NFL NationNov 18, 2025, 06:25 AM ETCloseNFL Nation is made up of 32 team-specific reporters who cover the NFL year-round across ESPN.com, ESPN television shows, ESPN Radio, ESPN+ and social media platforms. It was established ahead of the 2013 season.
play0:57Rex Ryan praises Broncos’ defense in win vs. ChiefsRex Ryan joins “Get Up” and evaluates the Broncos’ defense after their win over the Chiefs.
play1:52Stephen A.: The Eagles’ defense beat the Lions downStephen A. Smith details why he was impressed with the Eagles’ defense after a dominant performance against the Lions.
play0:44Stephen A. finds it hard to believe Chiefs’ reign is overStephen A. Smith is unwilling to declare the Chiefs’ reign over after their loss to the Broncos.
play1:13Spears: Playing both sides of the ball may not be feasible for Travis HunterMarcus Spears voices his concern for Travis Hunter after it was announced he is having season-ending knee surgery.
play1:03Rich Eisen: J.J. McCarthy looked awful at times vs. BearsRich Eisen evaluates the pros and cons of J.J. McCarthy’s performance in a loss to the Bears
play0:50Schefter: NFL has suspended Ja’Marr Chase for 1 game for spittingAdam Schefter reports that the NFL has suspended Ja’Marr Chase one game without pay for spitting on Jalen Ramsey.
play2:43Orlovsky: Penix injury tough loss for the FalconsDan Orlovsky, Stephen A. Smith and Cam Newton react to Michael Penix Jr.’s potentially season-ending injury.
When will the Eagles’ offensive struggles catch up to them? (1:06)Dan Orlovsky joins “Get Up” to explain why the Eagles’ lack of separation in the pass game might eventually come back to hurt them. (1:06)
Rex Ryan praises Broncos’ defense in win vs. ChiefsRex Ryan joins “Get Up” and evaluates the Broncos’ defense after their win over the Chiefs.
Stephen A.: The Eagles’ defense beat the Lions downStephen A. Smith details why he was impressed with the Eagles’ defense after a dominant performance against the Lions.
Stephen A. Smith details why he was impressed with the Eagles’ defense after a dominant performance against the Lions.
Stephen A. finds it hard to believe Chiefs’ reign is overStephen A. Smith is unwilling to declare the Chiefs’ reign over after their loss to the Broncos.
Spears: Playing both sides of the ball may not be feasible for Travis HunterMarcus Spears voices his concern for Travis Hunter after it was announced he is having season-ending knee surgery.
Marcus Spears voices his concern for Travis Hunter after it was announced he is having season-ending knee surgery.
Rich Eisen: J.J. McCarthy looked awful at times vs. BearsRich Eisen evaluates the pros and cons of J.J. McCarthy’s performance in a loss to the Bears
Schefter: NFL has suspended Ja’Marr Chase for 1 game for spittingAdam Schefter reports that the NFL has suspended Ja’Marr Chase one game without pay for spitting on Jalen Ramsey.
Adam Schefter reports that the NFL has suspended Ja’Marr Chase one game without pay for spitting on Jalen Ramsey.
Orlovsky: Penix injury tough loss for the FalconsDan Orlovsky, Stephen A. Smith and Cam Newton react to Michael Penix Jr.’s potentially season-ending injury.
Dan Orlovsky, Stephen A. Smith and Cam Newton react to Michael Penix Jr.’s potentially season-ending injury.
Week 11 of the 2025 NFL season is officially over after the Cowboys defeated the Raiders on “Monday Night Football.” This weekend featured a number of close matchups, including overtime wins by the Dolphins and Panthers. The Bears and Broncos also won on field goals as time expired.
Let’s get into it with the No. 1 team, which might surprise you based on last week’s rankings. Our power panel of more than 80 writers, editors and TV personalities evaluated how NFL teams stack up against one another, ranking them from 1 to 32.
The Patriots just placed starting defensive tackle Milton Williams on injured reserve because of a high ankle sprain, and he has arguably been their best defensive player. Barmore, a five-year veteran who is coming off a game in which he tied his career high with five pressures, will be critical in filling the void. After being limited to four games in 2024 because of blood clots, Barmore has played 63.6% of the defensive snaps this season. — Mike Reiss
The Colts are emphasizing to Gardner that he doesn’t need to do anything extraordinary following his stunning trade from the Jets two weeks ago. But the huge haul the Colts gave up — two first-round picks and wide receiver Adonai Mitchell — naturally puts the spotlight on him and raises expectations for his performance. Gardner was solid against the Falcons in Berlin, but he’ll take center stage in Kansas City after his first full week of game preparation with Indy. — Stephen Holder
Rex Ryan praises Broncos’ defense in win vs. Chiefs
Rex Ryan joins “Get Up” and evaluates the Broncos’ defense after their win over the Chiefs.
Stephen A.: The Eagles’ defense beat the Lions down
The Bucs gave Reddick $14 million in free agency to aid the pass rush, and so far that investment has led to 1.5 sacks and three games missed — the last two of which saw Tampa Bay record one total sack as a team. Reddick was once a top-10 edge rusher and Pro Bowler. The Bucs need to see him flash that ability in the worst way upon his return. — Jeremy Fowler
Stephen A. finds it hard to believe Chiefs’ reign is over
Stephen A. Smith is unwilling to declare the Chiefs’ reign over after their loss to the Broncos.
Spears: Playing both sides of the ball may not be feasible for Travis Hunter
Young still has to prove he’s the franchise QB despite going 6-4 as the starter this season and throwing for a franchise-record 448 yards Sunday. The pressure is much less than it had been, but he’s still ranked 23rd in Total QBR (45.4) — and that leaves some questions as to whether he’s the long-term solution. Before Sunday, Young had gone seven straight games without passing for over 200 yards. — David Newton
Rich Eisen evaluates the pros and cons of J.J. McCarthy’s performance in a loss to the Bears
Schefter: NFL has suspended Ja’Marr Chase for 1 game for spitting
The rest of the season will be one long tryout for Shough to be the quarterback of the future. If he struggles and the Saints have a top pick in the draft, they could be selecting a quarterback to eventually be his replacement. If Shough builds off the Week 10 win over the Panthers and plays well, the Saints might table drafting a quarterback and look to build around him instead. — Katherine Terrell
The Giants’ defense is struggling badly, even after owner John Mara said publicly after last season that he wasn’t happy with the way teams moved down the field against New York. Mara can’t be happy that Bowen’s unit has blown four fourth-quarter leads already and is tied for 30th in points allowed per game (27.3). It’s at the point where interim coach Mike Kafka is being asked on a weekly basis whether he’s going to retain Bowen. — Jordan Raanan
The Jets’ defense has been a major disappointment — 27th in scoring (26.8) and 20th in yards allowed per game (329.7). Perhaps the most damning statistic: The Jets have only one takeaway — a fumble recovery. That’s right, the Jets have yet to intercept a pass, tying the league mark for most games to start a season without a pick. Before the trades of Sauce Gardner and Quinnen Williams, Wilks had enough talent to field a respectable unit, but it never clicked. — Rich Cimini
How do these teams fit in our updated Power Rankings? We restacked the NFL heading into Week 12, which includes byes for the Broncos, Chargers, Commanders and Dolphins. In addition to the 1-32 rankings, we asked our NFL Nation reporters to pick one player, coach or executive who is under the most pressure for each team. Which players and coaches have a lot riding on the last seven weeks of the regular season? Which general managers could be on their way out this offseason? How many picks are the same from when we asked the same question in our preseason rankings?
After early-season protection issues on field goals and missed kicks led to a change at kicker and long-snapper before Week 10, it was clear special teams was a weakness for the Rams. Since the switch from Alex Ward to Jake McQuaide at long-snapper and Joshua Karty to Harrison Mevis at kicker, the Rams have not attempted a field goal. Mevis has made all nine of his extra point attempts in two games. If the kicking issues persist or cost the team more games, coach Sean McVay could be looking for a new special teams coordinator after the season. — Sarah Barshop
The offense has been a disappointment. The Eagles rank 25th in total yards (300.1 per game), 28th in passing (184.9) and 29th in third-down conversion rate (33.87%). They’re averaging 115 rushing yards per game (17th in NFL), compared to 179 in 2024 (second). They are, however, the best red zone offense (75% conversion rate) and have a league-low four giveaways. That, paired with a defense that has played lights-out as of late, has been enough to keep Philly atop the NFC. But the offense has not yet reached its potential, and it falls on the first-year playcaller to help remedy that. — Tim McManus
It was Payton before the season, and it’s Payton now. He unapologetically touted his team’s Super Bowl worthiness in training camp, and lo and behold the Broncos are tied for the NFL’s best record amid the team’s longest win streak since 2012 (eight games). But among the narratives that continue to swirl — narratives Payton joked after Sunday make him want “to cry” — are the team’s balky offense and his handling of quarterback Bo Nix. The Broncos have a title-worthy defense that keeps them in position for Nix’s clutch fourth-quarter performances. So if the offense can’t pick up the pace, a lot of eyes will be on Payton, his playcalling and Nix’s performance. — Jeff Legwold
Coleman, the 33rd pick in the 2024 draft, was a healthy scratch for Week 11 after being late to a meeting. The benching marked the third instance of Coleman, 22, missing game time for disciplinary reasons. On the field, he hasn’t popped outside of Week 1, with 24 receptions, 27.3 receiving yards per game and two receiving touchdowns from Weeks 2 to 10. Wide receiver is already a huge need for the Bills, and the rest of the season will go a long way in determining the team’s plan for Coleman in 2026. — Alaina Getzenberg