Top Three NFL Preseason Power Rankings
It’s football preseason! This means it’s time for the National Football League’s Power Rankings (rankings of teams based on performance, coaching, etc.) to be released. Another event that kicks off the NFL preseason is the annual Hall of Fame Game, and the 2025 game is between the Detroit Lions and the Los Angeles Chargers on Thursday, July 31 in Canton, Ohio. Both the Hall of Fame Game and the Power Rankings give teams a peek at how well they’re doing at the beginning of the season.
Here are the top three rankings for the 2025 preseason:
1. The Philadelphia Eagles
The Eagles, after beating the Kansas City Chiefs in the 2025 Super Bowl, have kept their 1st place ranking since last season. However, the Eagles lost many great defensive players, including Milton Williams, Darius Slay Jr., C.J. Gardner-Johnson, Josh Sweat, and Brandon Graham. As a result, the team’s defense wasn’t as good as it was the previous season, and they got second place in scoring defense — 17.8 ppg (points per game). The winner for scoring defense, the Los Angeles Chargers, had 17.7 ppg. The Eagles’ defense is still excellent howvever–even despite their losses.
2. The Baltimore Ravens
The Ravens moved up 2 ranks since last season, when they ranked 4th. For the second half of the 2024 season, they were third place in scoring (30 ppg) and second in scoring defense (18 ppg). The reason the Ravens aren’t 1st in rankings is their loss of 15 free agents (players that are free to join any team they choose) during the offseason. Due to their reduced team, the Ravens ended up 2nd.
Lamar Jackson, the Ravens’ star quarterback, held the best non-MVP (abbreviation for Most Valuable Player) records for the 2024 season — 41 touchdowns versus four interceptions, 915 rushing yards, and the best EPA (Expected Points Added) per dropback of anyone in the last five seasons! Can Jackson help the Ravens break their streak of three one-score losses in playoff matchups?
3. The Buffalo Bills
The Bills kept their ranking of 3rd place. Josh Allen, after his first MVP season, received significant recognition, but the Bills’ lines of scrimmage will decide their fate in the 2025 season. The team finished 8th in pressure percentage allowed (31.9) and 4th in rushing EPA (.06 per carry) during the 2024 season and returned all its starting lineups on the line of scrimmage. The Bills also welcomed Joey Bosa, Larry Ogunjobi, Michael Hoecht (three defensive players), as well as three rookies to the team. The Bills’ games could lean toward their favor because of these six new recruits.
The Eagles, Ravens, and Bills have made it to the top of the Power Rankings. These rankings, in addition to the Hall of Fame Game, can help predict future performance of teams. You can watch the Hall of Fame Game on July 31 at 8 p.m. ET on ABC or ESPN!
Sources:
https://www.nytimes.com/athletic/6502076/2025/07/22/nfl-power-rankings-2025-training-camp-eagles-ravens/
https://www.profootballhof.com/news/2025/04/detroit-lions,-los-angeles-chargers-to-kick-off-2025-nfl-season-in-hall-of-fame-game/
