This year’s NFL Christmas Day lineup is missing some serious holiday magic
Christmas Day 2025 is already looking like a disaster for the NFL, with injuries and teams already out of playoff contention.
NFL power rankings entering Week 17 of the 2025 season (previous rankings in parentheses):
1. Los Angeles Rams (1): I know they lost, but it was their second loss in four games. We know they went from a projected No. 1 seed in the NFC playoffs to a No. 6 seed in a matter of days. I know they just fired their special teams coordinator, but it’s probably a premature move considering this phase of the game legitimately cost LA three more wins this season. Put all that aside. The Rams still have Matthew Stafford, who is considered the MVP. He is the best head coach of anyone in the league and has a roster that can win in any format, anywhere.
2. Seattle Seahawks (2): We know they ran the heaters up to five games and won. We know they went from being projected as a No. 5 seed in the NFC playoffs to a No. 1 seed. I know they rarely lose playoff games in Seattle. But while his career turnaround has been impressive, we need to see QB Sam Darnold prove he can win on the big stage, as Stafford ultimately did after joining the Rams.
3. Jacksonville Jaguars (8): They’ve won six in a row, but QB Trevor Lawrence has been really good over the last four games, posting a passer rating of 120.8 and scoring 14 TDs in that span. The defense has also added 10 points in the last four wins. Any number of teams could emerge from a crowded AFC field, but the Jags are certainly playing like any other team in the conference right now after a decisive win in Denver.
4. San Francisco 49ers (9): Considering they didn’t need P Thomas Morstead this month, who should worry about whatever the defensive issues are? The Niners are two wins away from clinching the No. 1 seed and making it to the Super Bowl in 2019 and 2023.
5. New England Patriots (6): QB Drake Maye had his first 300-yard passing game (actually 380 yards) on Sunday night, which included a career-high 31 completions. It definitely feels like the right time to try harder.
6. Denver Broncos (3): Basically, the AFC version of Seattle has a lot to like about a team that seems to be ahead of schedule overall. But how much do you trust QB Bo Nix and this offense in high-leverage situations?
7. Houston Texans (4): They escaped with a win…but they might as well learn their lessons from what was a near-total disappointment against the lowly Raiders.
8. Buffalo Bills (5): They escaped with a win…but struggling against the Browns while trying to deal with QB Josh Allen’s foot injury is something to watch, even though the stars seem to be aligning for this team elsewhere.
9. Chicago Bears (10): This season has been an unqualified success for the presumptive NFC North champions. But losing badly at Soldier Field in the playoffs seems just as likely, if not more likely, than a Super Bowl appearance for a team that always seems on edge.
10. Los Angeles Chargers (11): QB Justin Herbert’s toughness and greatness probably obscure the fact that the Bolts haven’t allowed 20 points to a defeated opponent in a four-game winning streak since their Week 12 bye. LA wins the AFC West with six points.
11. Philadelphia Eagles (12): In a time when it seems like they can’t “push push,” the offense strangely seems to be finding its groove otherwise – averaging 30 points and 386 yards over the past two weeks, albeit against Las Vegas and Washington on the way to the NFC East crown.
12. Green Bay Packers (7): It would be a shame to see the three most important players, DE Micah Parsons, QB Jordan Love, and RB Josh Jacobs, suffer.
13. Pittsburgh Steelers (14): Has QB Aaron Rodgers found the fountain of early middle age? He’s averaged 258 yards and a 106.4 passer rating in Pittsburgh’s three straight games, which has also kicked the team’s running game into high gear. Perhaps the Steelers’ latest season, just above .500, won’t actually end in the one-and-done postseason.
14. Detroit Lions (13): A losing streak for the first time since 2022 could lead to them missing the playoffs for the first time since 2022.
15. Baltimore Ravens (15): Perhaps they could have more success going into the fourth quarter on the back foot rather than trying to protect a lead?
16. Carolina Panthers (17): Crazy Stats – QB Bryce Young has 14 NFL wins on his resume, and all but two required a game-winning drive in the third quarter or later.
17. Atlanta Falcons (23): As they settle into late-season form with QB Kirk Cousins, it’s worth wondering if he’s actually a gift they can and should stick with heading into 2026.
18 Tampa Bay Buccaneers (16): They will win their next two games to retain the NFC South title. If only they had won more than one game since October.
19. Indianapolis Colts (18): Maybe it’s time to implore Dwight Freeney and Robert Mathis to come out of retirement as well.
20. Minnesota Vikings (19): Justin Jefferson’s professionalism in the midst of a season that would have left many other elite wideouts in tatters was admirable.
21. Dallas Cowboys (20): No Cowboy has ever led the league in passing yards. Dak Prescott could be the first…so he’ll be playing over the next two weeks.
22. Cincinnati Bengals (27): Why pay WR Tee Higgins, skew the salary cap so heavily toward the offense, and target him half as often as Ja’Marr Chase?
23. New Orleans Saints (24): “It can’t be helped.” That’s reason enough to give rookie QB Tyler Schau a full season to prove he can be a long-term starter here. He has certainly shown a lot of encouraging signs over the past six weeks.
24. Tennessee Titans (30): RB Tony Pollard has his first three consecutive 100-yard rushing games and is on his way to his fourth consecutive 1,000-yard season…though he has yet to eclipse 1,100 yards.
25. Arizona Cardinals (25): Speaking of 1,100-yard rushers, the Cards haven’t had an 1,100-yard rusher since David Johnson in 2016. The Cards will be lucky to land a 400-yard rusher in 2025.
26. Kansas City Chiefs (21): TE Travis Kelce had one catch for 6 yards in Sunday’s debacle in Nashville. But his 12th consecutive season of at least 800 receiving yards was enough to tie the record set by the legendary Jerry Rice.
27. Miami Dolphins (22): They looked good Sunday without Tua Tagovailoa in the starting lineup, but that was because of their throwback uniforms.
28. Commander Washington (26): QB Jeff Driskel may be under the Christmas tree Thursday against Dallas. It was such a season in old DC.
29. Cleveland Browns (31): Sackaging the Steelers’ quarterback, even if it’s old friend Mason Rudolph, could be a particularly satisfying way for DE Myles Garrett to set a single-season sack record.
30. New York Giants (28): Avoiding a devastating win for the second straight week could be especially difficult for a team targeting the No. 1 pick in the 2026 draft on Sunday in Sin City.
31. Las Vegas Raiders (32): Avoiding a devastating win for the second straight week could be especially difficult for a team targeting the No. 1 pick in the 2026 draft on Sunday in Sin City.
32. New York Jets (29): Trust the process…even if it means losing three straight by an average margin of 25 points.
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