The 2014 NFL season is officially in the books, following a thrilling Super Bowl that went right down to the wire.power-rankings

The New England Patriots are champs again for the first time in a decade… And we’re left to wait. And wait. And wait.

It’s going to be another seven months before we get to watch another meaningful pro football game—a dreadful thought that actually makes you long for a Titans-Jaguars game on Thursday Night Football.

But, instead of crying into our coffee, it’s time to start looking ahead to next year.

We’ll revisit this throughout the offseason, but you’ve got to start somewhere. So with that said, here it is—our way too early 2015 power rankings.

Rank Team 2014 Record Notes
1 Seattle Seahawks 12-4 Sure, they blew their chance to repeat as champs, but the Seahawks will still enter 2015 as the team to beat. This might be the NFL’s best defensive dynasty since Pittsburgh’s Steel Curtain, and most of the pieces—including secondary standouts Richard Sherman, Earl Thomas and Kam Chancellor—are all under contract for next season.
2 Green Bay Packers 12-4 The Pack should have knocked off the Seahawks in the NFC Championship Game; it was theirs for the taking. But they’ll be back with two-time MVP Aaron Rodgers and the league’s best offense.
3 New England Patriots 12-4 The defending champs will be back strong next year—Tom Brady is one of the game’s all-time greats, TE Rob Gronkowski is nearly impossible to cover and the defense is the best it’s been in years. But will Darrelle Revis re-sign?
4 Indianapolis Colts 11-5 The Colts fell short this year, but Andrew Luck solidified himself as a bona fide superstar. If this club can bolster its running game and defense through the draft and/or free agency, look out.
5 Denver Broncos 12-4 There’s a lot of talent here, but there’s a new coaching staff and Peyton Manning really unraveled down the stretch this year. It appears the end is near.
6 Dallas Cowboys 12-4 The ‘Boys had a fantastic season, thanks largely to a star-studded offense. Tony Romo and Dez Bryant will be back—the latter on the franchise tag, most likely—but they probably can’t afford to bring back Offensive Player of the Year DeMarco Murray, too.
7 Baltimore Ravens 10-6 Don’t ever bet against Ozzie Newsome—he has managed to consistently retool this team year after year. Joe Flacco is coming off his best season as a pro and should be fine moving forward, despite the loss of OC Gary Kubiak; but the defense needs some help, especially in the secondary.
8 Arizona Cardinals 11-5 The Cards were the best team in football for much of the 2014 season. There’s a ton of talent here, but they desperately need Carson Palmer to come back healthy andfind a better backup, too.
9 Pittsburgh Steelers 11-5 This club is locked and loaded for continued success with the dynamic trio of Ben Roethlisberger, Le’Veon Bell and Antonio Brown. But the defense could use some reinforcements after a mediocre 2014 season.
10 Cincinnati Bengals 10-5-1 The Bengals have a very good defense and the running game really took off with Jeremy Hill, but it’s getting harder and harder to see this team ever taking the next step with Andy Dalton at QB.
11 Detroit Lions 11-5 The Lions just wrapped up their best season since 1991, but huge questions remain. Will Ndamukong Suh be back in 2015? And will Matthew Stafford ever live up to the hype?
12 Philadelphia Eagles 10-6 Chip Kelly has worked wonders with this offense, but it’s doubtful that either Nick Foles or Mark Sanchez is the right guy to lead the squad. Also, the defense needs a lot of work, particularly against the pass.
13 Houston Texans 9-7 This is an intriguing squad for 2015. J.J. Watt is the best defensive player in the football, by far, and next year they’ll be able to pair him with Jadeveon Clowney (who, remember, was the consensus No. 1 pick last year). Unfortunately, the QB spot remains unsettled.
14 Buffalo Bills 9-7 This defense is legit and Rex Ryan is actually an upgrade at head coach, but this team is poised for regression if it can’t find a better QB than Kyle Orton or E.J. Manuel.
15 Carolina Panthers 7-8-1 The Cats looked good down the stretch, playing solid defense and getting the running game going with Jonathan Stewart. It will help to have Cam Newton healthy to open the year next year.
16 San Francisco 49ers 8-8 It’s hard to believe this club has played in 3 of the last 4 NFC Championship Games because it’s clearly heading the wrong direction. Colin Kaepernick has regressed, Frank Gore isn’t getting any younger, the defense has struggled to stay healthy and the front office just jettisoned Jim Harbaugh.
17 Minnesota Vikings 7-9 The defense took a big step forward under Mike Zimmer and Teddy Bridgewater finally gives the Vikes a legit QB for the future. There are still a few holes to fill and one huge question to answer—will Adrian Peterson be back?—but there are clear signs of a turnaround here.
18 Kansas City Chiefs 9-7 The Chiefs actually overachieved in 2014, thanks to a stout defense that allowed just 17.6 points per game. But the offense is so ugly. Alex Smith didn’t throw a single TD pass to a WR in 2014, and Andy Reid inexplicably forgets about Jamaal Charles—the team’s best player, mind you—for large portions of games.
19 San Diego Chargers 9-7 The Bolts were solid last year, but they’ve got sizable voids in the trenches on both sides of the ball. They also need more playmakers on offense.
20 St. Louis Rams 6-10 The Rams D was phenomenal at times, but this club still has way too many problems on offense. Is Sam Bradford the man at QB and who’s he supposed to throw the ball to? Plus, Jeff Fisher continues to underwhelm as a head coach.
21 New York Giants 6-10 Anyone who watched Odell Beckham play in 2014 knows there is at least some reason for optimism. But as exciting as he was, the defense was atrocious, yielding over 375 yards per game.
22 Miami Dolphins 8-8 Ryan Tannehill and the offense took a big step forward under OC Bill Lazor, but the defense crumbled down the stretch, allowing 35 or more points in each of the club’s last three games.
23 New Orleans Saints 7-9 They’re not quite back to being the ‘Aints, but they’re getting a little too close for comfort. The defense was pathetic, allowing 384 yards and 26.5 points per game, and the offense just isn’t the same as it once was. Darren Sproles is gone, Marques Colston is showing his age and Jimmy Graham can’t seem to stay healthy.
24 Chicago Bears 5-11 Only the Raiders gave up more points than Da Bears last season, leaving the club in need of major upgrades in all three phases of the defense. Meanwhile, Jay Cutler continued to frustrate at QB and Brandon Marshall is a free agent. On the bright side, they brought in a strong, veteran head coach in John Fox and two stud coordinators in former 49ers DC Vic Fangio and former Broncos OC Adam Gase.
25 Atlanta Falcons 6-10 The Falcons still have some promise on offense, where Matty Ice remains solid and Julio Jones is an absolute freak. But the defense allowed almost 400 yards per game. It might be time to spend big for a free agent like Ndamukong Suh.
26 Cleveland Browns 7-9 The defense improved under Mike Pettine and there’s certainly some nice talent here (Joe Thomas, Alex Mack, Joe Haden), and yet this franchise remains a train wreck. They still don’t have a QB because 2014 first rounder Johnny Manziel simply doesn’t get it, and Josh Gordon is doubtful to ever suit up for the club again after yet another off-the-field lapse that will cost him the whole 2015 season.
27 Jacksonville Jaguars 3-13 Blake Bortles, the No. 1 overall pick last year, looked totally lost as a rookie. He’ll need to take a big step forward for this club to make any progress.
28 Tampa Bay Buccaneers 2-14 The Bucs were a colossal disappointment in their first season under Lovie Smith, but there is reason for hope. Mike Evans looked like a true No. 1 receiver and he’ll have a new QB throwing him the ball next year, as the club is poised to use the top overall pick on either Marcus Mariota or Jameis Winston.
29 Oakland Raiders 3-13 Derek Carr showed plenty of promise as a rookie, but there isn’t nearly enough talent around him.  And, sadly, the rebuilding Raiders were the oldest team in the league last year.
30 New York Jets 4-12 The Jets have a phenomenal duo upfront on D with Sheldon Richardson and Muhammad Wilkinson, but they still gave up too many points. And new GM Mike Maccagnon needs to find this club a QB or it’s going to be tough sledding for rookie head coach Todd Bowles in Jersey.
31 Washington Redskins 4-12 Head coach Jay Gruden and supposed franchise QB Robert Griffin III didn’t exactly mesh in 2014, and yet they’ll both be back next season. What could possibly go wrong?
32 Tennessee Titans 2-14 It’s hard to believe Ken Whisenhunt actually picked this job overthe Lions.What was he thinking? And now there’s talk that they might actually pass on the draft’s top QBs—Marcus Mariota and Jameis Winston—in favor of Zach Mettenberger. Ugh.