Turf Show Times
The 2025 NFL season starts this week, and the Los Angeles Rams are set to face the Houston Texans Sunday. Expectations are once again through the roof in Hollywood.
More chaos is set to overtake the league this season, and the Packers got a head start on it a week before the NFL opener by trading for Micah Parsons. The Rams should be a Super Bowl contender in what could be Matthew Stafford’s last hurrah with the team.
To keep ourselves from crying ugly tears over that thought, let’s dive into some NFL regular season standings predictions to see what the Rams will be up against.
AFC East
Bills (12-5)
Patriots (10-7)
Dolphins (7-10)
Jets (5-12)
Rinse and repeat: Buffalo will win the division with very little push from anyone else in the East. The Bills are the class of the AFC with reigning MVP Josh Allen at quarterback. Not much is standing in this team’s way besides the mighty Chiefs, who will be vanquished by Buffalo in the playoffs at some point. Eventually, something’s got to give. New England made the correct call in giving Jerod Mayo the boot after one season in favor of Mike Vrabel. The Patriots should be a wild card contender by returning to the hard-nosed football that was missing in the later years of the Belichick era.
I have zero faith in Tua Tagovailoa and the Dolphins. The team freezes up (sometimes literally) when the lights shine brighter, and they’ve fallen short every time. There is no discipline with Mike McDaniel trying too hard to create funny soundbites and be everyone’s buddy. The wheels will finally fall off in Miami. I LOVED the Jets hiring Aaron Glenn, and he especially earned my respect for putting Aaron Rodgers in his place—twice. New York will not be a good team; they’ll give everyone their best shot.
AFC North
Ravens (12-5)
Bengals (9-8)
Steelers (9-8)
Browns (4-13)
The Ravens are among the class of the AFC and should again be one of the league’s best squads. Lamar Jackson is coming off an MVP-level campaign, and the two-time MVP could be an even better quarterback this year—if that’s possible—even if his stats aren’t as close to 2024’s. Adding Jaire Alexander to a stellar secondary has the potential of being a smart move if he’s able to play a reasonable amount. Cincinnati is a difficult team to pick, as its offense will remain elite, but the defense has been the talk all offseason for a reason. A league-average defense, though, will get the Bengals back to the playoffs.
The Steelers added some nice pieces this offseason—Aaron Rodgers excluded—but it shouldn’t matter much. Pittsburgh has been in purgatory for quite some time, and even if they make the playoffs in a crowded AFC field, their losing streak will continue. As for the Browns, I don’t know what to make of them. They should be competitive, yet Myles Garrett can only do so much, as Cleveland suffers through another lost season...
