Final On SI NFL Power Rankings And Biggest Takeaways From 2024

- Arizona Cardinals
- Atlanta Falcons
- Baltimore Ravens
- Buffalo Bills | News, Scores, Schedules & Standings
- Carolina Panthers
- Chicago Bears
- Cincinnati Bengals
- Cleveland Browns
- Dallas Cowboys | News, Scores, Schedules & Standings
- Denver Broncos
- Detroit Lions
- Green Bay Packers
- Houston Texans
- Indianapolis Colts
- Jacksonville Jaguars
- Kansas City Chiefs
- Las Vegas Raiders
- Los Angeles Chargers
- Los Angeles Rams
- Miami Dolphins
- Minnesota Vikings
- New England Patriots
- New Orleans Saints
- New York Giants
- New York Jets
- Philadelphia Eagles
- Pittsburgh Steelers
- San Francisco 49ers
- Seattle Seahawks
- Tampa Bay Buccaneers
- Tennessee Titans
- Washington Commanders
The Kansas City Chiefs and Detroit Lions, who seemingly have been on a collision course to meet in this year’s Super Bowl all season, finished in the top spots in the final On SI NFL Power Rankings.
NFC North teams took three of the top seven spots in our rankings, which are voted on by our band of team publishers, who also provided their biggest takeaway from the regular season.
The Chiefs and Lions are the top seeds and have the first-round byes in the playoffs, which for the first time include every team winning double-digits games.
Let’s dive in.
32. Tennessee Titans
The Titans fired Mike Vrabel and realized rather quickly how difficult life is after moving on from a winning coach. Brian Callahan isn’t going anywhere, but the team needs to address a lot of needs, and getting the first overall pick only adds a slight satisfaction to a miserable season. — Noah Strackbein, Tennessee Titans On SI
31. New York Giants
The Giants’ biggest gamble – sticking with Daniel Jones – ended up as one of their biggest failed storylines in 2024. After passing on a quarterback prospect in the 2024 draft, the Giants hoped that a healthy Jones would flourish with an improved supporting cast. It was not meant to be, and Jones’ midseason departure thrust a shaky position into a state of despair. —Patricia Traina, New York Giants On SI
30. Jacksonville Jaguars
The biggest takeaway from the Jaguars' season is the team needs to find some way to keep Trevor Lawrence healthy. He has sustained six injuries in the last two seasons and has required surgery in back-to-back seasons. For the Jaguars to win games, they will need Lawrence to stay on the field. —John Shipley, Jacksonville Jaguars On SI
29. New England Patriots
The Patriots’ 2024 season somehow got worse than their 2023, but at least it came with some positives. They have their quarterback of the future with Drake Maye and are ready to make a splash at head coach. If the offseason goes well, they’ll be setting themselves up for a much bigger 2025. —Noah Strackbein, New England Patriots on SI
28. Las Vegas Raiders
The biggest takeaway from the Raiders’ campaign is simple: They don't have a franchise quarterback. The firing of coach Antonio Pierce indicates a franchise attempting to find and implement a vision and plan. Still, any plan must include finding an answer at the most critical position in football. —Hondo S. Carpenter, Las Vegas Raiders On SI
27. Carolina Panthers
For the Panthers, there’s been cleare growth and progress after a brutal start to the season. When they were 0-2 and Bryce Young was playing even worse than Jimmy Clausen in 2010, it looked like they had squandered the No. 1 overall pick in the draft and that they might finish the season 0-17. Young’s benching and subsequent rapid ascent after returning to the lineup turned things around, and he finished the year playing at a top-10 level as the Panthers went from two wins in 2023 to five this year. With some upgrades on defense and at receiver, this team could make some noise next season. —Tim Weaver, Carolina Panthers on SI
26. Cleveland Browns
This was possibly the most disappointing season in Browns history – yes, even more than the two-year stretch of 1-31 football. After winning 11 games last year and bringing back essentially every major part from that playoff team, 2024 was an unmitigated disaster for the Browns. Andrew Berry and Kevin Stefanski will be back in 2025, but they need to come up with a better quarterback solution and a return to Stefanski's 2023 offensive system. —Brendan Gulick, Cleveland Browns On SI
25. New York Jets
The Jets entered the season with high expectations as Hall of Fame quarterback Aaron Rodgers was finally set to save the franchise, one year removed from an Achilles tear. Instead, coach Robert Salah and general manager Joe Douglas were fired midseason. Rodgers' future remains in jeopardy and the future is completely uncertain. The Jets are in complete disarray. —Matthew Postins, New York Jets On SI
24. Indianapolis Colts
The Colts have no direction or identity until we see otherwise. Predictably, the big change they've made was to (rightfully) move on from defensive coordinator Gus Bradley, but the architect of this apathetic roster, Chris Ballard, is still around. It's time for the Colts to get serious about moving upward this offseason. —Jake Arthur, Indianapolis Colts On SI
23. Chicago Bears
Caleb Williams may not have had a CJ Stroud-type rookie season, but Bears fans should rest assured that he's good enough to build a franchise around. All that's left is building the franchise. Easy peasy. —Matt Solorio, Chicago Bears On SI
22. Dallas Cowboys
It was an up-and-down ride for the Cowboys, with an early-season string of injuries plaguing the team and a late-round playoff run providing some hope. When the team was healthy, it was winning, but when it needed to call on reinforcements, Jerry Jones’ lack of offseason urgency left the Cowboys with in a serious hole. With another offseason looming, there are several key Cowboys who will enter free agency and Micah Parsons is line for a blockbuster deal. Dallas also needs to figure out Mike McCarthy’s future. If Jones waits too long before moving on from McCarthy, he will miss out on up-and-coming head coaching candidates, which could set the franchise back for years. —Josh Sanchez, Dallas Cowboys On SI
21. Miami Dolphins
The Dolphins learned (hopefully) the painful lesson of what could happen if they didn't leave themselves better prepared to play games without quarterback Tua Tagovailoa in the event he got injured, which his history suggested was more likely than not to happen. Lacking adequate backup QB play may have wound up costing them a playoff spot. —Alain Poupart, Miami Dolphins On SI
20. San Francisco 49ers
The 49ers had a lot of injuries, but so did the Lions, who won 15 games. The difference between these two teams is their culture. The 49ers’ team culture has eroded since their second Super Bowl collapse. Now, the organization is defined by holdouts, drama and general dysfunction. The 49ers have to find a way to make football the focus, like it was in the past. —Grant Cohn, San Francisco 49ers On SI
19. New Orleans Saints
Injuries to star players was the narrative driving the regular season. Losing quarterback Derek Carr, running back Alvin Kamara, receiver Chris Olave, offensive lineman Erik McCoy and do-it-all Taysom Hill on offense for significant time dictated the team's downfall and eventually cost Dennis Allen his job. —Kyle Mosley, New Orleans Saints On SI
18. Arizona Cardinals
Despite collapsing after the bye week, the Cardinals carry a sense of hope into 2025 – and for good reason. Doubling their win total from 2023, Arizona proved it can hang with the best. Now, the Cardinals walk into this offseason with the fourth-most salary-cap space along with the No. 16 overall pick of the draft. —Donnie Druin, Arizona Cardinals On SI
17. Cincinnati Bengals
The Bengals' three best players played at an elite level and it still wasn't enough to make the playoffs. Cincinnati has to be aggressive this offseason to not only address their weaknesses but re-sign key players like receivers Ja'Marr Chase and Tee Higgins and defensive end Trey Hendrickson. —James Rapien, Cincinnati Bengals On SI
16. Atlanta Falcons
The Falcons mismanaged their resources in the offseason, but at least came away with what looks to be a franchise quarterback. Had Michael Penix Jr. started from the beginning of the season, the Falcons may have avoided a 2-6 finish to the season. However, Jimmy Lake's defense gave up 31.8 points in those six losses. The Falcons must finally address their defense this offseason. —Scott Kennedy, Atlanta Falcons on SI
15. Seattle Seahawks
At the end of the day, at least record-wise, the Seahawks were the best team not to make the playoffs. The offense wasn’t near consistent enough, proving to be the difference in the NFC West race and quickly leading to the firing of coordinator Ryan Grubb. —Corbin Smith, Seattle Seahawks On SI
14. Los Angeles Rams
Sean McVay should be the coach of the year. No coach in the NFL has had to deal with as many injuries or use as many undrafted free agents and rookies as McVay. Despite having a first-time defensive coordinator with no Aaron Donald, the Rams overcame their 1-4 start to win the NFC West. — Brock Vierra, Los Angeles Rams on SI
13. Tampa Bay Buccaneers
A playoff berth should be celebrated, but there are few who expect the Buccaneers to make a deep postseason run. Baker Mayfield can get it done, however it looks like defensive coordinator Todd Bowles will need to scheme his defense into the Super Bowl. — Matt Solorio, Tampa Bay Buccaneers on SI
12. Houston Texans
The Texans aren't exactly soaring into the playoffs, but at least they got back on track with a 10th win to close the year. Most fans will probably remember this season for regularly losing to the best teams in the league and for the 5-6 finish following a 5-1 start. The defense has been really solid, despite some offensive inconsistencies. But even during some struggles, if you have C.J. Stroud, Nico Collins and that pass rush, the Texans will have a shot in the playoffs. — Brendan Gulick, Houston Texans On SI
11. Pittsburgh Steelers
The Steelers felt like a team on the verge of contention, but the biggest takeaway from the regular season is that they're exactly where they've been the last several years. It's just another year where they're good enough to get into the playoffs but don't appear to be good enough to compete once they do. —Noah Strackbein, Pittsburgh Steelers On SI
10. Denver Broncos
The biggest takeaway from the Broncos' season is that after years of wandering the quarterback desert, the team has finally stumbled into an oasis. Bo Nix is young and has much to prove, but a franchise quarterback he is, as evidenced by his historic rookie campaign in leading the Broncos to the playoffs. —Chad Jensen, Denver Broncos On SI
9. Los Angeles Chargers
Jim Harbaugh is a force – and so are his Chargers. In a supposed “rebuild” year, the Chargers went from five wins to the fifth playoff seed in the AFC and are favored on the road against Houston in the postseason opener. They finished 11-6, lost to the AFC’s top-dog Chiefs twice by a total of nine points and allowed just 17.7 points per game, top mark in the NFL. Now, they play with house money in the postseason before boasting roughly $74 million in cap space to use while rostering an elite quarterback, two elite offensive tackles, a No. 1 wideout and at least one elite pass-rusher. Under Harbaugh, the Chargers are just getting started. —Chris Roling, Los Angeles Chargers on SI
8. Washington Commanders
The biggest takeaway from this season is that there's a ton of potential and promise. It will be hard for the team to replicate the amount of success its offseason moves produced this year, but if it comes even close, then it is going to be even more dangerous in 2025. —David Harrison, Washington Commanders On SI
7. Green Bay Packers
The Packers handed Jordan Love a $220 million contract extension and didn't get that second-year-starter jump following an elite stretch run to last season. Not that Love was bad, but with great money comes great expectations. Love, and that hyped group of young playmakers, need to be better in 2025 if they are going compete in the loaded NFC North, where the Packers were a tipped field goal away from going 0-6. —Bill Huber, Green Bay Packers on SI
6. Baltimore Ravens
The Ravens’ season was every bit of a success as they wanted it to be. With Derrick Henry and Lamar Jackson, this team is soaring into the playoffs as AFC North champs and on a red-hot winning streak. There’s not much more they’d be looking to change. —Noah Strackbein, Baltimore Ravens On SI
5. Philadelphia Eagles
The Eagles proved to be the most well-rounded team in the NFL, finishing with the No. 1-ranked defense, eighth-ranked offense and solid special-teams units, albeit with a regression from kicker Jake Elliott. With the playoffs set to start, Philadelphia is on the short list of legitimate Super Bowl contenders after a second 14-win season in three years. —John McMullen, Philadelphia Eagles On SI
4. Minnesota Vikings
Kevin O'Connell molding any quarterback that enters his den has been an incredible thing to watch unfold. He helped Kirk Cousins reach the highest level of his career, then kept Minnesota competitive the second half of 2023 with Josh Dobbs and Nick Mullens starting at quarterback. What he's helped Sam Darnold do to turn his career around has been nothing short of spectacular. —Joe Nelson, Minnesota Vikings On SI
3. Buffalo Bills
After an offseason roster purge that saw key Bills leaders and veterans depart, 2024 was supposed to be a year in which the Bills took a step back and made way for the AFC East-rival Dolphins and Jets to take over ownership. But Brandon Beane, Sean McDermott and Josh Allen had other plans, and the Bills went 13-4 and secured the second seed in the playoffs. Allen was a force and is likely to win his first NFL MVP award while managing an offense with no real superstars (the Bills only had two Pro Bowlers). Anything less than a Super Bowl appearance will be a disappointment to BiIls Mafia. —Chris Pirrone, Buffalo Bills on SI
2. Detroit Lions
The Lions proved they were worthy of all the preseason NFL hype. Despite the myriad of injuries to key defensive players, Dan Campbell's squad displayed grittiness and resiliency that carried them to a 15-2 record, another division title and the No. 1 seed in the NFC. —John Maakaron, Detroit Lions On SI
1. Kansas City Chiefs
The Chiefs accomplished the only regular-season goals that truly mattered to them: Win the AFC West and take the AFC's No. 1 seed. For extra credit, they secured the first-round bye with a week to spare. Kansas City's biggest takeaway should be that no week-to-week concerns could overwhelm the back-to-back champions' goals through the regular season. Now, they'll have to do it in the playoffs once again. —Joshua Brisco, Kansas City Chiefs On SI