NFL NationDec 9, 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.
play2:03Eisen blown away by Josh Allen in Bills’ comebackRich Eisen marvels at Josh Allen’s performance in the Bills’ win over the Bengals.
play2:14Stephen A. not convinced the Steelers are any different this yearStephen A. Smith didn’t see anything in the Steelers’ win over the Ravens that shows him they are capable of winning in the postseason.
play1:26’MNF’ crew stunned Colts to give Philip Rivers tryoutScott Van Pelt, Jason Kelce, Marcus Spears and Ryan Clark try to make sense of the news that Philip Rivers, 44, will work out with the Colts on Tuesday.
play2:06Stephen A.: It made no sense for Stefanski to leave Shedeur off 2-point attemptStephen A. Smith sounds off on Browns coach Kevin Stefanski for not having Shedeur Sanders on the field for the team’s failed 2-point conversion attempt.
Eisen blown away by Josh Allen in Bills’ comebackRich Eisen marvels at Josh Allen’s performance in the Bills’ win over the Bengals.
Stephen A. not convinced the Steelers are any different this yearStephen A. Smith didn’t see anything in the Steelers’ win over the Ravens that shows him they are capable of winning in the postseason.
Stephen A. Smith didn’t see anything in the Steelers’ win over the Ravens that shows him they are capable of winning in the postseason.
‘MNF’ crew stunned Colts to give Philip Rivers tryoutScott Van Pelt, Jason Kelce, Marcus Spears and Ryan Clark try to make sense of the news that Philip Rivers, 44, will work out with the Colts on Tuesday.
Scott Van Pelt, Jason Kelce, Marcus Spears and Ryan Clark try to make sense of the news that Philip Rivers, 44, will work out with the Colts on Tuesday.
Stephen A.: It made no sense for Stefanski to leave Shedeur off 2-point attemptStephen A. Smith sounds off on Browns coach Kevin Stefanski for not having Shedeur Sanders on the field for the team’s failed 2-point conversion attempt.
Stephen A. Smith sounds off on Browns coach Kevin Stefanski for not having Shedeur Sanders on the field for the team’s failed 2-point conversion attempt.
Welcome to Week 15 of the 2025 NFL season. An overtime win by the Chargers over the Eagles on “Monday Night Football” concluded an exciting Week 14 slate that saw the Jaguars, Packers and Steelers move into first place in their respective divisions.
How do these teams fit in our updated Power Rankings? In addition to the 1-32 rankings, we asked our NFL Nation reporters to pick the most shocking statistical ranking — good or bad — for the teams they cover. Which teams are struggling in the turnover margin compared to the rest of the league? Which players are surprisingly one of the best at an individual stat? Which offenses are struggling on third down?
Let’s get into all that, starting with a new No. 1 team from 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 Rams have scored 100 points in first quarters, which is 14 more than the next closest team, according to ESPN Research. That is a stark difference to the slow starts that plagued the Rams for much of last season, when they scored just 30 points in first quarters over the course of the entire regular season (31st in the NFL). It took them seven games to pass that mark in 2025. — Sarah Barshop
Jones has 87- and 94-yard punt returns for touchdowns, and his 18.8 average is just behind the Titans’ Chimere Dike (19.9). Jones entered this season, his fourth in the NFL, averaging 13.3 yards per punt return in his career, with one touchdown. “I think he’s an All-Pro player — an all-around athlete who does everything,” wide receiver Stefon Diggs said. “He brings a lot of juice.” — Mike Reiss
As good as the Packers have been on defense — fourth in fewest yards allowed and sixth in fewest points allowed — they’re not taking the ball away like they did in 2024. A year after they forced 31 turnovers (tied for fourth most in the league), they have just 12, which includes one special teams fumble recovery. The Packers had 17 interceptions last season and have only seven so far this season, including just one by a cornerback (Keisean Nixon to end Sunday’s win). — Rob Demovsky
Rich Eisen marvels at Josh Allen’s performance in the Bills’ win over the Bengals.
The Eagles have been among the worst on three-and-outs for most of the season — shocking giving all the talent on that side of the ball. But a mix of pre-snap penalties and a substantial drop in rushing success has prevented the offense from getting into a flow. They ranked 11th in third-down success rate last season (40.28%) but entered Monday’s game near the bottom at 34.46%. — Tim McManus
The Bears continue to add to their league-leading total of 27 takeaways despite their lack of a consistent pass rush. What makes that number even more impressive are Chicago’s 18 interceptions, which rank No. 1. The back end of the Bears’ defense continues to be opportunistic and has helped produce a plus-17 turnover margin. No other team has a turnover margin better than plus-12. — Courtney Cronin
Coach Dan Campbell took over playcalling duties from first-year offensive coordinator John Morton in Week 10, which was a sign that the Lions’ offense didn’t look as fluid and consistent as it did under Ben Johnson in 2024. But Detroit leads the NFL with 30.3 points per game. The Lions have also reached the 40-point mark three times this season, which is tied for the most in the NFL, and 12 times since the start of the 2023 season. — Eric Woodyard
Last season, Pitre allowed a passer rating of roughly 113 by giving up five touchdowns and an interception, according to NFL Next Gen Stats. But he’s allowing only a 43 rating this season, which is behind Tampa Bay’s Jamel Dean for best in the league. Pitre had a highlight interception against the Chiefs when he forced a tipped pass up in the air and found a way to secure the pick. — DJ Bien-Aime
Herbert has been uncharacteristically reckless with the football in 2025. Last season, he had the fewest interceptions in the NFL (three), reinforcing his place as one of the league’s best decision-makers. This season has been a different story. His 11 interceptions are already his second most in a single season, and he threw one Monday night. Herbert’s career high for interceptions was 15 in 2021. — Kris Rhim
Coach Mike Tomlin touted a defense capable of “historic things” in the preseason, but that projection has fallen well short. Instead, the NFL’s highest-paid defense has allowed 369.3 yards per game, and it gave up 420 to the Ravens on Sunday. However, part of the Steelers’ defensive struggles can be attributed to the offense’s inability to sustain drives. In Baltimore, the defense played 28 more snaps than the offense. — Brooke Pryor
Stephen A. not convinced the Steelers are any different this year
With five interceptions and five forced fumbles, the Cowboys are on pace for 13 takeaways. They had 22 a season ago when the defense struggled statistically. In their three-year playoff run from 2022 to 2024, they had 34, 33 and 26 takeaways. The Cowboys rank 29th in turnover margin (minus-8) as well. The teams below them — the Commanders, Vikings and Jets — have won 11 games combined. — Todd Archer
‘MNF’ crew stunned Colts to give Philip Rivers tryout
This is shocking for several reasons. First, Carolina put a lot of effort into adding talent to improve on a last-place ranking in sacks (27) a season ago and are headed for a worse year (18 so far). That’s significant because sacks and pressure are key to coordinator Ejiro Evero’s 3-4 scheme. But the Panthers are still much better on defense overall (16th in points allowed) and in position to make the playoffs. — David Newton
Most shocking statistical ranking: Quarterback Lamar Jackson’s NFL-worst completion rate in the red zone
Jackson has been off his game all season, but even more so inside the 20-yard line. His 42.5% completion rate in the red zone (17-of-52) is lower than even rookies Dillon Gabriel (45.2%) and Jaxson Dart (42.9%). This represents a dramatic change from a season ago, when Jackson had the third-best completion rate in the red zone (70.3%). His struggles in the red zone are a big reason Baltimore is averaging 23.9 points per game, which is its fewest since 2022. — Jamison Hensley
While coach Todd Bowles’ defense is sometimes known as “high risk, high reward,” his defensive units have typically been stingy in the red zone. But not in 2025. The Bucs have surrendered touchdowns on 68.8% of opposing drives into the red zone. They gave up 54.4% last season (14th best) and just 42.6% in 2023 (third best). With the additions and how healthy they’ve managed to stay on defense, they shouldn’t be going backward. — Jenna Laine
With four games to spare, Tagovailoa has already matched his career-high interception total with 14, tying the Raiders’ Geno Smith for the league lead. Tagovailoa has protected the ball well for most of his career, but he owns a career-worst 3.9% interception rate this season. His turnover woes are a microcosm of Miami’s passing game as a whole, which ranks 28th in yards per game. — Marcel Louis-Jacques
Offensively, there are numerous bad stats that can be explained by a heavy amount of injuries. The defense has suffered its fair share of injuries recently, but it has been bad most of the season and the opposing QBR stat reflects its struggles. The Commanders can no longer apply pressure, and they don’t hold up in coverage. The result has been the worst opposing QBR in the NFL after finishing 16th a year ago. In the past five games, it’s a staggering 76.8. — John Keim
Sweat was paid $76.4 million to be an impact player, and he has been just that, especially when rushing the passer. His four forced fumbles lead the NFL, and being able to get the ball loose was a goal of his this season. Sweat said he knew he needed to do something different to stand out this season, and that was it. — Josh Weinfuss