September 4th marks the opening of the 2025 NFL season. The Cowboys take on the reigning Super Bowl champions, the Eagles, and then we will be treated to 277 further matchups en route to the Playoffs in January.
Preseason is the time when sports broadcasters and football experts publish their predictions for the season ahead, looking at win totals, playoff scenarios, and Super Bowl winners. But before the big kick-off, we wanted to make five predictions that go slightly against the grain. Here are five bold predictions for the NFL 2025 season:
The Chiefs’ Dynasty Begins to Crumble
All dynasties end, and while we think that the Chiefs will be in the Playoffs and (probably) win the AFC West for the 10th season in succession, there were signs last season that this was a team coming to the end of its cycle. Narrow wins showed nous and experience rather than clear superiority. Their depth, once the envy of the league, now looks somewhat precarious, and they may just be too reliant on the Mahomes-Kelce axis to make another Super Bowl. The Chiefs love to make fools of people who write them off, so watch this space.
The Buccaneers Become an Elite Contender
The Buccaneers’ 2025 season NFL odds look, let’s say, interesting. They are not considered one of the favorites, but they are given a lot of respect at around +2800. They may be the value pick going into the Playoffs. There are many things in their favor, including a relatively easy strength of schedule, and they won’t have to break a sweat to win the NFC South. Baker Mayfield may also be the most underrated quarterback in the league. It remains a relative long shot for the Buccaneers to win the Super Bowl, but they should improve on that 10-7 record from last season and perhaps nick home advantage through the Playoffs.
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Neither Baltimore nor Buffalo Wins Super Bowl LX
The Ravens and Bills are tagged as preseason favorites for the Super Bowl. They meet in Week 1, which some see as a huge marker for which team has the credentials to go. There is a sense among both fan bases that their time has come. For the Ravens, it’s about finally giving Lamar Jackson the tools for one of the league’s best quarterbacks to get a Super Bowl ring. For Bills fans, it’s about delivering a championship to the city that has suffered more than most. Yet, things don’t work out how we expect, and statistically, the favorite does not win the Super Bowl. It could happen, of course, but there should be no sense of destiny among either fan base.
Joe Burrow’s Challenges for the MVP Award
Joe Burrow and the Cincinnati Bengals: It’s an interesting relationship. The consensus is that the Bengals have not given him the supporting cast over the past few seasons. Burrow, named to the Pro Bowl last season, led the NFL in passing yards and was the passing touchdowns leader. The problem was that the Bengals were a mess everywhere else. Have they addressed every issue? No. But they are a playoff-level team and should improve on last season’s 9-8 record. That could be enough to see Burrow sneak past Lamar Jackson and Josh Allen in the MVP voting.
Aaron Rodgers Is a Hit in Pittsburgh
Nobody doubts the brilliance of Aaron Rodgers, yet his sojourn with the Jets last season underlined that the four-time MVP is at the end of his career. He’s said himself that 2025 will likely be his last season. The Steelers have taken a chance on the 41-year-old, but it also feels like a shot at nothing. Expectations aren’t particularly high in Pittsburgh – the team is still rebuilding – and Rodgers will be all out to put a cherry on top of a remarkable career. Of course, Rodgers is Rodgers, and that means things could go spectacularly wrong – on and off the field – but it would not surprise us to see one of the NFL’s best go out on a high.
