NFL Midseason Superlatives: The biggest busts so far
USA TODAY Sports’ Joe Rivera and Chris Bumbaca dish out which players, coaches, and teams have been the biggest letdowns so far.
- A fifth team has risen to the top spot over a six-week period.
- Two teams from the same division occupy first and second place of power poll.
- Only one AFC team currently resides in the top five.
NFL power rankings entering Week 10 of the 2025 season (previous rank in parentheses):
Note: This week’s rankings will be updated accordingly until Tuesday’s 4 p.m. ET deadline to execute trades during the 2025 season expires. The ▲ and ▼ symbols indicate subsequent movement by specific teams over the course of Tuesday.
Check back here for further analysis regarding deals and how they might affect the positioning of clubs involved. For further insight into the day’s trade activity, follow along in our live blog.
1. Los Angeles Rams (3): Has there been a more valuable player than QB Matthew Stafford? Is there a more imposing defense in the NFC? Since losing to the Niners in Week 5, LA has won its past three games by an aggregate score of 86-20. Next? An opportunity for payback at San Francisco.
2. Seattle Seahawks (6): Top five in points scored. Top five in points allowed. The league’s best quarterback (Sam Darnold), according to PFF, and its most productive receiver, Jaxon Smith-Njigba, are also part of the package − one that’s looking increasingly formidable and maybe even Lombardi-caliber.
3. Denver Broncos (7): They’re now 4-0 in games in which they entered the fourth quarter trailing − quite the formula for taking control of the might AFC West. Yet still unclear if the Broncos are capable of staking the Silver and Black to such a lead in the Mile High City on Thursday night.
4. Philadelphia Eagles (8): They’ve seemingly been awfully productive despite not playing in a week − GM/EVP Howie Roseman adding OLB Jaelan Phillips and CBs Michael Carter II and Jaire Alexander rather than kicking back during Philly’s bye.
5. Green Bay Packers (2): Can TE Luke Musgrave, who was taken one round earlier than injured teammate Tucker Kraft two years ago, finally flourish at a time when the Pack need him to step up?
6. New England Patriots (9): The only team that has yet to allow a running back to rush for 50 yards − and the Pats have faced the likes of Bijan Robinson, James Cook III and De’Von Achane.
7. Buffalo Bills (10): They beat the mighty Chiefs. In the regular season. Again. Yawn − unless this becomes the game that tiebreakers the dynasty home after Week 18.
8. Kansas City Chiefs (1): Travis Kelce joined Jason Witten and Hall of Famers Tony Gonzalez and Antonio Gates as the only tight ends with at least 500 receiving yards in 12 seasons. He should consider making all of them groomsmen − and could start considering save the dates for January.
9. Detroit Lions (5): After stumbling out of their bye, maybe they’ll find a trip through the entire NFC East over the next five weeks will be a welcome respite from the unforgiving NFC North.
10. Tampa Bay Buccaneers (11): Hope they’re rested and ready coming out of the off week, their next three opponents (Patriots, Bills, Rams) a currently a combined 19-6.
11. Pittsburgh Steelers (12): “That dude came in here, man, and gave us some quality work,” coach Mike Tomlin said of recently acquired S Kyle Dugger. The question now is whether GM Omar Khan will bring in anyone else for a team that could still use help at receiver and in the secondary.
12. Indianapolis Colts (4): Six turnovers? Maybe they had a bad day. Maybe they were overrated as some (raises hand) suspected. Maybe it’s a little bit of both. We’ll know for sure when the varsity schedule truly kicks in after a Week 11 bye. But they’re still the AFC’s No. playoff seed. Technically. For now.
13. Jacksonville Jaguars (14): They have five more road games this season, three in domes and one in Denver. We want to see K Cam Little get a field-goal shot beyond 70 yards. Though maybe given Tuesday’s acquisition of WR Jakobi Meyers, the Jags can get Little a little closer …
14. Houston Texans (15): Three of their next four games are against AFC South opponents. Time for the reigning division champs to take it up a notch.
15. Baltimore Ravens (20): This bandwagon is picking up steam, though former Titans OLB Dre’Mont Jones was able to safely hop aboard Monday.
16. San Francisco 49ers (16): RB Christian McCaffrey now has 16 career games in which he’s rushed for a TD and found the end zone on a reception. The Niners might need him to have another eight like that this season in order to remain competitive.
17. Carolina Panthers (18): If they’re able to pump out two wins (but not three) over NFC South foes over the next two weeks, the Panthers will be in excellent position to chase their first playoff berth since the 2017 season.
18. Chicago Bears (17): Well, if the quarterback thing doesn’t work out, Caleb Williams just became the first one in the Super Bowl era (since 1966) to catch multiples passes in a game. Team could probably use him at safety, too.
19. Minnesota Vikings (22): Eighteen months (but just three starts) into his NFL career, and QB J.J. McCarthy has yet to pass for 160 yards in a game. It’ll come soon.
20. Los Angeles Chargers (13): Sadly, the Joe Alt-less Bolts are a much different team than the the Joe Alt-ed version. Better luck next year, big man.
21. Arizona Cardinals (25): No truth to the rumor they’re trading QB Kyler Murray to FaZe Clan before Tuesday’s deadline. What, you don’t follow esports? Elsewhere, the Cards leveled up in Monday’s debut of first-round DL Walter Nolen III.
▲ 22. Cincinnati Bengals (23): Congrats to the only team since the 1970 AFL-NFL merger to score at least 38 points in successive games … and lose both. Since the start of the 2024 season, Cincy has lost six games in which it’s scored at least 30 points. It’s enough to make an average back like Chase Brown start lobbing F-bombs across the locker room. Yet − credit to them − they’ve managed to unload an expensive defender, per reports, who hadn’t even managed to keep his job.
▼ 23. Dallas Cowboys (19): That’s because (perhaps?) Jerry Jones’ big move was to obtain LB Logan Wilson, who’s in the second season of a four-year, $36 million contract but lost his job in Cincinnati to rookie Barrett Carter. Maybe an off-ball ‘backer − one who apparently wasn’t good enough for the Bengals D and struggles in coverage − will be a panacaea for Dallas’. But don’t bet on it.
24. Washington Commanders (21): A team that caught almost all of the breaks in 2024 can’t find one in 2025 − now stuck in a four-game free fall and without QB Jayden Daniels for the foreseeable future.
25. New York Giants (24): For all the focus on their offensive issues and injuries, few defenses are worse than this one − and that’s despite the star power it has up front.
26. Cleveland Browns (26): Kevin Stefanski just installed offensive coordinator Tommy Rees as the team’s new play caller. So when will he install Shedeur Sanders as the new quarterback?
27. Miami Dolphins (27): As interim GM Champ Kelly begins selling off parts, maybe coach Mike McDaniel can rally the remaining troops given it seems the pressure’s off of him now − at least on a weekly basis through the end of the year.
28. Atlanta Falcons (28): As Robinson goes, so go the Dirty Birds. He hasn’t cracked 100 yards from scrimmage once during their three-game slide and has just one TD during that stretch.
29. New York Jets (30): A 1-7 squad coming off its bye is just a few breaks from being 5-3 − such is life in the NFL. But given how close the NYJ might be to gaining some altitude, ought to be interesting to see how active they want to be − several players on the roster seem to be in demand − as the deadline nears.
▼ 30. Las Vegas Raiders (31): The defense has allowed an average of 29.5 points over the past six games … which would be awesome if they were the Cincinnati Raiders. Previously disgruntled Meyers hadn’t done much over the past month − other than double down on his trade request − but apparently he showed the Jags enough in person Sunday to compel them to swing a deal, which is a pretty good one long term for Vegas … if not immediately so.
31. New Orleans Saints (29): Maybe it’s just as well that RB Alvin Kamara doesn’t want to be dealt. He has 91 yards and zero touchdowns − total − over his past three games.
32. Tennessee Titans (32): Rookie Chimere Dike has nearly 300 more all-purpose yards than anyone else in the league. Of course, that’s the benefit when your team is constantly scored on, necessitating 42 kickoff returns by Dike already.
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