frustrating loss in Week 13, but they're probably still Super Bowl favorites. The Seattle Seahawks have the same exact record as Los Angeles, and they lost to the Rams by just two points earlier this season - they're legitimate contenders. The San Francisco 49ers are dealing with as many injuries as any team, but they just find ways to win. Their schedule has been pretty easy for the most part, but 9-4 is still 9-4.

The NFC has four nine-win teams, and the NFC West has three of them. Do I really need to say more?