The start of the 2025 NFL season is just days away, which means it’s time to make some predictions.
My favorite part of making predictions is when people throw them back in my face at the end of the season, but that won’t be happening this year, because I don’t plan on getting anything wrong. That being said, if you do want to make fun of my predictions, you can send all your hate messages to me on X by clicking here.
Before we get to my predictions, let me explain how things are going to work here: I’m going to go through each division and predict each team’s final record. After that, I’ll be making one bold prediction for each division.
Once you roll through the divisional portion of these predictions, you’ll see my playoff picks and eventually the team I’m picking to win the Super Bowl. In two of the past nine years, my preseason Super Bowl pick has ended up winning it all, so if you want to skip everything and scroll straight down to my Super Bowl pick to see if I’m taking your team, I won’t be offended.
Finally, if you’re wondering how I did last season, I predicted eight out of the 14 teams that made the playoffs. I also predicted that the Rams (+350 in 2024) would shock everyone by winning the NFC West and that’s exactly what happened. I’m only pointing that out because I don’t think Rams fans are going to like my prediction for their team this year. On the other hand, I completely whiffed on the Bills. I had them missing the playoffs and if you watched any football in 2024, then you already know that the Bills didn’t miss the playoffs. I must have eaten a bad batch of Buffalo wings before making my picks last year.
This year, I made sure not to eat any Buffalo wings before making my picks.
Alright, let’s get to the 2025 predictions.
AFC East
1. *Bills: 13-4
2. *Patriots: 10-7
3. Dolphins: 7-10
4. Jets: 5-12
AFC East bold prediction: Mike Vrabel wins Coach of the Year after leading the Patriots to the playoffs.
During his last stint as an NFL head coach, Vrabel won games by playing tough defense and the Patriots have built him a defensive unit that can play his brand of football. During the 2025 offseason, the Pats brought in players like Milton Williams, Carlton Davis, Harold Landry and Robert Spillane, and that could be the heart of a dangerous New England defense.
And let’s not forget, the Patriots also have Drake Maye, who might be the best quarterback that Vrabel has ever gotten to coach. Vrabel made the playoffs three times in six seasons with the Titans even though he never had a franchise QB. His most impressive accomplishment arguably came in 2021 when the Titans earned the No. 1 overall seed in the AFC with Ryan Tannehill at quarterback.
How impressive was that? Since Patrick Mahomes’ first year as a starter in 2018, only three coaches have led their team to a No. 1 overall seed in the AFC: Andy Reid, John Harbaugh and Vrabel. Reid has had Mahomes. Harbaugh has had Lamar Jackson. Vrabel did it with Tannehill, who was out of the NFL just two years later.
The Patriots also have the easiest strength of schedule in the AFC, which is notable, because the team with the easiest schedule in the AFC has finished with a winning record in SEVEN straight seasons. This could be a big year for Vrabel and the Patriots.
Patriots futures picks: Best bets, predictions for 2025 NFL season
Max Meyer
AFC North
1. *Ravens: 12-5
2. *Bengals: 11-6
3. Steelers: 9-8
4. Browns: 5-12
AFC North bold prediction: Ravens second-round pick wins Defensive Rookie of the Year
Last year, I correctly predicted that Jared Verse would win defensive rookie of the year, and this year, I jumping on the Mike Green bandwagon. A front seven player has won this award in seven of the past nine years and Green will keep that trend going.
The easiest way for a defensive player to win this award is to rack up sacks and Green is in the perfect division to do it. He gets to face Aaron Rodgers, who has been sacked more than any other QB in NFL history. He gets to face Joe Burrow, who took the fourth-most sacks in the NFL last year. And he gets to face a 40-year-old Joe Flacco, who might be the least mobile QB in NFL history. Also, the two most sacked quarterbacks in the NFL last season were Caleb Williams and C.J. Stroud, and the Ravens will face both of them. Basically, this is the a perfect storm for Green to possibly win this award.
AFC South
1. *Texans: 9-8
2. Colts: 8-9
3. Jaguars: 7-10
4. Titans: 3-14
AFC South bold prediction: Daniel Jones wins more games than Trevor Lawrence.
Trevor Lawrence is now going into the second second of a five-year, $275 million extension that he signed back in June 2024. At $55 million per year, Lawrence is tied with Josh Allen, Joe Burrow and Jordan Love as the second-highest paid QB in the NFL. If new coach Liam Coen can’t turn him into a successful quarterback, the Jaguars are going to be in trouble. On the other hand, you have Daniel Jones, who flamed out in New York and is now trying to save his career in Indy. If Jones wins more games with the Colts than Lawrence does with the Jaguars, that’s quite the indictment on the former No. 1 overall pick. This feels like a make-or-break season for Lawrence, who is just 2-13 in his past 15 starts.
Even if Lawrence struggles, the Jaguars will still be must-see TV thanks to the fact that they have Travis Hunter and a kicker who can bomb 70-yard field goals.
With a leg like that, the Jaguars will in field goal range from almost anywhere on the field, which should make Lawrence’s job much easier this year.
AFC West
1. *Chiefs: 12-5
2. *Broncos: 10-7
3. Chargers: 8-9
4. Raiders: 7-10
AFC West bold prediction: RJ Harvey wins Offensive Rookie of the Year.
If there’s one running back in this division who’s going to get a lot of rookie of the year love, it’s Ashton Jeanty (and maybe even Omarion Hampton), but I’m going to get crazy and predict that Harvey wins the award in 2025. Last year, I was laughed off the internet because I picked Bo Nix to win Offensive Rookie of the Year, but I was somewhat vindicated because he ended up finishing third in the vote.
The only reason I’m mentioning that is because I’m using the same logic as last year: I trust Sean Payton. He’s an offensive-minded coach and and running backs can put up big numbers in his system. There’s no coach out there who knows how to use a rookie running back more than Sean Payton. In 2006, Reggie Bush totaled 1,307 yards and eight touchdowns during a season with the Saints where he finished fifth in the rookie of the year voting. In 2011, Mark Ingram totaled 550 yards and five touchdowns as a rookie in New Orleans. In 2017, Alvin Kamara totaled 1,554 yards (826 receiving, 728 rushing) and 13 touchdowns on his way to winning rookie of the year.
If Sean Payton uses a first- or second-round pick on a running back, that means he likes the guy and he plans on using him. I fully expect Harvey to be one of the biggest surprises of the season.
NFC East
1. *Eagles: 12-5
2. *Commanders: 10-7
3. Cowboys: 8-9
4. Giants: 5-12
NFC East bold prediction: NFC East has first repeat champion since 2004.
On paper, this doesn’t sound like a very bold prediction, but any time you pick a team to repeat as champion in the NFC East, it counts as bold. The division has somehow gone 21 YEARS without a repeat champion. The last team to pull off the feat was the Eagles when they won four division titles in a row from 2001-04. The Eagles (-140) are actually the favorites to win the NFC East this year, so in that sense, this isn’t bold, but I’m picking against TWO DECADES OF HISTORY, so we’re counting it as bold.
If everyone stays healthy, I feel like the Eagles can coast to the division title and that’s mainly because the other three teams in the division all have at least one glaring weakness. The Commanders gave up the third-most rushing yards in the NFL last season and I’m still not sure if they can stop the run. In Dallas, Jerry Jones is doing his best to run the Cowboys into the ground. And the Giants are the Giants. This feels like the year where we finally get a repeat champ.
NFC North
1. *Packers: 11-6
2. *Lions: 9-8
3. Vikings: 8-9
4. Bears: 7-10
NFC North bold prediction: Vikings decision to gamble on J.J. McCarthy goes south
Sam Darnold led the Vikings to a 14-3 record last season and although Minnesota had the chance to keep him, the Vikings decided to let him walk in free agency. In his place, the Vikings will be turning the keys to the offense over to McCarthy, who has exactly zero career starts under his belt. This is like giving your 16-year-old the keys to your Ferrari three hours after they got their license. It could end well, but you’re going to be nervous the whole time.
The problem for McCarthy is that the Vikings have a lot of issues at receiver right now. Not only is Jordan Addison suspended for the first three games, but Justin Jefferson is dealing with a hamstring issue. If Jefferson isn’t at 100% or if he aggravates the injury, that’s going to hurt Minnesota’s passing game in a big way. The Vikings did make a trade for Adam Thielen, but he’s only going to have about a week to practice with McCarthy to build up some chemistry ahead of Week 1.
Over the past 20 years, only one team has finished under .500 the year after winning at least 14 games and the bold prediction here is that the Vikings become the second team, matching the 2015 Carolina Panthers.
NFC South
1. *Buccaneers: 10-7
2. Falcons: 8-9
3. Panthers: 5-12
4. Saints: 3-14
NFC South bold prediction: Baker Mayfield leads the NFL in passing yards
Baker Mayfield had one of the most impressive seasons of any quarterback in the NFL last season and he might be even better this year. In 2024, Mayfield finished tied for second in the league with 41 touchdown passes. He also finished third in passing yards with 4,500. Although Mayfield is getting a new offensive coordinator — last year’s OC Liam Coen is now in Jacksonville — there shouldn’t be too much change from the passing offense since the Bucs promoted passing game coordinator, Josh Grizzard, to the OC job.
The Buccaneers already had one of the best receiving tandems in the NFL with Chris Godwin and Mike Evans, and now, they’ve also added 2025 first-round pick Emeka Egbuka, who seems ready for primetime.
Mayfield might throw for 5,000 yards this year.
NFC West
1. *49ers: 13-4
2. *Cardinals: 10-7
3. Rams: 9-8
4. Seahawks: 8-9
NFC West bold prediction: Brock Purdy wins MVP
I have the Cardinals making the playoffs and that’s not even my boldest prediction out of the NFC West this year due to the fact that I have BROCK PURDY winning MVP. His odds are currently sitting at +3000, which means, if you bet $100 on him to win and he comes away with the award, you’d pocket $3,000. And of course, you’d have to send me a 10% cut.
So why do I like Purdy? The criteria for winning MVP has basically become two-fold: You have to be a quarterback and you have to play for one of the best teams in the NFL. Well, Purdy is a quarterback and I think the 49ers are going to be one of the best teams in the NFL this year, which I think will put him in the MVP conversation.
The last time Purdy had a mostly healthy roster came in 2023 when he finished fourth in the MVP voting after an impressive season that saw him throw for 4,280 yards and 31 touchdowns. Purdy doesn’t get the respect he probably deserves and that’s mostly because he plays in Kyle Shanahan’s quarterback-friendly offense. However, this is going to be the year where everyone finally agrees that Purdy is a top seven quarterback in the NFL.
One thing working in the Purdy’s favor this year is that the 49ers have the easiest strength of schedule in the NFL. The 49ers will be playing a whopping 10 games against teams that either have a new starting QB, a new head coach or both.
Last year, my dark horse MVP pick was Jared Goff and he ended up finishing fifth in the MVP vote. In 2023, my dark horse pick was Dak Prescott and he ended up finishing second. My bold MVP prediction hasn’t hit yet, but it has come close and I think Purdy might make me look like a genius this year.
NFC playoffs
Teams: 1. 49ers 2. Eagles 3. Packers 4. Buccaneers 5. Commanders 6. Cardinals 7. Lions
Wild card
(4) Buccaneers 20-17 over (5) Commanders
(2) Eagles 34-27 over (7) Lions
(3) Packers 31-24 over (6) Cardinals
Divisional
(2) Eagles 30-23 over (3) Packers
(1) 49ers 22-19 over (4) Buccaneers
NFC Championship
(2) 49ers 30-27 over (1) Eagles
AFC playoffs
Teams: 1. Bills 2. Chiefs 3. Ravens 4. Texans 5. Bengals 6. Broncos 7. Patriots
Wild card
(5) Bengals 24-17 over (4) Texans
(2) Chiefs 23-20 over (7) Patriots
(3) Ravens 27-20 over (6) Broncos
Divisional
(5) Bengals 27-24 over (1) Bills
(3) Ravens 26-23 over (2) Chiefs
AFC Championship
(3) Ravens 38-35 over (5) Bengals
Super Bowl LX at Levi’s Stadium
Playoffs bold prediction: 49ers win the Super Bowl in their home stadium
I just made this pick four seconds ago and I already don’t like it and that’s mainly due to the fact that no one seems to have worse luck than Kyle Shanahan. Last year, the 49ers appeared to have a loaded roster, but Christian McCaffrey ended up missing 13 games due to injury, which essentially derailed their season.
The 49ers have been to the Super Bowl twice in the last six seasons, but both games ended in heartbreak. In Super Bowl LIV, they blew a 10-point lead to the Chiefs, which is still tied as the second-largest blown lead in Super Bowl history. In Super Bowl LVIII, they blew ANOTHER 10-point lead to the Chiefs in a 25-22 overtime loss. On top of that, Shanahan was the Falcons’ offensive coordinator when Atlanta blew a 28-3 lead against the Patriots in Super Bowl LI.
Despite all of that, this feels like a 49ers team that can make a run through the postseason to get to the Super Bowl. One big thing I like with the 49ers this year is that Robert Saleh is back as the team’s defensive coordinator. Last year, the 49ers gave up the fourth-most points in the NFL, which hurt them almost as much as the injuries. If Saleh can fix the defense, the 49ers are going to be dangerous.
Sure, they won’t really have any healthy receivers to start the season, but that’s Brock Purdy will still have McCaffrey and George Kittle.
Before 2020, no team had ever won a Super Bowl in their home stadium, but with this game, the 49ers will become the third team in five years, joining the 2020 Buccaneers and the 2021 Rams.
These two teams met back in Super Bowl XLVII when John Harbaugh beat his brother, Jim, in a game where the lights went out in New Orleans.
The lights probably won’t go out this time,
Super Bowl LX prediction: 49ers 27-24 over Ravens
Finally, if my season predictions all pan out — and I’m sure they will — here’s what the top of the NFL Draft order will look like next April.
Order of first five picks for 2026 NFL Draft
1. Saints (Hello, Arch Manning!?)
2. Titans
3. Browns
4. Jets
5. Giants
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