We made it. Football is back.
And with that, comes a new role for me as NFL Analyst for ALLCITY. That means you’ll see me across our network of football shows throughout the year, but it also means the debut of my weekly NFL Power Rankings column in all five ALLCITY markets — CHGO, DLLS, DNVR, PHLY and PHNX.
I get it. Everyone does power rankings. That’s why I’m not going to spend the entire column trying to justify where I have each team ranked. My goal is to simply rank each team and give you a unique, one-line piece of analysis on a specific player or trend that you probably won’t get in someone else’s power rankings.
But quickly, if you’re reading this outside Chicago, you should know that I’m in my 15th season covering the Bears and I spent five years as a high school special teams coordinator at Carmel Catholic High School, where I still help out. I love football and live and breathe it all year long. If you’re a Bears, Eagles, Cardinals or Broncos fan, we’ll probably get along this year. If you’re a Cowboys fan, just know that I think Matt Eberflus is a solid defensive coordinator and we’ll try to get through this season together.
Before we get into the power rankings, here’s a quick summary on how I see things going for the Cardinals in 2025:
Cardinals prediction: 11-6, NFC 5-seed
You’re either buying the Cardinals’ second half defensive improvement or selling it because of the weaker opponents it came against. I’m looking at the bigger picture and buying the program Monti Ossenfort and Jonathan Gannon are building. Arizona will be boosted by an easier schedule and surprise this season.
NFL Power Rankings
- Philadelphia Eagles – They might have lost some key pieces on defense, but last I checked, the Eagles didn’t lose Vic Fangio.
- Kansas City Chiefs – Rookie left tackle Josh Simmons looked dominant against Bears defensive end Dayo Odeyingbo in the preseason. The rich get richer.
- Buffalo Bills – Cornerback Christian Benford doesn’t get enough attention, and the Bills need him to be healthy.
- Baltimore Ravens – Keep an eye on sixth round pick LaJohntay Wester, who could quickly become one of the more dangerous returners in the league.
- Detroit Lions – With three new starters on the offensive interior (including Graham Glasgow moving to center), the Lions might have actually caught a Week 1 break with the Packers trading Kenny Clark to Dallas – especially if Micah Parsons is limited.
- Tampa Bay Buccaneers – Emeka Egbuka’s training camp was exactly how you draw it up for a first round pick.
- Cincinnati Bengals – Mark it down: Joe Burrow gets the Bengals back into the playoffs and wins the NFL MVP Award.
- Minnesota Vikings – The Vikings spent big money to beef up their trenches with Javon Hargrave, Jonathan Allen and Ryan Kelly, but all three players are 30 or older. That usually doesn’t work.
- Los Angeles Rams – Jared Verse seems primed to enter the Defensive Player of the Year conversation, so I’ll go ahead and start it.
- San Francisco 49ers – With Robert Saleh back and the league’s easiest schedule, the 49ers appear poised for a bounce-back season.
- Green Bay Packers – The Packers finally have a blue chip player in Micah Parsons, but will the short-term reward outweigh the long-term risk of having over $100 million/year tied up in two players?
- Denver Broncos – If he can stay healthy, safety Talanoa Hufanga could be one of the biggest additions made to a defense this year.
- Arizona Cardinals – Marvin Harrison Jr. is too talented not to break out this season, and Arizona’s defense should be much better.
- Los Angeles Chargers – Losing Rashawn Slater is a big deal, but the Chargers should still be able to run the ball into the playoffs.
- Houston Texans – Tough draw in Week 1 to go on the road to the Rams, but I think the Texans pull off the upset.
- Chicago Bears – Rookie tight end Colston Loveland and wide receiver Luther Burden III should flash very early with Ben Johnson coordinating this offense.
- Pittsburgh Steelers – Mike Tomlin hitching his wagon to Aaron Rodgers in such a crucial year remains the most bizarre decision of 2025.
- Washington Commanders – By next Friday morning (after the Commanders visit Lambeau Field) everyone will be talking about the ways in which defenses have adjusted to Kliff Kingsbury’s offense.
- Seattle Seahawks – Sam Darnold led the league in turnover worthy throws last year and he won’t get away with as many this season.
- Las Vegas Raiders – Keep an eye on third-year wide receiver Tre Tucker, who offensive coordinator Chip Kelly will know how to use.
- New England Patriots – I’ll take my victory lap for undrafted wide receiver Efton Chism III now.
- New York Giants – We know how this story ends: Desperate coach and GM are forced to turn to a rookie quarterback too soon and everyone gets fired. (I actually think the Giants will be a tough team to beat most weeks.)
- Jacksonville Jaguars – This team probably won’t be that good, but Travis Hunter, Trevor Lawrence and Liam Coen will at least keep them entertaining.
- Miami Dolphins – Two weeks after practicing against the Chicago Bears, center Aaron Brewer was still complaining about how physical the Bears were in that practice. If that’s not a red flag, I don’t know what is.
- Dallas Cowboys – I thought Jaydon Blue was one of the better running back options in this year’s draft and he should get some opportunities early.
- Atlanta Falcons – There’s a lot of faith being put in Michael Penix Jr. off a very small sample size.
- Carolina Panthers – With Adam Thielen out of the picture, keep an eye on sixth round pick Jimmy Horn Jr.
- Tennessee Titans – Another rookie wide receiver to watch: Elic Ayomanor has size and the opportunity to catch passes from Cam Ward right away.
- New York Jets – Justin Fields isn’t catching many breaks, having to face the Steelers, Bills and Buccaneers to start the season.
- Indianapolis Colts – New ownership structure and only Daniel Jones to save Shane Steichen and Chris Ballard. Yikes.
- Cleveland Browns – Someone save Kevin Stefanski from Cleveland. He can still coach.
- New Orleans Saints – If you’re forced to watch the Saints this season, just watch left tackle Kelvin Banks Jr., who should be a cornerstone in New Orleans for a long time.
