The NFL season has reached its midway point, and it’s time to hand out team grades.
The Colts, Patriots and Seahawks have all greatly outpaced expectations and deserve an ‘A.’
The Titans are the only team to receive an ‘F,’ but several others aren’t far off.
The NFL season has officially reached its halfway point, and it’s time to hand out some midterm grades.
The 2025 campaign has underscored the parity running rampant throughout the league, with every team already having suffered at least two losses. That’s made it even harder to assess each franchise, as a group that looks like a leading contender one week might suffer a serious setback the following Sunday. Yet despite the inconsistent trajectories, the sample size is now large enough that teams can be fairly judged against their preseason expectations.
Here are our grades for all 32 teams after the first half of the season:
A
Indianapolis Colts: If not for a six-turnover unraveling against the Pittsburgh Steelers, Indianapolis would have stood alone as the only team with an A-plus. But don’t let that outlier meltdown color the view of what’s otherwise been a stunningly impressive start. The Daniel Jones-helmed offense has been a model of efficiency, pacing the league with a 50% success rate. Meanwhile, the surprising midseason trade for cornerback Sauce Gardner could take Lou Anarumo’s defense to new levels with all of the coverage possibilities unlocked by the two-time All-Pro’s arrival.
New England Patriots: Mike Vrabel’s instant turnaround has exceeded even the most optimistic projections. In Drake Maye, New England has a legitimate MVP candidate capable of elevating the team’s attack for years to come. The revamped run game remains a disappointment, and the Patriots seized the AFC East lead in part by beating up on lesser squads thanks to a highly favorable early schedule. But it seems likely that Robert Kraft’s long-awaited return to the playoffs is imminent.
A-
Los Angeles Rams: Puka Nacua is back, and Matthew Stafford has answered offseason questions about his balky back by once again slinging this team to the top tier of NFC contenders. Still, with Los Angeles having issues at cornerback and in the kicking game, this season could go sideways like a Joshua Karty knuckleball. But a defense that has given up 20 points in the last three games looks poised to entrench itself as one of the league’s top units down the stretch.
Philadelphia Eagles: After all that discontent, the defending champions stand as the NFC’s No. 1 seed at midseason. Some reshuffling in the secondary and the trade for edge rusher Jaelan Phillips should help the defense sort out its most pressing issues, even if the group doesn’t rediscover its downright dominance. Oft-criticized first-year offensive coordinator Kevin Patullo has done a laudable job of navigating the early-season turbulence to give the attack a smoother ride, thanks in large part to a revitalized run game and more prosperous play-action approach. If Philadelphia can stay healthy, this group could soar down the stretch.
San Francisco 49ers: By season’s end, San Francisco could be staring down an ‘incomplete’ mark given the incessant injury hits, which have sidelined the likes of Nick Bosa, Fred Warner, Brock Purdy, George Kittle and more. For now, though, let’s give Kyle Shanahan and defensive coordinator Robert Saleh their flowers for doing more than merely keeping this group afloat. Most teams suffering the level of attrition San Francisco has wouldn’t find themselves in the thick of the divisional race and the hunt for a playoff berth. Hard to say with confidence that the trajectory can hold given everything working against the 49ers, but this is a model of organizational resilience.
B+
Detroit Lions: When the offensive line falters and the run game flatlines, things can get concerning. For the most part, though, Detroit has demonstrated that it has more than enough in the tank to keep things together offensively, and the resilient defense is a point of pride. A bit of a midseason wake-up call might be required, but Dan Campbell’s crew has shown it won’t stay down for long.
Denver Broncos: Call them slow starters or immaculate finishers, with their plus-60 point differential in the fourth quarter almost double the margin of the next closest team. Either way, the Broncos are carving out a reputation as a team that puts everything into place late after feeling through things in the early going. Sean Payton surely would like his group to stop living on the edge, but it bodes well for Denver that the team is comfortable winning in a variety of ways.
Carolina Panthers: Maybe ending a playoff drought that spans seven seasons is a stretch, but notching the first winning season during that same time frame isn’t. An organization that has been perpetually resetting in recent years finally appears to have reached stable ground. Rico Dowdle and a rugged run game have eased the pressure on Bryce Young, and the bend-but-don’t-break defense is getting the job done despite accumulating few style points.
B
Pittsburgh Steelers: Aaron Rodgers has given Mike Tomlin all the coach could reasonably expect from a 41-year-old quarterback. If only that stability extended to a defense giving up the most passing yards per game (278.3) in the NFL. How Pittsburgh follows up its extremely encouraging shutdown of the Colts could shape the rest of the season, but the Steelers can continue on to an AFC North crown if they can merely stay the course.
Los Angeles Chargers: Sure looks like there’s only so far that the Bolts can go with their injury-ravaged front, which has lost stalwart offensive tackles Joe Alt and Rashawn Slater for the season. Yet the Chargers still deserve some recognition for getting to the point where they would hold the No. 6 seed if the season ended today. Justin Herbert’s weekly pummelings, however, only figure to worsen down the stretch that features a more difficult schedule.
Jacksonville Jaguars: It’s fair to be skeptical of a team that’s 5-3 despite being outscored and has enjoyed a massive swing in turnover fortune, going from a minus-15 differential last year to plus-8 so far this season. The passing attack might be stuck in purgatory until Year 2 under Liam Coen, but the new regime clearly has things headed in the right direction.
Chicago Bears: Time to zoom out from the weekly dissections of Caleb Williams and acknowledge that Ben Johnson’s offensive vision is coming to life. Dennis Allen’s defense, however, is almost entirely reliant on generating takeaways – boasting a league-best 19 – to stop opponents. Breaking through in the loaded NFC North will be a tall order, but Chicago at least has a chance to finish as something other than distant fourth for the first time in four years.
B-
Kansas City Chiefs: Doubling their loss total from last season a little more than halfway through the 2025 campaign might be serious cause for consternation for some. Kansas City can’t be content with an initial run that as of now leaves them out of the playoff picture, but the three-game win streak that preceded the setback at Buffalo demonstrated that the Chiefs are still immensely dangerous. The margin for error might have thinned considerably, but an offense that ranks fourth in expected points added per play won’t run out of gas anytime soon.
Green Bay Packers: There’s an awful lot of angst encircling a team that’s leading the NFL’s most competitive division race at 5-2-1. That’s partially a reflection of the high standards in Green Bay that skyrocketed after the Micah Parsons trade, but Matt LaFleur hasn’t exactly made life easy on himself or his charges with his game management decisions in 2025. With star tight end Tucker Kraft now out for the season, the volatile offense will have to establish some level of consistency to avoid igniting further frustration.
C+
Minnesota Vikings: The instability at quarterback, which included J.J. McCarthy being shelved for five starts and Carson Wentz succumbing to a season-ending shoulder injury, has been a serious hit to a franchise that let Darnold walk. Yet a roster that was supposed to rank as one of the league’s strongest from top to bottom has been wholly disappointing, especially along revamped lines designed to better set the tone up front. A win against the Lions in McCarthy’s return provided some semblance of hope, but it seems clear Minnesota is going to have to rely on its young signal-caller a bit more than it expected in key situations.
C
Arizona Cardinals: Steady growth and an offseason spending spree had plenty of people preparing for a leap in Year 3 under Jonathan Gannon and Monti Ossenfort. Instead, Arizona has been left behind in the NFC West as it grapples with many of the same shortcomings that have dogged it in recent years. Whether it’s facing the possibility of a leadership change or a shift behind center with Jacoby Brissett set to take over for the injured Kyler Murray for the foreseeable future, this looks like an inflection point for the organization.
C-
Atlanta Falcons: At least they’ve sorted out the pass rush, sort of – defensive coordinator Jeff Ulbrich would clearly prefer to generate pressure without resorting to a league-high blitz rate. Yet the story of the Falcons’ lackluster season has unquestionably been the massive letdown that is the offense. Not only has Atlanta not managed to clear the way for Bijan Robinson – whom coach Raheem Morris has repeatedly called ‘the best player in football’ – but the passing game has repeatedly needed to be bailed out by Drake London. Unless something clicks, the Falcons look more prone to ending the season with Morris on the hot seat than earning their first playoff berth since 2017.
Houston Texans: When the Texans repeatedly employed their jumbo package in a Week 8 win over the San Francisco 49ers, it seemed as though they might finally have a path forward for dealing with their longstanding offensive line problems. Then C.J. Stroud suffered a concussion a week later. Sure seems like this sublimely talented and disruptive defense is going to waste, though getting to the periphery of the playoff picture isn’t out of the question.
Dallas Cowboys: It would take something truly calamitous to mar what first-year coach Brian Schottenheimer and Dak Prescott have put together for an offense that ranks fourth in scoring. Somehow, though, Dallas’ defense has repeatedly discovered new levels of discord, from stalled rushes to coverage breakdowns. Maybe Micah Parsons alone wouldn’t rescue this unit, but Jerry Jones will have plenty to answer for this offseason given the faulty construction at play here.
D+
Cleveland Browns: At least most of the rookies have hit, with linebacker Carson Schwesinger, running back Quinshon Judkins and tight end Harold Fannin Jr. all positioning themselves as potential franchise fixtures for years to come. Sure would be easier to feel confident about Cleveland’s trajectory if quarterback Dillon Gabriel were among the first-year standouts, though. The Browns’ true relaunch should begin in earnest this offseason, when the team will have two first-round draft picks. But the losing has gotten bad enough that it’s taken a discernible toll on cornerstone Myles Garrett.
New York Giants: The only salvation here is Jaxson Dart, whose star turn has given this wayward franchise some sense of direction. But Big Blue has only done so much to support its rookie quarterback, and a defense that many figured would inspire fear with its pass rush has given up 105 points in the last three games. What else could be expected, though, after New York decided to stick with this regime for another year?
D
Las Vegas Raiders: Between the arrivals of Pete Carroll and Geno Smith, Las Vegas looked bound to establish a baseline level of competence that had eluded the organization for years. Instead, the Silver and Black have prompted questions of whether the 74-year-old coach and 35-year-old quarterback are the right figures to be leading a group that still looks to be a couple years off at minimum. Between the limited returns from the rookie class and the defense looking as dilapidated as ever, there aren’t many encouraging signs that the Raiders can make up ground on the rest of the AFC West anytime soon.
Washington Commanders: Regression hit in the worst way for the Commanders, who learned what life was like on the other extreme of injury luck after good health helped spur last season’s run to the NFC championship game. But Dan Quinn acknowledged he bears plenty of responsibility for Jayden Daniels’ gruesome elbow injury, and it sure seems as though many of Washington’s other woes are self-inflicted. Given the way things are trending and the matchups awaiting the Commanders in the final two months, there’s real potential for the bottom to fall out for a team already stuck in a four-game skid.
D-
Miami Dolphins: At least there was some acknowledgement that change is needed, with the split from general manager Chris Grier marking an overdue change of direction. That’s pretty much the only thing that elevates the Dolphins from a failing mark to a ‘gentleman’s F,’ though. This season has served as a fitting denouement for a franchise that has repeatedly doubled down on a flawed approach to building a contender. Until Miami makes any determination on its future with coach Mike McDaniel and quarterback Tua Tagovailoa, there’s not much reason to tune in.
New York Jets: It seemed as though finally scoring a win might give Gang Green some sorely needed relief. Turns out that the real reprieve came in the form of punting on this season at the trade deadline and loading up for 2026 and beyond. The Jets’ decisions to move on from two of their most accomplished young players in cornerback Sauce Gardner and defensive tackle Quinnen Williams were entirely reasonable given the returns. But Aaron Glenn and Darren Mougey sure look to have made several miscalculations in their first offseason when determining just what this franchise needed to get its rebuild going.
F
Tennessee Titans: Brian Callahan was fired before Halloween. Cam Ward’s development looks to have been stunted. Outside of Jeffery Simmons, almost no building blocks are in place. In all, there’s no solace to be taken from a season that amounts to little more than a waste of time.
