Sportsnaut
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.
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.
Related: NFL Power Rankings 2025
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
Related: NFL Defense Rankings 2025
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.
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...
