NFL NationDec 30, 2025, 06:30 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.
play1:49Orlovsky: Kyle Shanahan is Coach of the YearAdam Schefter and Dan Orlovsky praise Kyle Shanahan and the 49ers for their resilience in the face of injuries this season.
play2:27Newton, Orlovsky debate whether they’d rather have Stroud or Lawrence in playoffsCam Newton and Dan Orlovsky debate which quarterback they’d rather have in the playoffs between Trevor Lawrence and C.J. Stroud.
play0:51Moody: Willis’ dual-threat upside makes him a name to watch for fantasyEric Moody details Malik Willis’ terrific performance in Week 17 and why he could be fantasy-relevant next season.
play2:22Dan Orlovsky cannot believe Cam Newton’s Myles Garrett MVP takeCam Newton stuns Dan Orlovsky by saying Browns defensive end Myles Garrett should be the NFL’s MVP this season.
Orlovsky: Kyle Shanahan is Coach of the YearAdam Schefter and Dan Orlovsky praise Kyle Shanahan and the 49ers for their resilience in the face of injuries this season.
Adam Schefter and Dan Orlovsky praise Kyle Shanahan and the 49ers for their resilience in the face of injuries this season.
Newton, Orlovsky debate whether they’d rather have Stroud or Lawrence in playoffsCam Newton and Dan Orlovsky debate which quarterback they’d rather have in the playoffs between Trevor Lawrence and C.J. Stroud.
Cam Newton and Dan Orlovsky debate which quarterback they’d rather have in the playoffs between Trevor Lawrence and C.J. Stroud.
Moody: Willis’ dual-threat upside makes him a name to watch for fantasyEric Moody details Malik Willis’ terrific performance in Week 17 and why he could be fantasy-relevant next season.
Eric Moody details Malik Willis’ terrific performance in Week 17 and why he could be fantasy-relevant next season.
Dan Orlovsky cannot believe Cam Newton’s Myles Garrett MVP takeCam Newton stuns Dan Orlovsky by saying Browns defensive end Myles Garrett should be the NFL’s MVP this season.
Cam Newton stuns Dan Orlovsky by saying Browns defensive end Myles Garrett should be the NFL’s MVP this season.
With Week 18 of the 2025 NFL regular season upon us, we’ve hit the final edition of our NFL Power Rankings for the year. Our weekly poll featured plenty of variety up top in 2025, including nine different teams in the No. 1 spot: the Bills, Buccaneers, Chiefs, Colts, Eagles, Lions, Patriots, Rams and Seahawks.
Let’s take a look at our final ranking until after Super Bowl LX. 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.
Rams coach Sean McVay said last week that “when you talk to the real football people,” Stafford is “seen as a guy that’s one of the best to ever do it.” But this season might have proved to everyone else that he should be in the Hall of Fame. Stafford is among the favorites to win MVP in his 17th season. He has thrown for 4,448 yards with 42 touchdowns and eight interceptions. He leads the league in touchdowns, with nine more than second-place Jared Goff. — Sarah Barshop
What we learned this season: Quarterback Trevor Lawrence is finally the player the Jaguars thought they were getting with the 2021 No. 1 pick.
Newton, Orlovsky debate whether they’d rather have Stroud or Lawrence in playoffs
It would be shortsighted to say Parsons’ Week 15 knee injury changes the outlook on that trade. He is the star the Packers needed — and will need in future years — on defense. They had several good players but no standouts, as proved by Parsons being the team’s only Pro Bowl selection. He changed games and will do so in the future. — Rob Demovsky
Moody: Willis’ dual-threat upside makes him a name to watch for fantasy
Kurt Warner: Philip Rivers exceeded all expectations
The Bucs gutted out close wins at the beginning of the season en route to a 6-2 record, with four of their first five games decided by a total of nine points. Then, they dropped seven of the past eight games, including four decided by four points or less. Even the return of injured stars such as wide receiver Mike Evans (broken collarbone) and running back Bucky Irving (foot/shoulder) haven’t been enough. Now, they could be out of the playoffs for the first time since 2019. — Jenna Laine
Cincinnati is finally getting improved play from young players such as defensive end Myles Murphy and cornerback DJ Turner II. Murphy leads the team with 5.5 sacks and has earned praise from coaches and players for a strong season. Turner, with a Pro Bowl-worthy résumé, is having his best season to date. That is notable for a defense that needs its former top-100 draft picks to perform at a high level. A strong defense is crucial for Cincinnati to reopen its championship window. — Ben Baby
What we learned this season: The roster wasn’t as strong as the Chiefs believed in all three facets.
Dan Orlovsky cannot believe Cam Newton’s Myles Garrett MVP take
It only took three years and a quarterback change for the NFL world to see that Wilson has what it takes to the centerpiece of Arizona’s passing game. With Marvin Harrison Jr. on the shelf and dealing with injuries over the past seven weeks, Wilson showed what he could do: three 100-plus yard games, double-digit catches on double-digit targets and clutch plays. He was stifled in his first 2½ seasons in Arizona, but he has been unleashed and is showing he can make an impact. — Josh Weinfuss
Shanahan has nearly won the award twice — finishing second in 2019 and 2022 — but this is his best work yet. After a massive offseason roster reset, the Niners viewed 2025 as a chance to grow with young players in hopes of sneaking back into the playoffs. Instead, Shanahan has the Niners one win away from the NFC’s No. 1 seed despite injuries to multiple stars. Rehiring defensive coordinator Robert Saleh was a big offseason move for which Shanahan deserves credit, but he also has San Francisco’s offense playing like the NFL’s best down the stretch. He has proved once again that he’s as good as any coach at designing an offense while motivating the entire team. — Nick Wagoner
Lawrence had played very good football in spurts, but never before at the level that coach Liam Coen has unlocked this season. Since Week 11, Lawrence ranks fourth in QBR (76.8), passing yards (1,754) and yards per attempt (8.2) — and he’s tied for the NFL lead with 16 TD passes. The Jags are 7-0 in that stretch. Blitzing Lawrence used to be the way to go, but over the past three games, he’s completing at least 70% of his passes with eight TDs and only one interception against the blitz. — Mike DiRocco
Defensive coordinator Vic Fangio has been downright dominant since being hired by the Eagles in 2024. He orchestrated the No. 1 defense in football last season en route to Philadelphia’s second Lombardi Trophy and will deserve much of the credit should it snag a third this season. The unit ranks third in points allowed (18.8 per game) and ninth against the pass (193.4 yards per game). The Eagles showed against the Bills that they’re capable of quieting the best quarterbacks in the business. — Tim McManus
Johnson chose the Bears in large part because of his belief in Williams and that he could turn the 2024 No. 1 pick into a franchise quarterback. The 24-year-old quarterback’s growth has helped the Bears win the NFC North this season and should pay dividends for years to come. The Bears of old would never have been able to compete in a shootout like Sunday night’s loss, but Williams is equipped to deliver in those games because of Chicago’s scheme, personnel and offensive playcaller. — Courtney Cronin
In many ways, this was known before the season began. Last year, with a solid but not great group of receivers, the Bills set a franchise record in points (525) and finished a game away from the Super Bowl. But coach Sean McDermott admitted last week that the team is still trying to figure out the right combination of receivers, and that’s an issue with the playoffs starting. This offense changes drastically when tight end Dalton Kincaid isn’t playing, and while quarterback Josh Allen is excellent enough to carry the team, 2025 proved that better pass catchers are needed. — Alaina Getzenberg
The Steelers have the highest-paid defense in the NFL, but they were inconsistent and outschemed too often this season. They rank 28th in yards allowed (357.9), 30th in passing yards allowed (246.4) and 25th in opponent third-down conversion percentage (41.96%). Even before his partially collapsed lung injury on Dec. 10, edge rusher T.J. Watt wasn’t producing at his usual rate. Going into Week 18, Watt, who signed a three-year, $123 million extension in March, has 7.0 sacks. That’s his lowest output since recording 5.5 in 10 games in 2022. — Brooke Pryor
Let’s make it clear: Baltimore isn’t a Super Bowl contender without a healthy Jackson. But the Ravens proved they can win when the two-time NFL Most Valuable Player is sidelined in the regular season. Baltimore’s two biggest wins of 2025 — against the Bears and Packers — came with Tyler Huntley as the starting quarterback. In those two starts, he completed 78.6% of his passes for two touchdowns and no interceptions (90.1 QBR). He also ran for 113 yards. “He’s stone cold and we got a lot of trust in him,” tight end Mark Andrews said of Huntley. “We’ve seen it time and time again. The dude’s a fighter.” — Jamison Hensley
The backfield duo of Jahmyr Gibbs and David Montgomery — aka “Sonic and Knuckles” — got off to a record-setting start together in 2023 and 2024. While nearly splitting carries, they became the first pair of teammates in NFL history to reach at least 2,000 scrimmage yards and 20 touchdowns in their first 25 games together. However, as Gibbs took on a bigger snap count in 2025 (661 snaps compared with Montgomery’s 366), there was a stark contrast to their rushing attack in wins versus losses. In wins, they have averaged north of 170 rushing yards and 5.8 yards per rush. In losses, those averages drop to 69.4 and 3.1, respectively. — Eric Woodyard