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 in a brutal division.
AFC South
Texans (10-7)
Jaguars (9-8)
Titans (6-11)
Colts (5-12)
As the Rams will learn on Sunday, the Texans will have a top-five defense in 2025, led by studs like Danielle Hunter, Will Anderson Jr. and Derek Stingley. C.J. Stroud is one of the game’s best young signal callers and has a chance to rebound under new offensive coordinator Nick Caley. Houston is not on the same level as the Chiefs, Bills, or Ravens, yet they should at least make it to the Divisional Round for the third straight year. Jacksonville is coming off a horrific year, but I envision Liam Coen giving the team new life. I’m still not a believer in Trevor Lawrence, but let’s see what he can do under Coen. Travis Hunter and Brian Thomas Jr. are promising pieces to build around.
The Titans, under top overall pick Cam Ward, should be marginally improved over last season’s team. I fear the bottom will completely fall out in Indy. Neither Anthony Richardson nor starter Daniel Jones will be able to stop the mess that’s to come. Expect the Colts to be picking in the top five in the 2026 NFL draft.
AFC West
Chiefs (11-6)
Broncos (10-7)
Chargers (9-8)
Raiders (8-9)
We all know seeing the Chiefs get blown out in the Super Bowl to end their three-peat hopes was hilarious. However, that will not derail them from winning their 10th consecutive AFC West crown in 2025. Kansas City has made 10 straight postseason trips, and I don’t see that ending anytime soon with Patrick Mahomes under center. The Broncos were a sneaky fun surprise last season. Denver will not catch anyone off guard this time around, yet Bo Nix, in his sophomore campaign, and an elite defense will earn Sean Payton’s squad back-to-back playoff appearances.
That other Los Angeles team has improved the weaponry around Justin Herbert, and the top-ranked scoring defense from a year ago largely remained intact. The Chargers are a good, though not great team, but they’ll always be in contention with Jim Harbaugh. Las Vegas had one, if not the best, offseason in the league. The front office actually seems competent, and Pete Carroll will turn the culture around immediately, even if that’s not reflected in the win column in Year 1.
NFC East
Eagles (12-5)
Commanders (10-7)
Giants (6-11)
Cowboys (6-11)
The Eagles are the defending Super Bowl champs, and they’ll mostly pick up right where they left off in 2024. Philly lost some key contributors here and there, but I fully expect them to finish near the top of the conference standings once again to boost their repeat chances. Washington has quite a football team now, don’t they? Teams will catch on more to the Commanders this season, although Jayden Daniels is too special to keep down for long.
I was struggling with who to put in the third-place spot, and then I ultimately landed on the Giants. Congrats for winning the booby prize? New York will play some bad football, but their top-notch defensive line will keep things interesting. Whatever hope the Cowboys had this season went away as soon as they traded Micah Parsons. Jerry Jones has only gotten further from another Super Bowl appearance following that boneheaded trade. Sure, the two first-rounders were nice, but do you know what’s even better than that? Having Parsons on the roster. WTF were you thinking, Jerry?
NFC North
Lions (12-5)
Packers (11-6)
Vikings (9-8)
Bears (8-9)
Did everyone forget how good the Lions are, because it feels like a decent chunk of the league has. I don’t care if they lost their top two coordinators, unless they’re wildly incompetent, Detroit is by far the best team in this division. Also, did everyone forget the Packers cannot beat good teams? Adding Parsons was nice, and Green Bay’s defense has only improved due to the trade, which is hopefully the case, considering I begrudgingly added them in fantasy. Still not the biggest believer in Jordan Love or Matt LaFleur, but maybe they’ll surprise me.
Minnesota, to me, has the second-best roster in the division. However, I’m uncertain about them with essentially a rookie at the game’s most important position in J.J. McCarthy. Kevin O’Connell is a wonderful coach who will get the most out of his squad, and will do so again, even if this team doesn’t come anywhere close to duplicating its 14-3 record. Chicago has been the offseason champs what, like three years running? That hasn’t translated to regular season success (shocker), and it won’t again here. Ben Johnson often got too cutesy with his gadget plays in Detroit, and that sometimes came back to bite him. Matt Nagy used to do that too, and how did that fare in the Windy City? Keep those expectations low, Bears fans.
NFC South
Buccaneers (11-6)
Falcons (8-9)
Panthers (7-10)
Saints (4-13)
Remember when I said the Buccaneers “have been middling in the NFC” since Tom Brady’s final season? Well, that “middling” has gotten them five straight playoff appearances and four division titles in a row. Losing Liam Coen to the Jaguars won’t affect Baker Mayfield and the offense much. Bucky Irving has given Tampa Bay a running game they’ve lacked for years. The Falcons will be mediocre, as it’s in their nature. Michael Penix has all the makings to be great. Unfortunately, the team is not in the best spot with Raheem Morris holding Atlanta back.
Bryce Young looked like a vastly different player after returning from his benching. Zero clue if he carries that momentum into this season, but that will be a situation to monitor. Carolina has built up the roster decently enough to try and support him. New Saints head coach Kellen Moore probably wishes he had left with the Eagles during their Super Bowl celebration. With an unproven option at QB, an aging roster and a front office that refuses to rebuild, it will be a long, LONG year in NOLA. The first overall pick will be oh-so sweet come April though.
NFC West
Rams (11-6)
Cardinals (10-7)
49ers (9-8)
Seahawks (8-9)
Assuming Matthew Stafford can stay healthy, the Rams should win the NFC West again this season. Adding Davante Adams to the mix makes an already strong offense all the more dangerous. The young defense must continue showing growth under second-year defensive coordinator Chris Shula. There are more than enough core pieces to work with. Arizona has a painfully easy start to the year, and if they capitalize on it, that should propel them back to the playoffs. The Cardinals are a solid enough team to potentially make some noise in the conference.
San Francisco lost several key players this offseason and packed up the money truck for Brock Purdy. Not ideal. Despite that, the Whiners should rebound to an extent, though not back atop the NFC West. The Seahawks will be great on defense, so they’ll have that going for them. Trading DK Metcalf was bold and a tad stupid, even if it’s debatable that he deserved the massive contact Pittsburgh gave him upon arrival. I’m not a believer in Sam Darnold. The version of him we saw in his final two games with the Vikings is likely who he really is. Good luck Seahawks.
What are your predictions for the 2025 NFL standings ahead of the regular season? Feel free to share them in the comments!
