Another year, another chance to me to look great -- and foolish. So here are my picks for the 2025 NFL season.
NFC EAST: 1-Eagles*, 2-Commanders, 3-Cowboys, 4-Giants
Philadelphia will break the two decade trend of no repeat champions in the NFC East. They are the most put together team in the league and I believe they win this division pretty handily. I honestly had Dallas finishing second in this division, but that changed once Micah Parsons was traded away. The Cowboys are flawed, but they are a good team with a healthy Dak Prescott. I think the Commanders come back down to earth just a bit. Last year was the perfect wave of 4th down conversions, miracle comebacks, backup QBs and coming from nowhere to surprise everyone. Yes, they are on the right path to win big ... just not this year. The Giants are building the right way. They have a great defensive line and I think Jaxon Dart is the guy to take the franchise back to the postseason one day.
NFC SOUTH: 1-Buccaneers*, 2-Falcons, 3-Panthers, 4-Saints
Tampa is the clear favorite of this division and a sleeper team to go far in the playoffs. I do like Atlanta to take the next step. Remember that they beat the Bucs twice last year, but had far too many letdowns late in games that cost them a playoff spot. I think that gets fixed this season. Carolina is building up, and New Orleans is tearing down. Bryce Young will continue to improve while the QB room with the Saints is a mess right now.
NFC NORTH: 1-Packers*, 2-Lions*, 3-Vikings*, 4-Bears
I think the Parsons trade vaults Green Bay to the North title. Their losses last year were to the Eagles, Vikings 2x and Lions 2x (plus a throw away finale against Da Bears), so this is a team that needs better QB play from Jordan Love and now has a defense that can stuff opponents. I do think losing both coordinators will bring Detroit back to the field a bit. But that's still a damn good squad, I just think the margins won't be as solid and a couple games don't go their way. Minnesota, to me, is a wild card. That's a loaded roster, but they are running out "rookie" J.J McCarthy as their starter. He could be that guy, but I'm not sure its right off the bat. As for Chicago, I think they make a jump but not move ahead of a brutal NFC North.
NFC WEST: 1-Rams*, 2-Niners*, 3-Cardinals, 4-Seahawks
Man, I'm taking the chance that Matthew Stafford will be healthy enough to pull the Rams to the top of the division. If his back is still an issue, San Francisco could have enough to get back into the playoffs. Arizona is my dark horse team -- their defense is elite and if Kyler Murray can have a consistent season (plus Marvin Harrison making a leap) then this could be a dangerous squad this season. Seattle isn't bad, they just aren't good enough to do damage this season. I'm not sold on Sam Darnold as a long term solution.
AFC EAST: 1-Bills*, 2-Jets, 3-Patriots, 4-Dolphins
Buffalo runs this division, and we all know why. From there, how will the other three shake out? I actually think the Jets will crawl up to the second spot. I'm not a Justin Fields guy, but Aaron Glenn should be able to bring order to a franchise that has been chaotic for the last several seasons. There is talent on this roster, and Glenn should be able to extract most of it. The Patriots are the franchise on the rise, but I just don't think the roster is ready to contend for a playoff spot. I'm in the camp that the Dolphins are going to implode this season. I like Mike McDaniel, but this just has the look of a franchise that is crashing out.
AFC SOUTH: 1-Texans*, 2-Jaguars, 3-Colts, 4-Titans
Ugh. Houston is the class of this bunch, but that's not saying a lot. The Colts are a mess; the Titans are in Year 1 of their rebuild; which makes the Jags as the biggest enigma in the division. Can Liam Coen get Trevor Lawrence back on track? Jacksonville went all in trading up for Travis Hunter so you'd think they believe they can make a run right now. I'm not so sure about that.
AFC NORTH: 1-Ravens*, 2-Bengals*, 3-Steelers, 4-Browns
The question in Baltimore is if they can finally get past the Bills and Chiefs in the playoffs. This is a great roster with an improved defense and one of the best QBs in the league. Cincinnati also has one of the best QBs, and two paid receivers, but the defense is still a mess. Having said that, they nearly reached the playoffs last season with some weirdly bad luck that I think turns around this year. The Steelers will be 9-8 and just miss the playoffs. What that means for the future of Mike Tomlin? They'd be fools to let him go, but that could be the case. I don't think the Browns are a bad team, but the quarterback situation is a bit of a mess.
AFC WEST: 1-Chiefs*, 2-Broncos*, 3-Chargers*, 4-Raiders
This could be the best division in football. The Chiefs are the Chiefs, even if they were blown out in the Super Bowl. The Broncos defense is elite, and if Bo Nix can make the next step then this could be a dangerous team come the postseason. Jim Harbaugh typically shows results in Year 2, so let's see what we have in store with Justin Herbert and that offense. And then there is Las Vegas. Pete Carroll will be much more competitive -- and much more competent -- with Ashton Jeanty the frontrunner for Rookie of the Year. They are still behind everyone in a fantastically interesting AFC West that features four elite coaches (Carroll, Andy Reid, Sean Payton, Jim Harbaugh).
MY SURPRISE TEAM: ARIZONA
I think the Cardinals could be what the Commanders were last year -- a team no one took seriously that suddenly catches fire. They have an elite defense that can keep them in games and if Kyler Murray can channel his talent for an entire season (and not just over the first half) then they could contend in the NFC West.
MY DISAPPOINTMENT TEAM: WASHINGTON
I had Washington as 3rd in the NFC East, but then the Cowboys traded off Micah Parsons. Look, they are on the right path and will be a contender in the NFC East for years to come, but this year they take a big step back. They are one of the oldest rosters in the league despite having a young QB. The defense still isn't very good. Their running back room is meh at best. There are skill guys at receiver and a rebuild offensive line, but they rely too much on Daniels' running. Plus last year was a tidal wave of great things meshing together -- favorable schedule, ridiculous 4th down conversion rate, memorable comebacks, and a lot of backup QBs. Commanders take a step back and miss the playoffs.
SO WHO WINS THE SUPER BOWL?
I have Eagles over Ravens. I know I should stamp the Chiefs in the Super Bowl, but I think the Ravens will finally have the kind of postseason run they've been waiting on since Lamar Jackson came into the league. The Chiefs may have a slip-up, whether it is due to injuries, bad luck or just get beaten by the Ravens or Bills. Baltimore reps the AFC. The Eagles are the most complete team in the league. They've been to two Super Bowls in the last three years and Jalen Hurts has outperformed Patrick Mahomes in both of them. While their defensive depth took a hit this offseason, every other NFC contender has questions surrounding them that Philly just doesn't have. Barring anything happening to Hurts or Saquon Barkley, they should muscle their way back to the big game. There, they will be able to contain Jackson and flex their offensive muscle to a 31-20 win.
