2025 NFL Season Preview: a Sportz Nation Special Report

by Zak Drapeau 8/29/2025 Sportz Nation

We are only 4 days away from the start of the 2025 NFL Seasons and I CANNOT WAIT.

When the defending National Champions host the Dallas Cowboys on Thursday Night from Lincoln Financial Field, it will begin a 23-week period of NFL football until Super Bowl LX (That's 60) on February 8, 2026 from Levi's Stadium.

The entire season of football ahead of us seems more unpredictable than previous years due to the high-level titans that have ruled over the sport for years and an influx of young teams on the rise either with new coaching, new superstars or both.

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2024 Results

Eagles and Chiefs

The Eagles would win the Super Bowl last year as they took on the other conference champion Chiefs and put an end to their 3-peat dreams. The Eagles and Chiefs would win their respective conferences but the Eagles wouldn't get the #1 seed in the NFC.

Lions

That honor would go to the 15-2 Detroit Lions who would also lead the league in points and would be 2nd in yards per game. Their combination of playmakers and coaching made them one of the most feared teams in the league but would come up short in the playoffs again, shockingly losing to the Commanders in the Divisional Weekend by a score of 45-31.

Commanders

Speaking of the Commanders, 2024 was the year we saw the greatest team turn around in NFL History and quite possibly the greatest rookie season for a Quarterback on the same team. The Washington Commanders and Jayden Daniels went from 4-13 to 12-5 and would have the 5th ranked offense and 18th defense. Daniels himself would take home OROY honors 4,100 yards 31 TDs and 13 turnovers, narrowly defeating two other rookie QBs for the honor.

Broncos and Bears

Those rookie QBs would be Bo Nix and the #1 overall pick Caleb Williams from the Broncos and Bears respectively. Bo Nix was the 12th pick to a Broncos team that had the 5th worst odds of anyone in the league but with the young QB and Sean Payton would amass a 10-7 record and a playoff appearance. In year 2 for Nix and 3 for Payton, many expect the Broncos to make another jump. Speaking of jumps in 2025, the Bears are my pick to make the biggest jump of anyone in the league. With only 5 wins in 2025, the Bears went out and signed hotshot coach Ben Johnson this off season and would add almost an entirely new offense around him, made up of draft picks and free agents and filling out their receivers and O-line. With Caleb Williams entering Year 2, expectations are high for the former Heisman.

Bills and Ravens

Speaking of high expectations, the Bills and Ravens are the preseason favorites to win the Super Bowl at +600 each. The Bills would win one extra game in 2024 at 14 but the Ravens put together one of the most complete rosters in football. Both teams were spearheaded by their Quarterbacks and even the MVP race would come down to a neck and neck battle between Lamar Jackson and Josh Allen. Ultimately, Josh Allen would win his first MVP award.

Other teams such as Vikings, Chargers and Buccaneers would enjoy success greater than what was expected of them last season while teams like the Patriots, Raiders and Jaguars would come up well short of their expected win totals.

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Super Bowl Favorites

Bills +600

Ravens +600

Eagles +700

Chiefs +850

Packers +1200

Lions +1400

Commanders +1900

49ers +2000

With the Bills and Ravens having another outstanding season in 2024 and then adding in Free Agency, it isn't surprising to see their odds at +600 to be the next NFL Champion.

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New Faces Around the League

Ben Johnson's lead in Chicago is the most notable of any of the new coaches around the league but certainly not the only one. In total, there were 7 new Head Coaching hires in the NFL this offseason. Along with Johnson, Aaron Glenn would take over for the Jets, Mike Vrabel in New England, Brian Schottenheimer in Dallas, Pete Carroll in Las Vegas, Kellen Moore in New Orleans and Liam Coen in Jacksonville.

Some of the newest changes as far as players go are Davante Adams heading to the Rams to team with Puka Nacua and Matt Stafford. Laremy Tunsil being traded to Washington as Jayden Daniels new bodyguard. Super Bowl champ Milton Williams adding much needed pass rush to New England.

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Subscriptions on the Rise

On of the biggest storylines about the 2025 season is just how much money it will cost for fans to watch games. With more and more streaming services being given rights to broadcast games, the new slate of what games will appear on throughout the season looks like this:

Prime Video ($14.99/mo)

Netlfix ($17.99/mo)

Peacock ($16.99/mo)

Paramount+ ($12.99/mo)

Youtube TV for Sunday Ticket (82.99/mo)

In total, (if you're a big enough fan to get Sunday Ticket as well) that's a $145.45 monthly charge which doesn't include ESPN+ and NFL+. Up from a $92 monthly charge in 2024, there has been a rising concern from fans and media that this price will only go up in the future.

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Zak's Predictions

For a more detailed scope of my 2025 Playoff Predictions and Season Award Predictions visit those links. For the Basics, I have Baker Mayfield as my MVP, Joe BUrrow as my OPOY and T.J. Watt as DPOY. I also have the Ravens and Eagles in the Super Bowl and Lamar Jackson earning his first ring.

I also predict the Bills have the #1 seed in the AFC and the Eagles in the NFC. I predict the Commanders take a slight step back and miss the playoffs while the Broncos almost take the AFC West from the Chiefs but still have a 12-win Wild Card season. Players like Bijan Robinson and Ja'Marr Chase will continue to excel on offense while Micah Parsons, Fred Warner and Sauce Gardner will lock things down on defense.

Authors Note: Living in New England, the Patriots have a very interesting season ahead of them. Their recent moves in roster cuts are very puzzling and with players like Kendrick Bourne released and Kyle Dugger working with the second-team, it's very clear that Mike Vrabel is making this group HIS team no matter the cost. I have predicted them at 8-9 this season with Drake Maye and rookie Tre Henderson having very good years even if they are turnover friendly.

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make sure to stay tuned as we continue coverage of the 2025 NFL Off season.

-Z.D.