In just a couple of days, the National Football League (NFL) will start its 106th season. They chose an excellent way to open the schedule, as the Super Bowl Champion Philadelphia Eagles will hang their banner before taking on their archrival, the Dallas Cowboys. But do the Eagles still rule the roost in the NFC, let alone the NFL? Let’s break it down in our 2025 NFL Preview by looking at each division.
NFC East
Behind QB Jalen Hurts and RB Saquon Barkley, the Eagles were the crème de la crème of the NFL in 2024, but some forget that they had a fight on their hands to even win the division. The Washington Commanders nearly upended the championship run before it started, but the DC boys have probably taken a step back this year.
The Cowboys will finally have QB Dak Prescott back in the fold, but the drama continues as they shipped one of their prime defensive players, LB Micah Parsons, to the Green Bay Packers. The New York Giants? Still going to bring up the rear of the division, albeit they will improve over their 2024 performance.
PREDICTION
Philadelphia 12-5*
Dallas 10-7*
Washington 10-7
New York Giants 8-9
NFC South
The Tampa Bay Buccaneers have won three consecutive division titles, but you have to wonder when the magic is going to end. One of those titles came with a losing record (8-9 in 2022), and Head Coach Todd Bowles has consistently been on the hot seat in Cigar City. The offense still looks strong with QB Baker Mayfield and much of the offense returning, but it will be a question as to whether the defense can step up to the challenge.
The lucky thing for the Bucs is that the rest of the division has not exactly leapt forward. The Carolina Panthers continue their rebuilding efforts, and the New Orleans Saints lost QB Derek Carr to retirement. The Atlanta Falcons are an intriguing team to watch, but can QB Michael Penix take it to the next level, and will TE Kyle Pitts finally fulfill his potential? If so, they might sneak past the Bucs for the division crown.
PREDICTION
Atlanta 10-7*
Tampa Bay 9-8
New Orleans 8-9
Carolina 5-12
NFC Central
Three of the four teams in this division made the playoffs in 2024, with the Minnesota Vikings relegated to Wild Card Weekend despite winning fourteen games. They will still get three, according to our 2025 NFL Preview, but this year the playoffs will be seeded by the records rather than guaranteeing the division winners a home game. Last year, if the 2025 system had been in place, the Vikings would have hosted a playoff game rather than traveling to Los Angeles (where they lost) to play the Rams, who they would have forced out of the home slot.
The Detroit Lions continue to shoot themselves in the foot with Head Coach Dan Campbell’s “riverboat gambler” approach, and this is the year it will finally catch up with him. I do think that Detroit will still make the playoffs, but they won’t have the comfort of Ford Field to stay in during the entire playoffs. The team to watch here is the Green Bay Packers, whose stunning move to bring in LB Micah Parsons is a case of the rich getting richer. The Chicago Bears are still another year from perhaps making a move up the standings.
PREDICTION
Green Bay 14-3*
Detroit 12-5*
Minnesota 11-6*
Chicago 6-11
NFC West
One of the most challenging divisions to handicap is the West. There have been changes on every team, most notably with the Seattle Seahawks sending off Pro Bowl QB Geno Smith for former Vikings QB Sam Darnold. The ‘Hawks are looking for Darnold to do the same thing for them that he did for the Vikes – take them to the playoffs. It won’t be that easy.
The sexy pick by many is the San Francisco 49ers, who have brought in former Commanders RB Brian Robinson, Jr., to alleviate some of the pressures on stud RB Christian McCafferty. McCafferty will not like the fact that someone was brought in to “play alongside him,” but he will appreciate it when he can make it through the year. The stout 49er defense should carry them over the rest of the division, including an Arizona Cardinals crew that will make some noise and a Los Angeles Rams team that is on its last legs.
PREDICTION
San Francisco 11-6*
Seattle 9-8
Arizona 8-9
Los Angeles 5-12
* – makes playoffs
Tomorrow, we get one step closer to the start of the NFL season, and we will get into what the AFC has to offer for the season. On Thursday, ahead of the season opener between Philadelphia and Dallas, we’ll predict how the playoffs will go and who will win Super Bowl LX…come back for the next part of our 2025 NFL Preview!
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