What is the best division in the NFL? While the NFC North dominated in the regular season last year, it was the NFC East that sent two of its franchises to the conference title game. The NFC is now the reigning Super Bowl champions, but this offseason demonstrated why some of the best NFL divisions still reside in the AFC.
Let’s dive into our NFL division rankings entering the 2025 season.
1. NFC North
The NFC North isn’t going to have three teams with double-digit wins, including two posting a combined 29-5 record, next season. In fact, given how the NFL schedule shakes out this season, there’s a chance the NFC North champion doesn’t even win 13 games. That’s both because of the quality of competiion inside the division and the fact that the NFC North teams now face the Philadelphia Eagles, Washington Commanders, Baltimore Ravens and Pittsburgh Steelers this season. The Detroit Lions are still the team to beat and you could make a case for the Green Bay Packers or Minnesota Vikings to reclaim the crown. Even the Chicago Bears have the ceiling of a playoff team. When you have three Super Bowl contenders and a playoff threat, you have the best division in the NFL.
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2. AFC West
The second spot in our NFL division rankings was very tight between the AFC North and AFC West. Ultimately, the nod goes to the division we believe has two Super Bowl contenders. Even starting at the bottom of the division, the Las Vegas Raiders are a much better team than the Cleveland Browns. Las Vegas is at least a six-win team and its offense could be one of the most underrated units in football
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Working up to the third-best team in the AFC West, the Los Angeles Chargers are an ascending team coming off a playoff berth with a top-seven quarterback and one of the best coaching staffs in the NFL Winning the division is unlikely, but the sixth seed in the AFC certainly isn’t. Finally, we have the Kansas City Chiefs and the Denver Broncos. That’s a team with seven consecutive AFC Championship Game appearances and a club with a top-tree defense and potentially a top-10 offense. Either team could win the division and both will likely win playoff games this winter.
3. AFC North
The Baltimore Ravens are the cream of the crop in the AFC North. What should concern teams around the league is the fact that the Ravens defense, based on how it performed in the second half of the season, could be even better this year. Plus, Lamar Jackson and Derrick Henry have another year in Todd Monken’s system and the firepower around them with all the other talent on this loaded roster make Baltimore the team to beat.
Things get interesting after the Ravens. Joe Burrow and the Cincinnati Bengals offense is a Super Bowl-caliber unit, but the defense was awful last season. Maybe it improves, but that’s not a safe bet. As for the Pittsburgh Steelers, Aaron Rodgers, Jalen Ramsey and T.J. Watt are leading an aging roster with a ceiling of a one-and-done playoff team. No one needs to think about the Cleveland Browns in 2025.
4. NFC East
The Philadelphia Eagles and Washington Commanders are doing a lot of the heavy lifting for the NFC East in our NFL division rankings. While the reigning Super Bowl champs experienced a few notable offseason departures, the youngest defense in the NFL is also one of the best units in football. So, you have one of the most well-rounded teams in the league and a Commanders’ squad that added more talent around Jayden Daniels coming off an MVP-caliber season.
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Then there’s the Dallas Cowboys. If absolutely everything goes right, maybe Dak Prescott, CeeDee Lamb, George Pickens, Micah Parsons and DaRon Bland can push this team into a wild card spot. However, nothing about the Cowboys’ summer suggests things will go right. At least they’ll still be better than a New York Giants squad that’s going to waste a great defense.
5. NFC West
The NFC West is one of the most fascinating divisions in the NFL this fall. Similar to the NFC North, it’s also a division where you could make a case for any of the four teams winning it. Fittingly, the Los Angeles Rams are the favorites right now thanks to an outstanding defensive line to pair with a Sean McVay offense led by Matthew Stafford, Kyren Williams, Puka Nacua and Davante Adams. If the Rams can’t take it, a San Francisco 49ers team with a healthy Christian McCaffrey and improved play defensively under play-caller Robert Saleh could push this team back on top.
Just don’t sleep on the Arizona Cardinals and Seattle Seahawks. For Arizona, they already have the offensive firepower in place, with all of it resting on the shoulders of quarterback Kyle Murray. Furthermore, the Cardinals’ defense now has the addition of talent it needed in the front seven. As for Seattle, it all comes down to the offensive line. If the Seahawks’ offensive line can even be league average, Sam Darnold can play well enough that this defense can push for the division title.
6. AFC East
The Buffalo Bills are carrying this division on their shoulders. After earning his first NFL MVP award, quarterback Josh Allen now walks into an offense that should take a step forward with improvements from Keon Coleman. There’s also optimism on the defensive side under Sean McDermott, especially if some of the key starters can stay healthy for once. The one thing that feels like a given, the Bills are winning the division.
Things get a lot more interesting after that. The New England Patriots are the team on the rise, with Drake Maye showcasing franchise-caliber traits and now having a supporting cast (Stefon Diggs, quality coaching and a great defense) to make his life a little easier. Elsewhere, the New York Jets finally hit the reset button as an organization and could take a step forward, once they find a quarterback to build around in 2026. As for the Miami Dolphins, the league’s worst secondary and a regime with a history of freezing up in the winter don’t bode well for success.
7. NFC South
The Tampa Bay Buccaneers are the unquestioned kings of the NFC South until proven otherwise. It’s easy to like the firepower that the Atlanta Falcons offense has, but a shaky secondary and the inexperience, both at quarterback and pass rusher, put this team several tiers below Tampa Bay. As for the Carolina Panthers, who proved feisty late in the 2024 season, they simply don’t have the defense to help Bryce Young win enough games. On the bright side for the NFC South, the Falcons and Panthers should at least be more competitive than we witnessed last season. The New Orleans Saints just exist, ready to live in the cellar of the division.
8. AFC South
The AC South is the worst division in the NFL. It’s also a fascinating division to watch, as there are alarming flaws with each club. For the Houston Texans, there are elements of a Super Bowl contender when you look at C.J. Stroud, this defense and the Texans’ skill group. Houston has a problem, though; its offensive line doesn’t seem like it will improve enough this fall for the Texans to come even close to reaching their ceiling.
The Indianapolis Colts roster looks better than it did last season, but there’s no way anyone can trust Daniel Jones or Anthony Richardson with any confidence. That’s especially true because the voids at center and right guard will leave the starting quarterback exposed. With the Jacksonville Jaguars, everything is banking on Liam Coen finally being the one to unlock Trevor Lawrence and that’s harder to do behind the offensive line. As for the Tennessee Titans, all we ask is that they keep Cam Ward healthy and upright for his entire rookie season.
