Now that we’ve talked about the individual awards, it’s time for team predictions. I don’t have a crystal ball (yet), so saying in late July who will be division champions in January is tricky. Add to this that there’s always a team that was supposed to be bad but plays great (and vice-versa), and it gets even harder. To make matters even worse, one injury to the wrong player can tank a season like nothing else. Still, I think it’s fun to make these predictions and see how many of them I got wrong.
I’ll consider that the predictions I’ve made for the individual awards are tied to the rest, like I simulated a whole season on Madden. This will help put things in perspective (i.e., the MVP award) and make it more logical.
The last thing to say is that I mostly went with my gut. Don’t get me wrong, I put a lot of thought into this, but sports typically aren’t rational. And the final record isn’t necessarily an indication of how good or bad I think the team will be. I’ll go more in-depth on this on a specific division, but a team can be on the right path, but it doesn’t mean they’re already good. Sometimes the schedule can be brutal.
AFC North
- Baltimore Ravens (15-2)
- Pittsburgh Steelers (9-8)
- Cincinnati Bengals (9-8)
- Cleveland Browns (2-15)
The Ravens winning 15 games would be a franchise record. They winning the AFC North for three years in a row would also be a team record. But when you have a spectacular QB, one of the best head coaches in the league, and a great overall roster, you have a good chance of breaking records. I love Lamar Jackson and have him as the MVP, so the Ravens being the class of the AFC shouldn’t be a total surprise. The Ravens have never won fewer than 11 games with Lamar healthy for the entire season.
I don’t know the magic that Tomlin has, but I won’t bet against it. For the billionth time, the Steelers will finish the season above .500. I also think they are bound for another Wild Card exit, but at least the streak continues. Aaron Rodgers will be on a good team for what should be his last season. The team spent a lot of resources on the offensive line recently, traded for D.K. Metcalf, and they have a good rushing game. The defense should be fierce, with T.J. Watt on a new deal, the addition of Derrick Harmon in the Draft, and Jalen Ramsey via trade. If they get the right matchup, they can even win a playoff game!
The Bengals could be one of the best teams in the league. But apparently they refuse to spend resources on the defense. They had one of the worst defenses in the league and didn’t improve much, if at all, in the offseason. Trey Hendrickson finally reported to training camp, but we don’t know if he will get a contract extension. The Bengals really hope that he’s still in 17.5-sack shape, as they will need another elite season from Hendrickson. The offense will still be elite, and this time will be enough to sneak into the playoffs, but the Bengals really give me Andrew Luck’s Colts vibe.
Life is very tough for Browns fans. They finally had their QB in Baker Mayfield, but the team traded him to the Panthers. Baker seemed lost after that, but found a new home and is balling out in Tampa Bay. The front office then made a move that was awful for the start, trading three first-round picks for Deshaun Watson. I love some of their defensive players, like Greg Newsome and Myles Garrett, but the offense has almost zero bright spots.
AFC East
- Buffalo Bills (13-4)
- New York Jets (9-8)
- New England Patriots (7-10)
- Miami Dolphins (3-14)
Surprise, surprise, the Bills will win the division once again. Not only that, but they get their fourth 13-win season in six years. Josh Allen really transformed this team into a powerhouse and led them to a 13-4 record in 2024, even with a worse WR room. The race for the #1 seed in the AFC will start right away, with the Bills and Ravens facing off in Week 1. Sadly for the Bills, I have the Ravens winning it, but the only team based in New York will be very hard to beat in 2025.
The Jets will surprise a lot of people in 2025. I like the trio of Olu Fashanu, Alijah Vera-Tucker, and Armand Membou in the OL. Mason Taylor was one of my favorite TEs in the Draft, and I’ve always liked Justin Fields. He probably won’t have a career turnaround like Sam Darnold and Baker Mayfield, but I think he can get on the right path. The defense already had a lot of talent, and Aaron Glenn was one of the best head coach candidates, in my opinion. This isn’t the year that the Jets get back to the playoffs, but it’ll be a great stepping stone.
The same principle applies to the Patriots. You’d be hard-pressed to find a team with a better offseason than the Patriots. They improved Drake Maye’s surroundings with Stefon Diggs, TreVeyon Henderson, and Will Campbell. Josh McDaniels’ return as the OC again should also help the young QB. Their defensive line will be much better, with Christian Barmore returning and the signing of Milton Williams. This will make life easier on CBs Christian Gonzalez and Carlton Davies. They aren’t there yet, but we’re not far from seeing the Patriots competing again.
As for the Dolphins, I’m very low on them this year. Tua has only one year of playing at least 14 games, and the offensive line got arguably worse. Their offense has a lot of speed, but they will have a very hard time in the trenches. I also didn’t like the Darren Waller acquisition. On the defense, they also need players who are often injured to get healthy. Jaelan Phillips, their first-round pick back in 2021, only played in 12 games in the last two years. Although having Minkah Fitzpatrick again is very good, losing Jalen Ramsey means their CBs are Jack Jones, Storm Duck, and Kader Kohou. On a team that was 27th in sacks and 23rd in pressure rate, this isn’t ideal.
P.S.: Kader Kohou suffered a serious knee injury and will miss the 2025 season.
AFC West
- Kansas City Chiefs (13-4)
- Los Angeles Chargers (12-5)
- Denver Broncos (8-9)
- Las Vegas Raiders (5-12)
I know, very boring picks for division champions. But to be fair, the AFC has a very clear top 3. After getting absolutely embarrassed by the Eagles in the Super Bowl, the Chiefs again committed to a mini-rebuild in their offensive line. Similar to what they did after the loss to the Bucs in 2020, they spent big to keep Patrick Mahomes upright. Although their WR room isn’t very good, Mahomes will make them right if he has a cleaner pocket. For the defense, they have some excellent players and one of the best defensive coordinators in history, so there shouldn’t be many worries.
The Chargers almost won the division for the first time since 2009. Almost. They were keeping pace with the Chiefs for the entire year, and a Week 15 win gave them the tiebreaker. But in true Chargers fashion, a Week 18 loss to the Broncos meant they’d be second again. Still, I’m putting a lot of faith in them this year. Jim Harbaugh’s teams historically get better in Year 2, and I loved the Omarion Hampton selection, Jesse Minter showed great things in his first year as the DC, and the defense should also improve a lot in Year 2.
I was a little surprised with the Broncos’ record. I absolutely love their defense, and they should be one of the better units in the league in 2025. But I have somewhat of a problem with the offense. It’s not necessarily a Bo Nix problem, like arm strength or anything like that. He proved last year that he has a great arm. But they rely so much on short passes. Nix had an average of 4.5 air yards in completed passes, which is very low. Even if we count just yards per attempt, his 6.7 was 29th in the league in 2024. If the offense doesn’t push the ball downfield more, they could get in trouble.
The Raiders are one of the teams with a “false” record. I think they are better than a 5-12 record, but they have a tough schedule. Even though they face the AFC South teams, having the Chiefs, Chargers, Broncos, Eagles, Commanders, and Cowboys in the schedule is brutal. A Pete Carroll team will hardly ever be badly coached, but I think they lack the high-end talent to compete against these teams.
AFC South
- Houston Texans (10-7)
- Indianapolis Colts (4-13)
- Jacksonville Jaguars (4-13)
- Tennessee Titans (4-13)
AFC South fans, don’t kill me. You know what I just said about not truly bad teams having tough schedules? With the AFC and NFC West in the schedule, there won’t be any easy games. The Texans are still a few tiers above the rest, and I think they will comfortably win the division. But I also believe they are moving backwards. If they don’t focus on fixing the offensive line, Stroud will be sacked 52 times again.
The Colts may be one of the trickiest teams to predict. They lost two starters in the OL, as Ryan Kelly and Will Fries signed with the Vikings. They still have good players on the offense, with Jonathan Taylor, Michael Pittman Jr., and Quenton Nelson. The defense is also very solid, and the additions of Cam Bynum and Charvarious Ward should improve the secondary. But the QB situation is very scary. Anthony Richardson missed a lot of the offseason practices with another injury (and hasn’t shown much when healthy), and, unless Daniel Jones has a Sam Darnold-esque turnaround, the Colts don’t have a good option at QB.
I really hope I’m wrong about the Jaguars. Firstly, because I have a good friend who is a Jaguars fan, and I want him to be happy. But also because they have so many young talents. The Jaguars will almost always be on my TV because of Travis Hunter as well, as he’s one of the most fascinating players this season. I’m still not sold on their offensive line, and Trevor Lawrence will have to be way more consistent as a QB.
Cam Ward is probably the least-talked-about first overall pick ever. And the fact that he’s a QB makes it even crazier. I didn’t think the Titans were the worst team in the league last year, but the inconsistency at the QB position is costly. Cam Ward more than likely won’t have a rookie season like Jayden Daniel’s, but I think the focus for the Titans this season is to get on track. Help Ward prove he’s your future, and 2025 will be a successful year. Even if the record doesn’t say so.
I will be wrong about most of these. The unpredictability is a huge part of why the NFL is fun. I really hope to be wrong about some of the teams I think will be bad. Even though some teams must finish with a bad record, the product is better when we don’t have outrageously bad teams on the field.
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