The NFL Wild Card Round is in the books. Here are all 32 NFL teams ranked, worst to first.
Getty Image / Alex Slitz
Just eight teams and seven NFL games remain in a season that has been full of twists and turns. The Wild Card Round was no different. Here are all 32 teams ranked worst to first heading into the Divisional Round.
32. Tennessee Titans
The Tennessee Titans are on the clock, as they have the first pick in the 2025 NFL Draft. Will they decide to take a quarterback, or target a non-quarterback like Penn State’s Abdul Carter or Colorado’s Travis Hunter?
31. Cleveland Browns
Deshaun Watson re-tore his Achilles last week. Now, the question is whether it happened during an approved activity. If it didn’t, the Browns could look to get out of his contract.
30. New York Giants
The Giants are bringing both head coach Brian Daboll and general manager Joe Schoen. Drafting a quarterback with both the head coach and general manager in win-or-else years seems like a dumb idea. Look for the Giants to acquire a veteran starter.
29. New Orleans Saints
Rumors state that the New Orleans Saints are very interested in Mike McCarthy, whose contract expired in Dallas. That would be a huge mistake, as McCarthy hasn’t shown anything that should get him another head coaching job.
28. Jacksonville Jaguars
The Jacksonville Jaguars appear to have made a huge mistake retaining general manager Trent Baalke. Reports are that his presence is scaring away top candidates to be the team’s head coach.
27. Las Vegas Raiders
Minority owner Tom Brady reportedly has input on the team’s new direction at both head coach and general manager. That should only be seen as a positive by Raiders fans.
26. New England Patriots
The Patriots hired team legend and former Tennessee Titans head coach Mike Vrabel to be their head coach. He needs to hire a great offensive coordinator to help Drake Maye along.
25. Chicago Bears
The Bears appear to be the favorites to land arguably the most coveted head coaching candidate of the cycle, Lions offensive coordinator Ben Johnson. Can they get it across the finish line?
24. Dallas Cowboys
Dallas decided to part ways with Mike McCarthy on Monday. Now, rumors are swirling about mutual interest with Colorado head coach and team legend Deion Sanders. There’s no way they actually hire him, right?
23. New York Jets
Rex Ryan really, really, really, wants the vacant Jets head coach position. Unfortunately for him, I don’t think he’s going to get it.
22. Carolina Panthers
Expect the Carolina Panthers to be aggressive in free agency. If the Bengals don’t re-sign Tee Higgins, expect Carolina to make a big offer.
21. San Francisco 49ers
Could the 49ers trade some big-name veterans away this offseason in an effort to reset their window? It’s not as far-fetched as you may think.
20. Indianapolis Colts
The quarterback situation in Indianapolis is worth monitoring this offseason. They’ll probably head to training camp with Anthony Richardson as the starter, but they need to bring in a veteran behind him.
19. Atlanta Falcons
Raheem Morris seems like he is going to keep his job as the team’s head coach. That’s a mistake, as he made plenty of errors this season.
18. Arizona Cardinals
The Cardinals have clawed their way back to respectability. Now, this offseason is about finding a way to get a playoff win for the first time in a decade.
17. Miami Dolphins
It seems like things have been smoothed over with wide receiver Tyreek Hill. Now, they must get more physical on both lines of scrimmage.
16. Seattle Seahawks
If Seattle can fix the offensive line this season and lock up Geno Smith, they could very well be the favorites in the NFC West next season.
15. Cincinnati Bengals
The thought that the Bengals were better than the teams I was watching crossed my mind a few times during Wild Card Weekend. But, you can’t lose to the New England Patriots in Week 1 and expect it not to come back to bite you.
14. Pittsburgh Steelers
Frankly, the way Pittsburgh has played down the stretch, I wouldn’t feel confident about them beating many teams. They badly need a rebuild, because this core isn’t going to win anything. But, ownership is anathema to bottoming out.
13. Denver Broncos
This year was a resounding success in Denver. Even though they were outclassed by the Bills in the Wild Card Round, you have to feel optimistic about the team’s direction moving forward. Bo Nix looks like a long-term answer, the defense rocks, and they have a ton of cap space coming.
12. Los Angeles Chargers
I thought the team most likely to pull a huge upset this postseason was the Los Angeles Chargers. Instead, they laid a complete goose egg, especially Justin Herbert. Still, Jim Harbaugh’s first year as head coach was a huge success.
11. Green Bay Packers
Injuries ultimately doomed Green Bay in their loss to the Eagles. But, it is concerning that Jordan Love seemed to hit a bit of a wall late in the season. Still, one of the league’s youngest rosters should be a contender next season.
10. Minnesota Vikings
Two weeks ago, the Vikings were 14-2 and playing for the number-one seed. Two blowout losses followed, and now the narrative is that the 2024 Vikings were a complete fraud. A big decision at quarterback awais the franchise.
9. Tampa Bay Buccaneers
Please fire Todd Bowles. While he is a fantastic defensive coordinator, his game management is sorely lacking. They need to promote offensive coordinator Liam Coen before they lose him.
8. Washington Commanders
They will go to Detroit as heavy underdogs. But, there’s something endearing about the Commanders. Their never-say-die attitude was on display in Sunday’s huge win over the Buccaneers. They won’t back down in Detroit, either.
7. Los Angeles Rams
The Rams faced a ton of adversity this week with the horrible wildfires in the Los Angeles area. They made their city proud with a phenomenal performance in Arizona against the Vikings. The offense played well, but the defense stole the show with nine sacks. They will head to Philadelphia.
6. Houston Texans
For nearly the entire second-half of the season, the Houston Texans looked completely lost. But, they played their most complete game of the season on Saturday against the Los Angeles Chargers. Now, they head to Kansas City with a chance to pull off a massive upset.
5. Philadelphia Eagles
Philadelphia played well in nearly every facet in their win over Green Bay. But, the passing game did not look good at all. That has to improve if they are to win it all. And, they lost Nakobe Dean for the playoffs.
4. Baltimore Ravens
The Ravens looked fantastic on Saturday against Pittsburgh and Lamar Jackson played his best game yet in the playoffs in his career. Now, a career-defining game, one of a handful he will participate in during his career, awaits against the Buffalo Bills in Buffalo on Sunday.
3. Buffalo Bills
The Bills were sensational against Denver, looking sharp in all facets. If Josh Allen keeps playing like this, they’re probably the Super Bowl Champions.
2. Detroit Lions
The Detroit Lions had never been the top seed in the NFC during the Super Bowl era until this season. Now, they need to turn that into the team’s first Super Bowl appearance. A big matchup with the Commanders awaits.
1. Kansas City Chiefs
No team has ever won three consecutive Super Bowls. The Kansas City Chiefs need just three wins to become the greatest dynasty in NFL history.