NFL Power Rankings – Santa’s Naughty & Nice Lists

NFL Power Rankings: The playoff race is in high gear as the season’s final stretch and the holiday season are upon us. Let’s examine who Santa might have on his naughty and nice lists for each of the power teams in the NFL.

1. Seattle Seahawks 11-3 (Last Week: 1)
   The Colts were game with unretired Philip Rivers under center. The Seahawks will need to turn red zone trips into touchdowns instead of field goals to beat the Rams this Thursday.Nice List: Jaxon Smith-Njigba has been unstoppable, and he is a sure thing to be named to the all-NFL first team. Smith-Njigba leads in receiving yards, and he is in the top four in catches and touchdowns.Naughty List: TE Elijah Arroyo was a second-round pick, indicating that the club had high hopes for his production in the passing game. Arroyo has managed just fifteen receptions this season.
2. Los Angeles Rams 11-3 (Last Week: 3)
   The Rams outscored Detroit on Sunday, but the Lions exposed gaps in the Rams defense. There are not many teams that will be able to exploit those gaps, but Los Angeles faces one of those teams this week in Seattle.Nice List: Matt Stafford is a strong candidate for league MVP. The veteran quarterback has thirty-seven touchdowns and just 5 interceptions for the season.Naughty List: Nobody has distinguished themselves in the third receiver spot behind Puka Nacua and Davante Adams. With Adams nursing a hamstring injury, that weakness may be a factor against Seattle on Thursday.
3. Denver Broncos 12-2 (Last Week: 4)
   The Broncos are now in front in the AFC race for the top seed. The win against Green Bay on Sunday was Denver’s eleventh straight win.Nice List: Denver’s defense leads the league in sacks. The Broncos have ten more sacks than the second-leading team. The defense is also in the top five in yards allowed.Naughty List
   : Top draft choice, Jahdae Barron has been unable to earn any significant time at corner or at nickel back. The Texas product sits behind Riley Moss and Ja’Quan McMillian on the depth chart.
4. New England Patriots 11-3 (Last Week: 2)
   New England collapsed in the second half at home against the Bills on Sunday. The team has not had to face many top teams, and confidence that the Patriots can win against better competition in the playoffs is low.Nice List: Quarterback Drake Maye is in the top five in passing yards. Maye sits in third place currently with a 109.1 passer rating. Maye has been the difference in making New England a threat in the AFC on a team that was expected to lean primarily on its running game.Naughty List: The pass rush needs to improve. The Pats are 23^rd in sacks. Pressure on the quarterback will be critical in the postseason.
5. San Francisco 49ers 10-4 (Last Week: 5)
   The Niners have won four straight games, each of which was against lesser competition. San Francisco will need to raise its game down the stretch as they face Indianapolis, Chicago, and Seattle.Nice List: Christian McCaffrey is always a focus for the Niners offense, but he has gone beyond expectations this season. McCaffery leads the team in receiving as well as rushing. Much of that is McCaffery’s versatility and skill set, but it also points to the weak play of the Niners wide outs.Naughty List: The Niners receivers have been awful. McCaffrey has picked up the slack and George Kittle is healthy now, so that has helped. Someone on the outside needs to step it up for the Niners to avoid also ran status in the playoffs.
6. Buffalo Bills 10-4 (Last Week: 7)
   Buffalo made an epic comeback on the road in New England. Their division hopes are still alive, but the breakdowns leading to the big deficit are genuinely concerning.Nice List: James Cook has been the most consistent player for Buffalo. Cook needs to be a focus of the defense each week. Buffalo’s offensive line deserves much of the credit for regularly opening running lanes for Cook. The Bills have the top rushing attack in the league (158.5 yards/game).Naughty List: The Bills rush defense allows 143.1 yards per game. Only the Bengals and Giants are worse against the run.
7. Houston Texans 9-5 (Last Week: 8)
   The Texans have now won six straight games. Houston is a strong dark horse candidate to make it through the AFC given their elite defense and their improving health on offense.Nice List: Nico Collins is in the top ten in receiving despite not being on the field for all the Texans games. Collins changes the dynamic for Houston on offense, opening things up for all of Houston’s other skill players.Naughty List: Wide receiver Christian Kirk has missed multiple games with injuries, but he is on schedule to log his lowest receiving numbers of his career. Kirk has twenty-two catches in 2025 after snaring just twenty-seven in an injury-plagued 2024 season.
8. Green Bay Packers 9-4-1 (Last Week: 6)
   The Packers fell behind the Bears in the NFC North after a tough loss in Denver. Green Bay travels to Chicago this week in a critical matchup to try to repeat their victory over the Bears from two weeks ago.Nice List: Safety Xavier McKinney does it all in the secondary for Green Bay. McKinney has nine passes defended and two interceptions while currently ranking fourth on the team with eighty-eight tackles.Naughty List: Tight ends not named Tucker Craft have been noticeably absent from the box score for Packer games. Craft still leads the team in receptions and touchdowns among Packer tight ends despite playing in just eight games.
9. Jacksonville Jaguars 10-4 (Last Week: 9)
   The Jaguars were hardly challenged by the Jets Sunday winning their fifth straight game. The Jags hold the lead in the AFC South with two difficult road tests coming up at Denver and Indianapolis.Nice List: Travis Etienne is in the top ten in rushing yards for a team that is more consistent on the ground than through the air. Etienne has seven rushing touchdowns.Naughty List: Trevor Lawrence has been inconsistent. Despite ranking in the top ten is passing yards, Lawrence is 25^th in passer rating and 30^th in completion percentage.
10. Chicago Bears 10-4 (Last Week: 10)
    The Bears bounced back from the loss in Green Bay to dominate the Browns. The Bears get a chance for revenge against the Packers this week in a prime-time game.Nice List: Colston Loveland has made an impact at tight end. Loveland is third in receptions for the Bears and has four receiving touchdowns in his rookie season. Loveland has helped to open the middle of field so Chicago’s wide receivers can operate.Naughty List: The Bears offensive line has underperformed thus far in 2025. Left Tackle has been a major pain point. The Bears run it well, but pass protection has been an issue.

30. New York Jets 3-10 (Last Week: 30)Only the Titans and Raiders sit behind the Jets in the power rankings. Steve Wilks was relieved of his duties as defensive coordinator after Sunday’s embarrassing showing in Jacksonville. It does not appear that the team has been able to keep its focus after trading away several of its best talents. The poor play in these recent weeks may be head coach Aaron Glenn’s undoing, limiting him to one season as head coach if the team’s effort continues to be underwhelming.The Jets travel to New Orleans for an up-close look at a football team that continues to battle each week despite being out of contention. The Saints compete every Sunday and are to be commended for their effort winning their last two games after falling to 2-10.

    The only interest in this game, other than seeing if Aaron Glenn can motivate the team to play their best football, is the continued development of quarterback Brady Cook. The team should give Cook a chance to start the remainder of the season regardless of the health status of Justin Fields or Tyrod Taylor. Cook made a few plays against the Jaguars and has some mobility, making him an intriguing development prospect.

    Nice List: Jamien Sherwood is among the league leaders in tackles. The Linebacker also has eight passes defended on the year. Sherwood is a bright spot for a unit that has been an overall disappointment.

    Naughty List: There are many candidates, but Justin Fields is the choice. Fields was efficient when starting for Pittsburgh, though not spectacular, inspiring hope that he had turned the corner in his development and could serve as an effective quarterback. Those hopes seemed well placed after a strong week one performance against the Steelers, but things have collapsed from there. Fields has returned to being woefully inaccurate and ineffective in reading defenses. It is unlikely he will get another chance to start in the NFL.