The 2025 NFL season begins with an NFC East rivalry game between the Philadelphia Eagles and Dallas Cowboys during Thursday Night Football on September 4th. Following a ton of roster, coaching, and front office turnover this offseason, each of the league’s 32 teams has a different look heading into Week 1.
It’s fun to speculate about how the upcoming NFL season will shake out. The margin for error is slim in this league. Injuries, trades, coaching, and a bit of good or bad luck are all factors that form the destiny for all 32 NFL franchises. Here are five hot takes for the 2025 NFL season. Make sure to download and register new accounts on several of the country’s best DFS apps to claim their welcome offers and qualify for lucrative bonus rewards.
Jets will no longer be a laughing stock
There’s a new regime in New York led by Jets head coach Aaron Glen. Aaron Rodgers is no longer QB1, replaced by Justin Fields.
Fields reunites with Ohio State teammate, WR Garrett Wilson, while also benefiting from other skilled position players with talent like RB Breece Hall, rookie TE Mason Taylor, and an upgraded offensive line unit.
In 2024, the Jets finished 5-12, resulting in third place in the AFC East. The Bills are a tough divisional opponent, while the Dolphins and Patriots are both rebuilding, just like New York.
Oddsmakers have set the Jets’ current win total to 5.5 games. Winnable games outside the division include the Browns, Jaguars, Saints, and Panthers.
Getting to six or seven wins feels like a realistic outcome and a step in the right direction for the new-look New York Jets.
Bryce Young will shut the haters up
Yes, the Panthers were just mentioned as a winnable opponent for the New York Jets to beat in 2025. That doesn’t mean Carolina won’t be in contention for a playoff berth in a winnable NFC South division.
QB Bryce Young made huge strides under head coach Dave Canales in 2024. The Panthers recorded five wins, despite ranking 32nd in points allowed. This means their offense is trending upward heading into 2025.
Carolina drafted WR Tetairoa McMillan with their first-round selection in the 2025 NFL Draft. Rico Dowdle and rookie Trevor Etienne also add depth in the Panthers’ backfield behind an underrated Chuba Hubbard.
Their defense cannot get worse this season. A lot of capital was spent along the defensive line, while one of the league’s best players, Derrick Brown, sets the tone up front.
Don’t sleep on the Panthers in 2025. They benefit from playing in a weak division and could wind up making the playoffs with eight or nine wins.
Ravens regress in the AFC North
Ravens QB Lamar Jackson was dynamic in the regular season last year, especially with the presence of All-Pro RB Derrick Henry. Baltimore is a franchise that has high standards and expectations based on the amount of success it’s achieved under current ownership.
In 2025, the Ravens will be dethroned as AFC North champions. Joe Burrow and the Cincinnati Bengals will be the new division winners. If Burrow can replicate his production from 2024, while getting more help from a previously porous defense, Baltimore will be fighting for a Wild Card berth.
Buccaneers sink in the NFC South
The departure of OC Liam Coen could wind up hurting the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. QB Baker Mayfield has done well with constantly learning new playbooks and schemes throughout his career, but it could finally catch up to him in 2025.
The Buccaneers have no shortage of talent on offense. It’s their defense that is the questionable unit. In 2024, Tampa Bay ranked 16th in points per game allowed, which was the league average.
I don’t expect this offense, without Coen, replaced by OC Josh Grizzard, to average the fourth-most points in the NFL in 2025. OT Tristan Wirfs is likely to miss the first few games of the season, which will make it more difficult for Mayfield to operate in a clean pocket.
The Falcons and Panthers are underrated teams in the division. Meanwhile, the Saints hired head coach Kellen Moore and drafted QB Tyler Shough in the second round to improve their pedestrian offense.
Tampa Bay is a good team, but not a great team. They overachieved in 2024 and will experience regression in 2025.
Steelers Win A Playoff Game
The modern era of the Pittsburgh Steelers has been filled with 8-8 and 9-8 regular season records. Head coach Mike Tomlin has been excellent in willing his team to this mark, although their success hasn’t translated into any playoff wins since 2017.
Insert QB Aaron Rodgers. Yes, it was a failed two-year experiment in New York, but Rodgers has stated that the Steelers will likely be the team where he ends his highly decorated NFL career.
Pittsburgh GM Omar Khan inked a new contract after making a flurry of moves this offseason. The Steelers now roster Rodgers at quarterback, WR DK Metcalf, and TE Jonnu Smith on offense. Defensively, the secondary has been boosted by the arrival of CB Darius Slay and CB Jalen Ramsey.
Despite making the playoffs with a 10-7 record under QB Russell Wilson in 2024, the Steelers lost five straight games to close out the regular season. They fell flat in a 28-14 loss to the Baltimore Ravens in an AFC Wild Card game.
This souped-up Steelers roster is prepared to finally get a playoff win in 2025.