Windy City Gridiron
The start of the 2025 NFL regular season is upon us after another fun offseason. The Philadelphia Eagles will look to become the second team in a row to win back-to-back Super Bowls, but in an improved division, it won’t be easy. The start of a new season always brings optimism for the 32 teams around the league. After all, there are always a handful of new teams that make the playoffs each year. With the season set to kick off in less than a week, let’s rank each team and where they stand heading into another exciting season of football.
1. Philadelphia Eagles
The top of the NFC remains unresolved. Despite winning the Super Bowl a year ago, the Eagles lost plenty of talent in free agency over the offseason. With an improved Commanders squad looking to take the next step, and the Dallas Cowboys in a new era under Brian Schottenheimer, the Eagles must keep their foot on the gas if they want to repeat as division champs yet again.
2025 Headline: Fly Eagles Fly. But how high can they go? Why a repeat performance might be tough.
**2. Kansas City Chiefs
I’ve seen plenty of predictions coming in for the Broncos and Chargers to overtake the AFC West crown this season. Perhaps I’ll be wrong, but I just don’t see it yet. Patrick Mahomes is still great, and their offensive tackle situation looks much better than a year ago. Similar to the Patriots’ dominant run under Bill Belichick, I’ll need to see it to believe it when it comes to the end of a dominant run. For now, I’ll continue to feel the Chiefs are the AFC favorites yet again.
2025 Headline: Will this finally be the year the Chiefs relinquish the division? Here’s why you shouldn’t count on their demise.
**3. Buffalo Bills
From a talent perspective, there’s no denying that the Bills stack up well against any team in the league. The issue is that once they get into the playoffs, they haven’t been able to get over the hump, even with an MVP-level quarterback. The same could be said about another team on this list, but we’ll get to that later. Although I’m not sure the addition of Joey Bosa will move the needle, this is a complete team with as good a chance as anyone to win it all. It’ll be up to Sean McDermott’s defense to perform once the playoffs roll around.
2025 Headline: Super Bowl Bills or another disappointing finish? Why 2025 could finally be the year the Bills break through.
**4. Detroit Lions
History has not been kind to head coaches who lose both coordinators in a single offseason. The one exception that comes to mind? The Super Bowl-winning Eagles from a year ago. There’s no question that Dan Campbell is a good head coach, but it’s worth wondering how much of an adjustment period his team will see following the losses of Ben Johnson, Aaron Glenn, and multiple members...
