Tomorrow is the day…the National Football League (NFL) will start its 106th season. As usual, the NFL has chosen to put the defending champion Philadelphia Eagles in their showcase opener, and they gave them the chance to beat up on their archrival Dallas Cowboys as they hang the banner. But there will be one conference that will not be a part of the party until Friday, when the AFC Champion Kansas City Chiefs open action in Sao Paulo, Brazil, against division foe Los Angeles Chargers. It is going to be tough to handicap whether the Chiefs can go back to the Promised Land – Super Bowl LX – because every division in the AFC is tough. Don’t think so? Take a look at our breakdown of each division.
AFC East
OK, know we said the AFC is competitive, but the AFC East is the anchor of the conference. Outside of the Buffalo Bills, who have won the division title five times in a row, the rest of the division is rather sorry. NOBODY made any significant moves to counter the Bills’ supremacy, so it is going to be another division title for the defending Most Valuable Player, QB Josh Allen. Whether the Bills can take the next step will be the big question.
PREDICTION
Buffalo 13-4*
Miami 8-9
New England 8-9
New York Jets 6-11
AFC South
A complete free-for-all exists in the AFC South, as divisional play determined last year’s division champion. The Houston Texans went 5-1 in the division (no other team was over .500), and that was enough to push them over the top to take the crown. Here’s the issue, though…other than adding oft-injured RB Nick Chubb to the team, the Texans haven’t given QB CJ Stroud any other weapons to work with.
It may be enough, however. There is plenty of confusion in Indianapolis, as the Colts are in disarray with their quarterback situation. This will be the year that QB Trevor Lawrence must “put up or shut up” as to his future as an NFL quarterback in Jacksonville, and the Tennessee Titans are at least two years from being viable with rookie QB Cam Ward. Houston should take this division by default, but it will be closer.
PREDICTION
Houston 10-7*
Jacksonville 8-9
Tennessee 6-11
Indianapolis 6-11
AFC North
This will be one of the two AFC divisions to watch in 2025. The AFC Central will once again be a slugfest, with the Baltimore Ravens clinging with their fingernails to their title. It FINALLY seems like the Cincinnati Bengals have gotten their s**t together and might make a run at knocking off the Ravens.
Some are picking the Cleveland Browns (yes, the Browns) to challenge for the division title, but this is only likely if they keep QB Joe Flacco in the driver’s seat for the team; if the Browns go to any of their backup options, rookie QBs Shedeur Sanders and Dillon Gabriel, then it will be another season of misery by Lake Erie. Finally, this is the year where the Pittsburgh Steelers will finally collapse in on themselves, as prima donna QB Aaron Rodgers will end Head Coach Mike Tomlin’s consecutive winning seasons streak AND send the longtime Steelers head man (and himself) to the retirement room.
PREDICTION
Cincinnati 13-4*
Baltimore 12-5*
Cleveland 10-7
Pittsburgh 8-9
AFC West
In just a couple of years, the AFC West has gone from Chiefs Kingdom to a battleground. The head coaches in the league read like a Hall of Fame list – Pete Carroll for the Las Vegas Raiders, Jim Harbaugh in Los Angeles with the Chargers, Sean Payton with the Denver Broncos, and Andy Reid with the Chiefs. It is the only division where every head coach has won at least one Super Bowl, and the battle is expected to be a huge one in 2025.
The Chiefs have to come to Earth at some point, and this is going to be the year their division title streak ends. They will still make the playoffs, mind you, but I like what I see out of the Rocky Mountains with Peyton’s tutelage of QB Bo Nix. You’re going to see three teams make it out of the AFC West, with probably only one game separating them in the final standings.
PREDICTION
Denver 12-5*
Kansas City 12-5*
Los Angeles Chargers 11-6*
Las Vegas 9-8
* – makes playoffs
Tomorrow is the day – the start of the NFL season. We have already predicted how each conference is going to play out and, ahead of Thursday night’s opener between Philadelphia and Dallas, we’ll tell you how the playoffs are going to turn out and who will win Super Bowl LX…come on back for that!
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