For years, the Chiefs, Bills and Ravens have dominated the AFC.
Through nine weeks of the 2025 NFL regular season, that’s far from the case.
If the playoffs began tomorrow, Kansas City and Baltimore would be watching from the couch. Buffalo would be in the mix, but as a wild-card team. Meanwhile, the Patriots, Broncos and Colts are all tied atop the conference with 7–2 records, fighting for home-field advantage throughout the AFC playoffs.
Conversely, the Titans and Jets are one-win outfits, while the Raiders, Dolphins and Browns have two wins apiece and are looking at a long two months ahead.
But we start with the Ravens, who even with two consecutive wins to enter Week 10, aren’t in the spot they expected to be at this juncture.
Baltimore Ravens
This has been a bizarre year for Baltimore. One of the Super Bowl favorites coming in, the Ravens started 1–5 thanks to a horrific defense that allowed 32.3 points per game during that stretch. Lamar Jackson also missed three games with a hamstring injury.
However, the Ravens are headed in the right direction, beating the Bears and Dolphins in consecutive games while allowing just 22 points combined. Things have been ugly so far, but fortunes could be turning.
Grade: D
Buffalo Bills
The Bills are 6–2 and somehow find themselves struggling to take over first place in the AFC East with the Patriots a half-game ahead. It’s been an uneven year, with wins over the Ravens and Chiefs, and losses against New England and the Falcons.
Overall, though, Josh Allen has 1,833 passing yards and 20 total touchdowns, firmly putting himself in the MVP race once more. The defense has been beset by injuries, though, losing Michael Hoecht (Achilles), Ed Oliver (biceps) and others for the long haul.
Grade: B
Cincinnati Bengals
This has been a disastrous season for the Bengals. Once again, Joe Burrow was lost for the year, this time with a turf toe injury. It’s the third time since being drafted in 2020 that Burrow needed to go on injured reserve with a season-ending ailment.
However, this grade isn’t only about Burrow. The Bengals ranked 25th in points and yards allowed in 2024. As a result, they fired coordinator Lou Anarumo, who has enjoyed success with the Colts. His replacement, Al Golden, has watched the Jets and Bears each hang more than 500 yards on his defense the past two weeks, with the unit ranking dead last in yards (426.6) and points (33.3) surrendered per game.
Grade: F
Cleveland Browns
The Browns weren’t expected to be good in 2025, and they haven’t disappointed. Cleveland’s offense has been a mess, scoring only 20 points once this season. Every other team in football has reached that threshold multiple times.
While Joe Flacco started the year under center, coach Kevin Stefanski turned to rookie quarterback Dillon Gabriel in Week 5. The result has been Gabriel averaging 4.9 yards per attempt while completing 59.9% of his throws. The defense has been excellent, ranking second in yards allowed per game, while Myles Garrett has racked up 10 sacks.
Grade: D-
Denver Broncos
If the Broncos could turn every second of their games into the fourth quarter, they’d be the greatest team of all time. Denver has enjoyed three fourth-quarter comebacks in recent weeks, beating the Eagles, Giants and Texans. The rally over New York was especially wild, with 33 points in the final 15 minutes.
Beyond that, the defense has been special. The Broncos have 34 sacks in nine games, putting them on pace to eclipse the single-season record of 72 by the 1984 Bears. Offensively, Bo Nix has been inconsistent but ultimately effective with 1,976 passing yards and 17 touchdowns, while J.K. Dobbins ranks fourth with 695 rushing yards.
Grade: A
Houston Texans
The Texans have reached the divisional round of the playoffs each of the past two years, but that could be a pipe dream for 2025. At 3–5, Houston is dealing with a concussion for C.J. Stroud and has only one legitimate weapon in Nico Collins. Beyond Collins, the next-leading wide receiver is Xavier Hutchinson with 222 yards.
The good news? Houston leads the league in points allowed per game (15.1) and has a nasty duo of corners in Derek Stingley Jr. and Kamari Lassiter, helping the Texans rank fourth against the pass. The same is true up front with edge rushers Danielle Hunter and Will Anderson Jr., combining for 10 sacks and 13 tackles for loss.
Grade: D+
Indianapolis Colts
How could the Colts have anything but the best grade in the conference? It’s been a dream season for Indianapolis, which has a 1.5-game lead in the AFC South and is tied atop the AFC at 7–2.
Daniel Jones has thrown for a league-best 2,404 yards and 14 touchdowns against six interceptions. Jonathan Taylor leads the NFL with 895 rushing yards and 12 touchdowns, while rookie tight end Tyler Warren is second among all tight ends with 518 receiving yards.
Grade: A+
Jacksonville Jaguars
Jacksonville got off to a 4–1 start but has since cooled off, losing two straight before barely beating the Raiders in overtime last week, 30–29. Still, the Jaguars are 5–4 and currently in the playoffs despite slow starts from Trevor Lawrence, Brian Thomas Jr. and first-round pick Travis Hunter.
Lawrence has completed 59.7% of his attempts with nine touchdowns against six interceptions, while Thomas has only 30 catches on 60 targets for 420 yards and a touchdown. Lastly, Hunter has been lackluster, playing just 36% of the defensive snaps, while on offense, he has amassed 298 receiving yards and one score.
Grade: C+
Kansas City Chiefs
The Chiefs have endured a very abnormal season. They’re 5–4 and currently out of the playoffs. They also have terrific odds in every sportsbook to win the Super Bowl, despite being in third place in the AFC West.
Patrick Mahomes is a big reason to believe in Kansas City as an MVP frontrunner with 2,349 passing yards and 17 touchdowns, while Travis Kelce leads all tight ends with 540 receiving yards at age 36. Defensively, the Chiefs are also in the top 10 in yards and points allowed. It’s been a weird season, but the Chiefs are where they need to be.
Grade: C
Las Vegas Raiders
The Raiders spent the offseason changing everything, adding Tom Brady as a minority owner and bringing in John Spytek as general manager. On the field, Pete Carroll was hired as the head coach while Geno Smith was acquired from the Seahawks for a third-round pick.
It was supposed to be a new day in Las Vegas. Instead, the Raiders are 2–6 and looking every bit as pathetic as they’ve largely been over the past 25 years. Smith has been especially disappointing with 11 touchdowns and 11 interceptions, while first-round running back Ashton Jeanty is averaging only 3.9 yards per carry.
Grade: F
Los Angeles Chargers
The Chargers are 6–3 and firmly in the playoff picture, but all is not well in Los Angeles. Injuries are starting to become a huge problem, with the Chargers missing left tackle Rashawn Slater for the entire season with a torn patellar tendon, while fellow tackle Joe Alt will undergo season-ending ankle surgery for his high ankle sprain.
Justin Herbert has done a nice job with 2,390 yards and 18 touchdown passes, but he’s also been sacked 28 times behind a patchwork offensive line. The defense might need to carry more weight in the second half. Coordinator Jesse Minter could have his unit up for the challenge, ranking sixth and 11th in yards and points per game allowed, respectively.
Grade: B
Miami Dolphins
The Dolphins have been an abject disaster all year, whether it’s Mike McDaniel looking completely defeated after losses, or Tua Tagovailoa throwing interceptions and then throwing teammates under the bus in postgame pressers.
At 2–6, Miami has alternated between being bad and embarrassing, and its performance cost general manager Chris Grier his job on Friday. The Dolphins have no choice but to start rebuilding, something that’ll likely happen without McDaniel next season, and potentially without Tagovailoa as well, who has thrown 11 interceptions and posted a 43.3 QBR.
Grade: F
New England Patriots
The Patriots were expected to contend for a playoff spot by some intelligent people (check my playoff picks), but this season has exceeded expectations.
New England is in first place in the AFC East at 7–2 with MVP candidate Drake Maye leading the way. Maye has thrown for 2,285 yards on 9.0 yards per attempt with 17 touchdowns against four interceptions. However, Maye has taken 34 sacks—second-most in the league—while the Patriots have played a soft schedule. They’ve beaten just two teams with a winning record, one of which is the Panthers.
Grade: A+
New York Jets
The Jets hired Aaron Glenn, a first-year general manager, Darren Mougey, and signed quarterback Justin Fields. The result has been a disaster. New York is 1–7 with Fields struggling while also being tossed under the proverbial bus by owner Woody Johnson.
Fields has thrown for 6.5 yards per attempt and five touchdowns in seven games, while the defense has allowed 27.6 points per game, ranking 27th. New York doesn’t have a singular strength, putting it in a prime position to have a top pick in the 2026 draft.
Grade: F
Pittsburgh Steelers
Pittsburgh suffered consecutive losses to the Bengals and Packers, but righted itself with a 27–20 win over the Colts on Sunday. The defense stepped up, forcing six takeaways, including three interceptions and two fumbles off Daniel Jones.
The Steelers lead the AFC with 16 takeaways and a plus-9 turnover differential, making up for a defense that ranks 30th in yards allowed per game. The offense is also ranked 28th in that category while relying on short passes from Aaron Rodgers, who ranks 33rd of 34 qualifying quarterbacks with 2.6 completed air yards per pass attempt.
Grade: B
Tennessee Titans
The Titans weren’t expected to do much this season, save for building around No. 1 pick Cam Ward and hoping to see him progress well. Instead, Tennessee is 1–8, coach Brian Callahan was fired in October, and Ward has been awful, throwing five touchdowns against six interceptions while completing 57.6% of his attempts.
If Ward can get rolling in the second half of the season, the Titans can salvage something from this season. If not, the next coach will be inheriting a team with far more pressing questions than answers.
Grade: D-
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This article was originally published on www.si.com as 2025 AFC Midseason Report Cards: Three Teams Ace the First Half, While Four Fail.
