NFL 2024-2025 Power Rankings Before the Season Begins; Chiefs Remain on Top Yet Again

Bottom Nine Teams #32 – #24

               At the start of every season, teams are expected to underperform or perform accordingly due to their roster and while these nine teams may be at the bottom of the list for now, surely at least one of these teams will perform better than their ranking.

              #32 New England Patriots – The New England Patriots were abysmal last season, especially on offense, one of the worst offenses in the modern era. It felt like the team was a generation behind in style, tempo, and playcalling. Due to the reset that the team is going through, next season will feel like a lifetime for fans as they stumble through the season. The offensive line is average to below average, the skill players are well below average, thankfully the addition of Drake Maye is one to be celebrated. The Commanders passing on him gave the Patriots the chance to take him and Patriots fans will be forever grateful they got him. He’s young, with a great build, great talent, athletic, and a great arm. Everything you could ask for in a young quarterback is what you get in Drake Maye. Now, this season, expect some growing pains with that roster, 3-14 will not make Maye look great but he should have plenty of flashes that make fans excited for the future.

              #31 Carolina Panthers – Last season could not have gotten much worse than it did last season. A total of 2 wins throughout the entire season. The offense was such a mess and rookie quarterback Bryce Young did not receive any help in his growth and was thrown into one of the worst situations a #1 overall pick has ever gone to. Defensively they weren’t much better but they had a couple of good players on that side, none more than star pass rusher Brian Burns who is no longer in town. So how do they grow? Now in terms of talent growth on the roster, there was not much on the defensive side which is concerning, they will probably be worse with the loss of Burns. Offensively, I do like a lot of the additions and credit to the Panthers for actually trying to surround Bryce Young with more weapons. Even if none of them are prototypical elite prospects, they added a lot of talent with Diontae Johnson and plenty of rookies at multiple positions.

              #30 Tennessee Titans – The Titans did not have an elite roster by any stretch of the imagination, they didn’t even have a good talent roster in comparison to other NFL teams and as a result, they finished 6-11 which is better than they probably should’ve been. Still, they decided to move on from Mike Vrabel which puzzled everyone. The offense is not ready to take that next step and might even regress. Quarterback Will Levis has not done nearly enough to invoke confidence as a franchise quarterback, as well as losing their identity the last 8 seasons on offense when Derrick Henry moved on. Replacing him with Tony Pollard who didn’t look the same last season is not exactly hyping up Titans fans. Their receiving talent is not ideal, filled with receivers past their prime. If there is any saving grace. It’s the fact they’re committed to building up their offensive line, evidenced by drafting JC Latham. I do believe the defense will be better than the offense with some solid additions like T’Vondre Sweat and Chidobe Awuzie, along with elite corner L’Jarius Sneed. Even with those additions, it’s not enough, this team is weakest in the division and plays a tough schedule.

              #29 Denver Broncos – The Broncos were a tale of two very dramatic seasons last year as they could not have started worse at 1-5 and even their one win was a collapse from Chicago. Their defense was one of the worst the NFL had ever seen at that point and that’s not an exaggeration. They then went 6-1 with the defense playing better and Russel Wilson playing solidly. Despite Russel Wilson playing pretty well, he’d be benched at the end of the year for seemingly no reason as it was clear to the whole team that he would never be Sean Payton’s guy and the way the Broncos went about it was not a good look. This team for the upcoming season is just not talented enough and doesn’t have an elite quarterback to make up for that as some other teams do. What they do have is a rookie quarterback that was selected in the first round which was somewhat of a reach in Bo Nix. He’s talented but he’s already 24 and who knows how ready he’ll be to take the reigns over. The talent around him is not great outside of Courtland Sutton and that’s the story of this team. On the defense, they only have one true star which is Pat Surtain II, outside of him it’s sort of average to below-average everywhere.

              #28 Washington Commanders – The Commanders finished 4-13 a season ago and with the second overall pick, they went with Jayden Daniels. They went with Daniels after what was a turnover-filled season with Sam Howell at quarterback. Defensively it was expected their defensive line would be solid, and help carry them to wins, but that was not the case, their defense was atrocious and trading Montez Sweat to Chicago did them no favors as well. Looking forward to this season I have them at only 4 wins again, which will be disappointing for Commanders fans but this team has a long way to go. The run game is not good, the line is not great, the defense will most likely be pretty bad and who knows how long it’ll take Daniels to translate to the NFL, especially with his thin frame, it would not be a surprise to see him struggle with some early injuries in his career.

              #27 Arizona Cardinals – The Cardinals were not good last year, and that was to no one’s surprise, they had one of if not the worst rosters in the NFL. Despite that though, they played a lot of teams really tough and even managed an upset or two like when they took down the Cowboys. Regardless of that, they only managed to win a total of 4 games. The offense should be better with the full-season return of Kyler Murray and the big new draft piece in Marvin Harrison Jr. Also drafting Trey Benson at HB provides a big burst and homerun potential which was not there with James Connor who will still get a lot of carries. So, a lot of potential there on the offense even if the receiver room is still a little thin. The big concern is on the defensive side of the ball, where they just have hole after hole and the holes they don’t have are full of talented but unproven athletes that need time to blossom.

              #26 New York Giants – The Giants are coming off a pretty lousy season last year going 6-11, it wasn’t too long ago this team was in the playoffs and now that feels quite distant. The offense was terrible last season and the games that Daniel Jones was healthy for were some of the worst performances from the offense. Jones, who had just got a pretty big contract, which to me was a bit of a surprise due to the fact he had not accomplished much at all, and his quarterback rating of 70 last season was not a good sign. For this upcoming season, I have little faith in how the offense will perform this time around. They lost Saquon Barkley, the offense line is not good, and the receiving core is extremely thin outside of first-round Malik Nabers who should be a blast to watch but his production might not match his talent this season if the offense fails to produce, defensively this team seems solid, especially with trade for Brian Burns to add some legit elite speed rushing off the edge. Still, this team is not ready to compete with their big division rivals and will likely have a good pick for the draft, maybe for a quarterback.

              #25 Las Vegas Raiders – The Raiders are an odd team to look at as of right now. I can’t quite figure out what their identity is going forward, where is this team going to shine? Last season they were a mess for most of the year but Antonio Pierce seemed to get the most out of their players. That will be necessary this season if they want sustained success. Their run game is not expected to be great, they lost Josh Jacobs who they couldn’t block for last season, and now have Zamir White and Alexander Mattison can any of them be a top back? They’re talented but unproven in that role. Quarterback is a concern, I don’t believe their franchise guy is on this roster by any means, Aidan O’Connell had a good preseason last year and some solid games last season but not enough to warrant true hype, he’s in a battle with Gardner Minshew who is the ultimate bridge quarterback. Where they are strong however is the weapons and defensive line of this team. Whoever they do get to be their franchise guy is going to be happy when they have talent like Davante Adams, Jakobi Myers, Michael Gallop, and now rookie Brock Bowers, legit talent there. Regardless this team is about a year or two or at least a quarterback away from being contenders.

              #24 Minnesota Vikings – Last season was a big opposite of the year prior where they won a bunch of one-score games, that was not the case last season. They were losing those games and once Kirk Cousins went down and Justin Jefferson missed plenty of time, the offense became poor and their defense had plenty of holes. They would end up moving on from Kirk Cousins in the offseason which is always a big deal when you transition from a long-time starter. For some of their issues, the Vikings addressed a lot in the draft and had a great few days. Drafting their franchise quarterback while also not having to move up to get him is a huge plus regardless of some peoples’ feelings on JJ. McCarthy and if he’ll succeed in the NFL, the Vikings believe in him. Also securing Dallas Turner is huge, especially that late for him when in reality Turner is a top ten prospect caliber player. Now, the Vikings will be starting Sam Darnold with McCarthy going down for the season. They do still have that elite receiving duo so while not a horrible roster by any means it’s easy to see this team comfortably in fourth in their division.

Middle of the Road/Improving #23 – #17

              This section is for teams that have enough talent to be a hard win for just about any team and while they might not compete for a division title this year they may not be far off.

              #23 Seattle Seahawks – Two years ago the Seattle Seahawks decided to roll out with Geno Smith as their starter and he repaid them with a great season at quarterback in 2022 with 30 touchdowns to 11 interceptions and completed nearly 70% of all his passes. He followed up that season with one that wasn’t quite on the same level which left people wondering if that one season was an anomaly. If I had to estimate, Geno will likely take another slight step back next season, and if that is the case it’s going to be tough to keep up with the bigger and more explosive talent rivals in their division. The obvious biggest change is at their head coaching position, finally, the retirement of Pete Carroll leaves some big shoes to fill as he has been there for quite some time. A potential quarterback declining, a new head coach, and a tough slate of the schedule, especially in the first half, could be a way to fall behind in the records early.

              #22 Indianapolis Colts – The Colts are coming off a season that was relatively successful considering their roster when they finished 9-8 which they did for the majority of the season without rookie Anthony Richardson who still needs a lot of development as a passer and decision maker, his playmaking skills was showcased early on. Hopefully, that style of play he has doesn’t result in injuries piling up. There are some real concerns with Richardson's health, he needs to learn to slide and go down and now take these huge hits that jeopardize his health and his team’s success. Rookie Adonai Mitchell is a physical monster who should complement Michael Pittman Jr, but still, the Colts could use another receiving threat. Defensively the Colts were pretty awful last season although they made some real attempts to improve, it’s going to take some time so that, mixed with health concerns for their starting quarterback, this ranking seems reasonable.

              #21 Los Angeles Chargers – If we’re being honest, the Los Angeles Chargers have grossly underachieved in the last few years. They have had some extremely talented teams that were not able to capitalize and utilize some elite talent. Players like Khalil Mack and Derwin James were on defenses that were struggling and it wasn’t just them. An offense that has an incredible top 5 quarterback in Justin Herbert and the offense was limited at times to a lot of short routes that didn’t always take advantage of that arm talent. Big change was needed and big change is what they got with new head coach Jim Harbaugh. A new style comes with a change that big and it's evident was coach Harbaugh wants to do. Letting multiple receivers go and with their first-round pick, they drafted a big physical offensive line to establish that and the run game to go along with it. Harbaugh wants the run the ball to open it up for Herbert even though it might not be very easy this season, it should start to build a nice culture in Los Angeles. For now, this soft rebuild has them losing games to the more established rosters.

              #20 New Orleans Saints – This Saints team feels very weird in the grand scheme of things. Last season they were incredibly average to below-average, uninspiring, unexciting, and just sort of a solid team in the division that should’ve been better than they were. Derek Carr isn’t getting any better and seems to slowly regressing and he’s already average at best. While Alvin Kamara is still a great running back and Chris Olave is incredibly talented, they need some more threats to make it easier on Carr and the offense overall. After that throwaway season, the Saints are largely running it back with a lot of the same team and that does not add recipe for success. I do like their rookie class for the upcoming class, they scored big with Taliese Fuaga and Kool-Aid McKinstry.

              #19 Tampa Bay Buccaneers – There were not a whole lot of expectations for the Buccaneers going into the last season and then started their whole up-and-down stretches but ended on a good enough one to win the division at just 9-8 and sneak into the playoffs. Baker played way better than expected and looked a lot like his former self and their reliable playmakers were still making huge plays, the same goes for the defense. For this season, their schedule seems a bit tougher this season as well as their best players continuing to get older, you’ve got to consider if they will continue to keep playing at the level they’re at or if some more regression is coming. If that regression comes with teams like Atlanta clearly improving, losing an extra game this year and ultimately missing the playoffs seems to be in play for the Bucs this year.

              #18 Pittsburgh Steelers –  Last year it went better than anyone could have expected considering how the season started and it felt like their offense could not get going at all, even by the season was over they were still a bottom-five scoring offense. Now they already got a big upgrade at quarterback over Kenny Pickett with Russel Wilson and they also traded for Justin Fields who is dynamic if not still a bit raw as a passer. Regardless the playmaking ability has shot up tremendously already and we already know they’re well-coached by Mike Tomlin. If they were in a different division they would almost certainly be expected to be around a double-digit win season but due to their division and schedule overall they will fall a bit short but once again finish with a winning record.

              #17 Los Angeles Rams – The Los Angeles Rams are coming off a playoff appearance where they fell in the first round to the Detroit Lions in a very close and competitive game where both quarterbacks just battled it out. Last season Stafford proved to many why he is an all-time underrated quarterback and had another good season, especially coming off injury. It was a team that seemed lacking in talent going into the season and they proved people wrong with a fantastic draft class and great coaching. As good as Stafford is and has been, he’s dealt with injuries and is continuing to get older. Aaron Donald decided to hang up the cleats and call it a career and what a career it was. Truly impossible to replace that type of impact and the longevity of that high level of play. The Rams are doing their very best to make the defensive line not an afterthought after his retirement. They first started when they drafted Kobie Turner who was fantastic last season and now they drafted two Florida State Seminoles who are true game-wreckers in Jared Verse and Braden Fiske.

Wildcard/Some Division Winners #16 – #11

             These teams have a good shot of making the playoffs for the upcoming season, whether that be as a Wild Card team or a winner of a weaker division.

              #16 Jacksonville Jaguars – Last season was disappointing for Jaguars fans, especially the latter half of the season. Some might look at their record of 9-8 and think it wasn’t a bad season and it wasn’t but coming a playoff year and win the season before, more was expected of this team. While people are rightly disappointed, not enough attention is on how good this team looked before the injuries started to pile up, none bigger than the one Trevor Lawrence suffered that shook up their season. They were one of the top teams in the conference before then and Lawrence was a legit top-10 quarterback, all information people seemed to have randomly forgotten. I love the additions they made around Lawrence this offseason by drafting Brian Thomas Jr. to replace Calvin Ridley who had too many dropped touchdowns last season and signing reliable Gabe Davis. I trust Lawrence to play well this season, the bigger question is that defense. So, can this team bounce back and hit that first-half stretch and if they can, can they maintain it this time around?

              #15 Atlanta Falcons – The Falcons had a real chance last season to win a very weak division, instead, they were plagued by poor play calling, poor quarterback play. Despite that though, they still do go 7-10, and sure they might’ve done worse in a better division but they can only play who’s in front of them. They have some real playmakers, especially on offense that they couldn’t properly utilize but this season they potentially can. The Falcons decided to be aggressive when it comes to the quarterback position by signing Kirk Cousins who’s a proven quarterback with maybe not a whole lot of playoff success but it’s a team game and Cousins has had some impressive seasons. That being said they might’ve gone a bit too aggressive at the same position when they drafted Michael Penix Jr with the 8th pick overall in the draft. It’s an odd situation considering he’s already 24 years old and they just signed Cousins to a 4-year deal even if Cousins plays for about three years, he’ll be 27 by the time he starts. Regardless for this season, with all their weapons and should be much better QB play, and hopefully better play calling, they should lead the division.

              #14 Chicago Bears – Last season could not have gotten off to a worse start to the season. The offense had no consistency, the defense was getting gashed, and it was poor. As it went on, the Bears played much better down the stretch, especially because of the defense once head coach Matt Eberflus took over the play calling. A legit top-ten unit from that point and he’ll continue to build on top of that this season. Not only should the trend of the defense continue to get better, but the big changes and the excitement the Bears are gathering have been on the offensive side of the ball. Reminiscent of the Bengals when they put a good supporting cast around Joe Burrow, the Bears have done something similar to first overall pick, Caleb Williams. Legit, maybe the best receiving core in the league already in Moore, Allen, and Odunze. Two good tight ends with Kmet and Everett. Adding Swift in the backfield to go along with Herbert; and an offensive line group that has experience together and should continue to get better. It should be an exciting season for the Bears but as always there could be some growing pains, I’m betting that doesn’t hold them back and they could sneak into the Wild Card this season.

              #13 Cleveland Browns – The Browns were a good team last year, never a real true title contender but a playoff team even without Deshaun Watson they had Joe Flacco in and most of it was due to their elite defense they had a season ago. This team has arguably gotten better this season but they are in a tough division so that already is six tough games, they also have to play the Dolphins, Chiefs, Eagles, and Cowboys so that will be tough regardless the Browns are extremely talented. They could be even higher but I’m not a believer in Deshaun Watson at this point in his career. Not only does he struggle with injuries his performance just has not been there. So while the Browns are talented, they could still be a quarterback away from competing for a championship.

              #12 Dallas Cowboys – The Cowboys were explosive at times last season and got hot at a great time, right when the Eagles started to fade. They built this momentum by creating turnovers and moving the ball quickly and their fans had good reason to be excited over the postseason. Then in their first playoff game, they were quickly embarrassed by the youngest team in the NFL, the Green Bay Packers. Regardless of how talented the Packers are, they’re extremely young, finally the Cowboys had experience over the Packers with Aaron Rodgers gone and it didn’t seem to matter, and now after that disappointment, they have to rally back for another season with more or less the same crew. How will that crew fair? It’s tough to pinpoint even if they’re still one of the more talented rosters, there is some tension currently considering quarterback Dak Prescott is in a contract year and it’s unclear if the Cowboys are willing to pay an exuberant amount of money to a quarterback who has put up some solid stats but has not translated to postseason success.

              #11 New York Jets – The 2023 New York Jets were an absolute tragedy last season. All the hype and for good reason, plenty of talent, the defense had been good already and they got the most talented quarterback of all time Aaron Rodgers to run the offense. The good news is the team is looking quite strong, their biggest weakness was the offensive line and they got immediate help with the best pass blocker in the 2024 NFL draft class in Olu Fashanu and veteran Tyron Smith. They also added Mike Williams to pair with Garrett Wilson for a great duo, along with Breece Hall who should get a lot more touches this season. The defense is where they’re still at their strongest, however. A defensive line that already had great talent in Quinnen Williams and Jermain Johnson, added Haason Reddick and Javon Kinlaw to make a scary line. That makes it so all three levels of the defense are stout. Despite all of that talent, it’s going to be tough to stay consistent just due to chemistry and a tough division and schedule regardless this team can without certain make the playoffs if their health stays intact.

Contenders #10 – #6

              These teams on paper should be almost locks to make the playoffs. There is a chance that they won’t but there is so much talent it would be a disappointment if they failed to make the postseason.

              #10 Buffalo Bills – The Bills were an odd team at times last season, sometimes they looked like the favorites to come out of the AFC, and at times they were too much of a mess and turnovers racked up and they lost games they shouldn’t have. Still, they won the division and looked like they could make a deep playoff run but again it did not come to pass. Now the Bills are going through some change, the most notable is the receivers with Gabe Davis and none bigger than Stefon Diggs. How do they adjust to this? How can they do what the Chiefs did when they lost Tyreek Hill? It starts with Josh Allen’s growth, now Allen is already a top 3 to top 2 quarterback in the NFL and he could still get better if his decision-making improves and he slows down when trying to be Superman. Now without a “number 1” guy at receiver to start the season, it could allow Allen to grow and be good for him. At the very least they’re off to a great start trying to replace his production with the draft pick of Keon Coleman who Allen is going to love, who is amazing at contested catches and those 50-50 balls are not 50-50 when it comes to Coleman. If Allen can grow, this team can still be successful and could still make a push in the playoffs.

              #9 Cincinnati Bengals – The Bengals were a pretty big mess a season ago after years of success and playoff runs. The year started off poorly even with Joe Burrow when they started 1-3 and Burrow had a total of 2 touchdowns in that stretch. Then they went 4-0 and Burrow had 10 touchdowns and they looked like they were back in business. Then they lost a close game against the Texans and in the next game Burrow got hurt for the season and that was a wrap. Now, they should have a good record and should appear in the playoffs but there will be some doubts if it’s feasible considering how last year was and some of their losses like running back Joe Mixon. The defense should be solid, not great, again another concern. Regardless of all that, they have a relatively easy schedule outside of their division and their offense should carry them enough to have good success for a majority of the season.

              #8 Miami Dolphins – The case of the Miami Dolphins was straightforward a season ago. They were by far the fastest team in the NFL, lightning whenever they touched the field, it was clear by the time they rolled over the Broncos and put up 70. Regardless, they were the case of winning against the teams they should have beaten and falling to the teams that they were closer to them in terms of talent. They just couldn’t beat that next level of teams and it hurt them and speaking of hurt, the injuries piled up at the end of the season for the Dolphins. Now the Dolphins are running it back with all that speed on offense, De’Von Achane is explosive and healthy and Jaylen Wright as a draft prospect brings even more speed. The defense wasn’t great last season but they’ve added some nice additions, rookie Chop Robinson and secondary additions of Kendall Fuller and Jordan Poyer. Making the back end of the defense look stout. It’s a tough division but they could scrape by for the division win.

              #7 Green Bay Packers – The Packers were a bit of a rollercoaster, especially at the beginning of the year. Then once things got settled and Jordan Love got comfortable, it became clear that a full-on rebuild wasn’t going to be needed as some thought they might have needed. As the youngest roster in the NFL season, they managed to not only make the playoffs but soundly beat the Cowboys as well. Going into this season, they should get off to a more consistent start, that beginning stretch of the season has plenty of winnable games and ones they should be favored for. Expect the young talent that was already on the roster to take another step forward, especially in the passing game, it’ll be interesting to see if Josh Jacobs can get back to his prime form. It’s also worth noting that their draft class is going to play an important role in their success this season, continuing their trend of leaning on young talent as of late.

              #6 Philadelphia Eagles – A tale of two seasons within one last year was the 2023 Philadelphia Eagles. They started so strongly, winning almost every game for over half the season and then all of a sudden they couldn’t put a win together if their literal season depended on it and it did. They lost their lead in the NFC standings from 1st seed to losing the division to the Cowboys and getting bounced in the first round to the Buccaneers. That team can not show up again this season or it will be an unbelievably average season for their talent’s standards. They did lose some important pieces none more than Jason Kelce who called it a career, the future Hall of Famer did so much for the Eagles, not only their line but their locker room, and won’t be easy to replace. They did however work on their weaknesses quite a bit, especially at corner two young, elite talented corners in the draft, Quinyon Mitchell and Cooper DeJean. While they’re rookies and could have some lapses, expect some real splash plays from both of them. I’m also betting on Jalen Hurts to come back strong and with his elite receiving duo, I expect to see the first half of the season Hurts we saw last year more consistently and that leads to a division title.

The Favorites #5 – #1

              These are the teams that should be considered the favorites to not only have a successful season but make a deep playoff run if not make it to a Super Bowl.

              #5 Houston Texans – The Texans took one of the biggest jumps you could imagine last season, being one of the worst teams in the league before the last season and switching it to making the playoffs at 10-7 and even winning a playoff game. Coach DeMeco Ryans seems to truly have the respect of his players and they respond great to him. That 2023 draft class was incredible. CJ Stroud has quickly stepped in and performed like a top-tier quarterback and will only get better and better. Mix that with rising defensive superstar Will Anderson and Tank Dell who is explosive. How do the Texans continue to build off this and become a true contender? Well, you continue to add and add and take advantage of the fact so much elite talent is on rookie contracts and they did a great job at this point. They added pass rusher Danielle Hunter to complement Anderson along with signing and drafting multiple corners and safeties to improve what was probably their biggest weakness last year in the secondary. The biggest addition was trading for Stefon Diggs; if he continues to play similarly at his expected level this receiving group is stacked. Diggs, Dell, and Nico Collins is some trio. They should be one of the most explosive and consistent offenses.

              #4 Baltimore Ravens – The Ravens were outstanding all of last season, were the top seed in the AFC and Lamar Jackson was able to snag his second MVP of his career. They went into a playoff game against a hot Houston Texans team and looked like true contenders when they rolled them over. Then they hosted the Chiefs and the offensive play calling and style was puzzling in that game. I don’t know if it was coaching instruction or Jackson’s mindset for that game but it seemed like he was trying to be a pocket passer and beat them with his arm, they just did not utilize his special talent and it cost them. Now looking forward they still have great success this season and have some similar results record wise. They get Mark Andrews, a top five tight end back healthy and now have added Derrick Henry, mixing him with Lamar Jackson is going to terrify defenses, have fun stopping that option. Even if Henry isn’t in his prime yet which he isn’t, but he is still plenty good to make some noise. The defense has some real superstars as well with Roquan Smith, Kyle Hamilton and Marlon Humphrey. Also a big fan of rookie Nate Wiggins who has blazing speed and legit man-to-man cover skills. The Ravens will be one of the top contenders in the AFC for sure.

              #3 Detroit Lions – The Lions were on the brink of a Super Bowl appearance last season if it weren’t for a collapse late against the 49ers that cost them that shot. This year they have just a good shot to get back there if not better this time around. After a ton of recent successful drafts that gave them some young stars along with plenty of complementary pieces, they’ve built the roster well. Along with that, they’ve started dishing out the big contracts to some of the biggest names on the roster like Goff, Sewell, and St. Brown. There are still some concerns with the defense as it was an issue at times last season, at the very least, they’re a little older, more experienced, and have an elite talent at corner as a rookie. If their offense continues to be explosive, they should be good enough to compete for the first seed in the NFC.

              #2 San Francisco 49ers – Last year’s Super Bowl runner-up came so close to becoming champions but just couldn’t close out that game. Outside of an interception, the defense could not do enough to contain Patrick Mahomes, who had 399 total yards in that game. A tough end for a very successful season, good for them, most of the same team is coming back for this season as well. Offensively, they’re extremely well coached by a great scheme and have great talent at the skill positions which makes it easier on Brock Purdy. There were rumors about both of their top receivers being on the trading block in Brandon Aiyuk and Deebo Samuels. The Samuels rumors seem to have slowed down which is huge considering his role. The Aiyuk situation is a bit concerning which not appearing at mandatory minicamp. Regardless they still have a guy named Christian McCaffrey who makes up for a lot. They also went on offense in the first round with rookie receiver Ricky Pearsall. They have some big games that will provide a challenge this year like a rematch with Chiefs and Lions among others.

              #1 Kansas City Chiefs – There’s not much else that can be said about the Kansas City Chiefs last season. They had a good regular season and for the third time within the last few years, they were once again Super Bowl champions. There were times last season when they weren’t as impressive during the season, games where Mahomes were making numerous mistakes and issues with drops, regardless it didn’t matter in the end. Looking forward to the upcoming season, another Super Bowl appearance is the legit expectation with this team. That’s what happens when you’re a dynasty. If there could be any concerns, maybe on the backside of the defense? Losing L’Jarius Sneed and Charvarius Ward is a legit big deal and will be hard to replace but if any team can overcome it, it’s this one. Offensively they still have Mahomes and Kelce, now they are trying to add some serious speed to their weapons. Adding Hollywood Brown and Xavier Worthy will scare a lot of people and give teams flashbacks to when Tyreek Hill was running for the offense.