It’s between Spencer Rattler and Tyler Shough for the Saints’ starting quarterback position, and the Saints could be the league’s most unwatchable team regardless of who wins.

The Saints will rely heavily on Alvin Kamara, who might lead the league in carries this season. Another prime year of Chris Olave will be wasted, and the rest of the Saints’ roster might be traded away by the deadline. The expectations for the Saints’ season are so low that Kellen Moore would still keep his job even if they finish 0-17.

With Joe Flacco as the likely week 1 starter, the Browns could win five or six games if they didn’t have the league’s second-toughest schedule. Cleveland only has four remotely winnable games this season, and they probably won’t be favored to win any of them.

However, it just feels like the Browns will win a couple of games they aren’t supposed to, thanks to some 200+ yard heroics from Joe Flacco and Jerry Jeudy, and then miss out on the No.1 overall pick.

We can’t expect the Titans to magically become a contender in 2025, or for Cam Ward to have a Jayden Daniels-like rookie season, but we can expect some improvement from this team.

An easy schedule certainly helps, and the Titans having an above-average defense puts them a tier above the Saints and Browns. However, the offense just has way too many question marks, including Ward’s major bust potential, for 2025 to be anything more than a developmental year for the Titans.

The Giants had a very productive offseason, signing Russell Wilson to address the quarterback position, drafting a potential game-wrecking pass rusher in Abdul Carter, and drafting running back Cam Skattebo. The Giants are a significantly more improved team on paper than last season.

However, the Giants face an exceedingly strenuous schedule, with their average opponent having a .574 winning percentage last season. The only remotely winnable games on the Giants’ schedule are against the Saints, Patriots, and Raiders. The Giants will be a much better team than their 2025 record indicates.

The Colts finished 8-9 last season and didn’t do anything to take a step forward this offseason. And considering that plenty of teams will improve in 2025, a lack of a step forward might be a step back for the Colts. The boom-or-bust QB prospect, Anthony Richardson, looked more like a bust, hence the signing of Daniel Jones, who probably won’t take the Colts much higher than Richardson did.

The Jets are having a fresh start in 2025, with a new quarterback and a new head coach. Unlike other teams, however, the Jets aren’t completely starting from scratch, as they already have a top-five defense, which should stay elite thanks to their rookie defensive-minded head coach, Aaron Glenn. On offense, the Jets have a No.1 receiver in Garret Wilson, a productive running back in Breece Hall, and Justin Fields at quarterback, who has some upside as well as some downside.

Bryce Young’s improvement last year gives Panthers fans something to be excited about, and if Young records similar numbers this year, he is on pace to finish 2025 with 23 Touchdowns to 6 interceptions and 3,842 passing yards. Young did all this with very little talent in the receiving corps, a problem that the Panthers hopefully fixed in the draft, with first-round selection Tetairoa McMillan. However, the Panthers did very little to improve their league’s worst defense this offseason, which will keep them from winning plenty of games.

73-year-old Pete Carroll doesn’t have much left in the tank, but rookie running back Ashton Jeanty, second-year tight end Brock Bowers, and Geno Smith at quarterback will make the Raiders’ offense fun to watch, or even high-scoring. However, the Raiders did almost nothing to improve a defense that allowed the 7th-most points per game in 2024. And playing in a division with the Chiefs, Broncos, and Chargers, don’t expect the Raiders to compete for a playoff spot in 2025.

Considering how easy it is to get NFL players to play for the Dolphins, it’s a little underwhelming that the team’s front office only got one star to play for them this offseason. The Dolphins signed safety Minkah Fitzpatrick, but it came at the cost of Jonnu Smith and Jalen Ramsey. The Dophins are a very similar team on paper to last season, which does not bode well for their 2025 success, as they finished 6-11 and went 6-6 with Tua starting in 2024. At least the Dolphins only have to play two cold-weather games in 2025.

Every season since the new playoff format, at least four new teams made the playoffs that hadn’t the year before. It seems like the Jaguars could be one of those new teams in 2025.

Rookie head coach Liam Cohen got a career-best season out of Baker Mayfield, so maybe he could do the same with Trevor Lawrence. With an elite wideout in Brian Thomas Jr. and Travis Hunter giving Lawrence a secondary option, the Jags’ offense has the potential to be one of the league’s best in 2025. Nevertheless, the 2nd-worst defense in yards allowed is undoubtedly a concern in Jacksonville and will certainly hold them back in 2025.

The Patriots should get the offseason’s most-improved award as they made major changes on both sides of the ball. The Pats strengthened their O-line by drafting Will Campbell and signing Morgan Moses, they improved the defense in free agency with the signings of DT Milton Williams and CB Carlton Davis, and they got Drake Maye a No.1 receiver in Stefon Diggs.

No one’s really paying attention to the Falcons this offseason, but that will change soon, as Atlanta has five primetime games during the 2025 season. The Falcons might have a slow start to the season, but their schedule gets dramatically easier after week six, so don’t be surprised if they run the table and win the winnable NFC South.

No one really knows what the Falcons have in Michael Penix Jr., but the weapons around him show promise: elite RB Bijan Robinson and No. 1 wideout Drake London. The Falcons also massively improved their defense, drafting edge rushers Jalon Walker and James Pearce Jr., and signing DE Leonard Floyd and safety Jordan Fuller.

Last season, the Cowboys couldn’t run the ball and couldn’t defend the run, which is a great recipe for failure. It’s very unlikely that adding Javonte Williams will solve the running back problem, but drafting guard Tyler Booker in round 1 could help the run-blocking, and the additions of DT Solomon Thomas and CB Kair Elam should help the defense. While having Dak Prescott, Ceedee Lamb, and the newly acquired George Pickens healthy for a full season is nice, it might not be enough to overcome the Cowboys’ fourth-toughest schedule in 2025.

The NFC is wide open, so it’s possible that the Cardinals could contend or snag a playoff spot, but we’ve been saying that for years. The Cards’ offense, led by Trey McBride, James Connor, and Marvin Harrison Jr., has potential to top 27 points per game, if Kyler Murray can stay consistent for a full season. And that is a massive if. Additionally, Jonothan Gannon’s mediocre defense hasn’t covered up any of Murray’s inconsistencies. Unless one of their draftees becomes a superstar, the Cardinals will have a tough time avoiding another middling season in 2025.

The Seahawks changed significantly on paper this offseason, but their 2025 win total probably won’t change much from their 10 wins in 2024. The Seahawks spent their first-round draft pick wisely, selecting guard Grey Zabel, who should aid Sam Darnold, a quarterback who is very prone to blitzes.

The 49ers were one of the league’s most disappointing teams last season, but if Christian McCaffrey had stayed healthy and games ended after the 3rd quarter, they would have still made the playoffs. In 2025, the 49ers are banking on Father Time not catching up to McCaffrey yet, and Robert Saleh fixing a defense that allowed the 4th-most points per game last season. It might pan out for them, but they need to beat their divisional opponents in 2025.

The Steelers really did go all-in this offseason, trading for DK Metcalf, Jalen Ramsey, Jonnu Smith, and signing cornerback Darius Slay, and 41-year-old Aaron Rodgers. The Steelers also drafted running back Kaleb Johnson to complement Jalen Warren in the run game.

However, it isn’t easy to see Aaron Rodgers coming close to his MVP form this season, as he is once again throwing to receivers that he doesn’t know very well, which has not worked in the past. Even if Mike Tomlin “fixes” Rodgers like he did with Justin Fields and Russell Wilson, the Steelers don’t have a very high ceiling due to their tough schedule this season, and they’ve had some recent troubles with staying consistent for an entire season.

If only the Bucs had a good defense, they would be a Super Bowl contender. Instead, the Bucs whiff on defensive draft picks year after year and don’t make any major signings on defense. But at least the Bucs still have a high-powered offense led by Baker Mayfield, Bucky Irving, Mike Evans, and Chris Godwin, which is enough to make them favorites to win the NFC South in 2025. The additions of WR Emeka Egbuka and LB Hasaan Reddick could give them a boost as well.

Heading into the 2024 season, Bears’ GM thought he had built a playoff team, but he forgot two crucial pieces: Competent coaching and an offensive line. The Bears got the hottest head coach on the market this year, in Ben Johnson, who is making sure Chicago’s O-line is prepared for week 1.

Aaron Rodgers going to the Vikings would have been a fun storyline, but the Vikings declined Rodgers’s pleas, showing that they truly believe in their young quarterback, J.J. McCarthy. McCarthy inherits one of the league’s most talented and well-coached offenses and an above-average defense. In the very unlikely scenario that McCarthy is a complete bust, it’s not out of the question that Kevin O’Connell can lead Minnesota to the playoffs with Sam Howell at quarterback.

The Texans have plenty of talent on both sides of the ball to work with this season, but they aren’t without question marks. Can Laken Tomlinson and Aireonte Ersery fix the horrendous offensive line? Can rookies Jayden Higgins and Jaylen Noel fill the void at receiver left by Stefon Diggs and Tank Dell? Luckily for the Texans, they have an easy schedule and an easier division, giving them time to figure things out.

Amid an ugly contract holdout with Trey Hendrickson, the Bengals’ defense was abysmal last season and could be even worse in 2025. Mike Brown’s penny-pinching ownership could cost the Bengals another star player this season, as well as a playoff berth.

On the bright side, the Bengals still have an elite offense and a franchise quarterback. Every Bengals’ game this season will be a 34-31 shootout, and they just have to improve their 4-7 record in one-score games or avoid another slow start in order to make the playoffs.  

While Washington’s offense can compete with anybody, their defense is lagging behind, and not spending a first-round pick on a defensive player could cost them some shootout games in 2025. The Commanders went 1-4 against playoff teams in 2024, but if they manage to improve that record and make the playoffs this season, the sky is the limit for this team.

If the Rams had just played a hurry-up offense for the majority of the Divisional Round game against the Eagles, they would have gone farther in the playoffs, or even won the Super Bowl. But being one play away from beating the defending champions in the playoffs is nothing to scoff at.

Heading into 2025, the Rams still have a high-powered offense, and watch for a 15+ sack, breakout sophomore season from Jared Verse. During the past two seasons, the Rams made the playoffs with 10 wins despite slow starts and injuries, so LA could be an NFC powerhouse if they can build some momentum in September and October.