The 2025-26 NFL regular season is in the books: 18 weeks played, countless upsets, and numerous teams that either exceeded preseason expectations, or blew them away completely. For this week’s Power Rankings, in addition to noting last week’s ranking, we’ll also include each team’s Preseason Power Ranking to show how far they’ve come (or not).

In Week 18, not every team played their starting lineup, and some teams didn’t have much of anything to play for, but a few teams made huge statements in the games that mattered the most.

Namely, the Seattle Seahawks officially earned the top seed in the NFC and a fast track to Super Bowl 60 with a decisive 13-3 victory over the San Francisco 49ers, who are still very much playoff-bound.

And on Sunday Night Football, Mike Tomlin, Aaron Rodgers, and the Pittsburgh Steelers emerged victorious on the heels of a last-second missed field goal by the Baltimore Ravens: which has already resulted in John Harbaugh being let go after nearly two decades with the team.

Read on for my 2025-26 NFL Post-Week 18 Power Rankings, and if you’d like to debate or discuss any rankings, join the conversation with Sakmann Sports on Twitter/X, on Facebook, or by commenting directly on this post!

2025 NFL Power Rankings: Preseason, Post-Week 1, Post-Week 2, Post-Week 3, Post-Week 4, Post-Week 5, Post-Week 6, Post-Week 7, Post-Week 8, Post-Week 9, Post-Week 10, Post-Week 11, Post-Week 12, Post-Week 13, Post-Week 14, Post-Week 15, Post-Week 16, Post-Week 17, Post-Week 18

Post-Week 18 Power Rankings

Every time the Seattle Seahawks have held the #1 seed in the NFC, they’ve reached the Super Bowl… (PFF)
  1. Seattle Seahawks (14-3) [Last Week: 1, Preseason: 20]
  2. New England Patriots (14-3) [Last Week: 2, Preseason: 24]
  3. Denver Broncos (14-3) [Last Week: 3, Preseason: 10]
  4. Houston Texans (12-5) [Last Week: 4, Preseason: 7]
  5. Los Angeles Rams (12-5) [Last Week: 6, Preseason: 9]
  6. Jacksonville Jaguars (13-4) [Last Week: 8, Preseason: 22]
  7. San Franciso 49ers (12-5) [Last Week: 5, Preseason: 14]
  8. Chicago Bears (11-6) [Last Week: 7, Preseason: 21]
  9. Buffalo Bills (12-5) [Last Week: 10, Preseason: 3]
  10. Philadelphia Eagles (11-6) [Last Week: 9, Preseason: 1]
  11. Los Angeles Chargers (11-6) [Last Week: 11, Preseason: 12]
  12. Pittsburgh Steelers (10-7) [Last Week: 14, Preseason: 15]
  13. Baltimore Ravens (8-9) [Last Week: 12, Preseason: 2]
  14. Green Bay Packers (9-7-1) [Last Week: 13, Preseason: 11]
  15. Atlanta Falcons (8-9) [Last Week: 18, Preseason: 23]
  16. Tampa Bay Buccaneers (8-9) [Last Week: 24, Preseason: 13]
  17. Carolina Panthers (8-9) [Last Week: 15, Preseason: 30]
  18. Minnesota Vikings (8-9) [Last Week: 19, Preseason: 16]
  19. Dallas Cowboys (7-9-1) [Last Week: 16, Preseason: 17]
  20. Cincinnati Bengals (6-11) [Last Week: 17, Preseason: 8]
  21. Detroit Lions (9-8) [Last Week: 20, Preseason: 5]
  22. Indianapolis Colts (8-9) [Last Week: 22, Preseason: 27]
  23. New Orleans Saints (6-11) [Last Week: 23, Preseason: 29]
  24. Cleveland Browns (5-12) [Last Week: 25, Preseason: 32]
  25. Miami Dolphins (7-10) [Last Week: 21, Preseason: 18]
  26. Washington Commanders (5-12) [Last Week: 28, Preseason: 6]
  27. Kansas City Chiefs (6-11) [Last Week: 26, Preseason: 4]
  28. Tennessee Titans (3-14) [Last Week: 27, Preseason: 31]
  29. New York Giants (4-13) [Last Week: 30, Preseason: 28]
  30. Arizona Cardinals (3-14) [Last Week: 29, Preseason: 26]
  31. Las Vegas Raiders (3-14) [Last Week: 31, Preseason: 19]
  32. New York Jets (3-14) [Last Week: 32, Preseason: 25]

Exceeding Preseason Expectations

  • New England Patriots (22 Spots Up)
  • Seattle Seahawks (19 Spots Up)
  • Jacksonville Jaguars (16 Spots Up)
  • Chicago Bears (13 Spots Up)
  • Carolina Panthers (13 Spots Up)
  • Atlanta Falcons (8 Spots Up)
  • Cleveland Browns (8 Spots Up)

Biggest Dissapointments

  • Kansas City Chiefs (23 Spots Down)
  • Washington Commanders (20 Spots Down)
  • Detroit Lions (16 Spots Down)
  • Cincinnati Bengals (12 Spots Down)
  • Las Vegas Raiders (12 Spots Down)
  • Baltimore Ravens (11 Spots Down)
  • Philadelphia Eagles (9 Spots Down)

They Are Who We Thought They Were

  • Los Angeles Chargers (Only 1 spot up)
  • New York Giants (Only 1 spot down)
  • Dallas Cowboys (Only 2 spots down)
  • Minnesota Vikings (Only 2 spots down)
SEE ALSO: NFL Wildcard Weekend Picks

More

NFL

NBA

More Sports

More By Me

Header Photo Credit: YouTube TV

Be sure to follow Sakmann Sports on Twitter/X or on Facebook for more!

Posted on 0 By Billy Sakmann NFL Posted in NFL, Sakmann Sports Tagged #, , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,
Billy Sakmann's avatar

Billy Sakmann

Leave a comment