On the night of Sunday, February 9 in 2025, the Philadelphia Eagles defeated the Kansas City 40-22 on the NFL’s biggest stage. The game was more of a blowout then the final score suggests, but the game encapsulated a crazy season in the NFL for both conferences.
The NFC North featured all four teams above .500 for a short while, a rare feat in the NFL. The Lions won the talented division, securing their first ever #1 seed in the conference. The team lost in the divisional round, losing to rookie phenom QB Jayden Daniels and the Washington Commanders, but there is no reason to think they won’t be back in the years to come. The Vikings came in second place, winning an astounding fourteen games with former burnout QB Sam Darnold. Questions plague the team entering the offseason, as the aforementioned Darnold is scheduled to be an unrestricted free agent and former first-round pick QB JJ McCarthy will return from an injury that ruined his rookie campaign before it even started. The Green Bay Packers made the playoffs, as QB Jordan Love once again showed that he has as much talent as a pro-bowl caliber QB can have. The Chicago Bears, on the other hand, hoped to see that in rookie QB and first overall pick Caleb Williams with the new-look offense. Instead, the Bears won their last game of the year after losing ten straight and starting the season 4-2.
The NFC East featured the two teams to make the NFC Championship game: the Philadelphia Eagles and the Washington Commanders. For the Eagles, the goal at the start of the season was Super Bowl or bust, especially after the signing of RB Saquon Barkley. But for the Commanders, they catapulted into the higher tier of teams after the quick ascension of rookie QB Jayden Daniels. Making the NFC Championship game was a much more unlikely goal to achieve at the beginning of the year for the team, as a new head coach and a rookie quarterback almost never get there the first year together. Meanwhile, expectations for the Dallas Cowboys are always championship or bust, regardless of the talent level the team is actually at. This season could have gone better, as star QB Dak Prescott was only able to play eight games before sustaining a season-ending injury. For the New York Giants… they should look forward to selecting a rookie quarterback to lead the future of the franchise with the third overall pick.
The NFC South was filled with storylines from the get-go. But in the end, it was the Tampa Bay Buccaneers who won the NFC South and gaining the only ticket into the playoffs from the division. The Falcons benched QB Kirk Cousins in favor of rookie QB Michael Penix Jr., who started the last three games. The Falcons will look to cut or trade Cousins after his poor play and move forward with the younger (and cheaper) Penix and build on him as their franchise QB. The Panthers won five games, but the biggest moment was the return of former number one overall pick QB Bryce Young after being benched. Young played well in his return to the lineup, sparking hope for a solution at the position within the fanbase yet again. The New Orleans Saints started the season 2-0, destroying the Panthers and the Dallas Cowboys by a combined 91-29 score. The season was abysmal after that, going 3-12 with wins over the Falcons, the New York Giants, and the Cleveland Browns. The team fired HC Dennis Allen mid-season, hiring former Eagles offensive coordinator Kellen Moore to lead the team next season.
The NFC West was just as competitive as many expected, but with a couple twists. The San Fransisco 49ers finished last, as injuries consistently ravished the team on both sides of the ball. The Arizona Cardinals improved from the season before, but still fell short of the playoff picture. The Seattle Seahawks and the Los Angeles Rams both won ten games, but only the Rams made the playoffs after winning the division. Both teams have plenty of questions, as the Rams are looking to trade star WR Cooper Kupp and the Seahawks are looking to extend QB Geno Smith.
The AFC North was perhaps the conference’s biggest battle. The Cleveland Browns ended up with three wins on the season, good enough for the second overall pick. The Cincinnati Bengals missed the playoffs despite a late push, but kept almost every game very competitive with an MVP-caliber season from Joe Burrow and JaMarr Chase each. The Pittsburgh Steelers came into the season with Justin Fields and Russell Wilson, but they still reached the playoffs and a winning record with Mike Tomlin. The Baltimore Ravens brought in one of the best running backs in the NFL in Derrick Henry, and he proved to make a bruising difference for the offense. The Ravens clinched the division, going the farthest of any AFC North team in the playoffs.
The AFC East was expected to be a battle, but it was not as much of a fight as expected. While the Buffalo Bills surpassed expectations due to their seemingly-lacking receiving room, the Miami Dolphins and New York Jets did not get anywhere near their expectations. The Jets can blame their problems on QB Aaron Rodgers, former HC Robert Saleh (who was fired during the season), and even ownership, but plenty of blame can be brought around the team as a whole. The Dolphins are a little more complicated, as the team dealt with injuries and drama all season long. Meanwhile, not much was expected for the New England Patriots except to show some future hope, but owner Robert Kraft had seen enough of HC Jerod Mayo when firing him after the one season.
The AFC South was arguably the weakest of the four divisions in the AFC. The Houston Texans won the division while taking a step back on both sides of the ball, with drama and injuries playing a large part in the problems. The Tennessee Titans won the first overall pick in the upcoming NFL Draft, with the Jacksonville Jaguars not far behind at pick number five. Both teams are facing plenty of questions throughout their organizations, especially at the ever-important quarterback position. Finally, the Indianapolis Colts made a late push to the playoffs, but it was all for naught.
The AFC West ended up being a much harder division than many expected, with all three of the Kansas City Chiefs, the Los Angeles Chargers, and Denver Broncos making the playoffs. The Las Vegas Raiders had a rough season, but TE Brock Bowers showcased in his first NFL season that he can be the next great receiving tight end. The Chargers came into the season with reigning National Champion and former Michigan HC Jim Harbaugh, which has proven to be good so far. 11 wins and a playoff appearance with an improvable offense in year one shows plenty of reason for hope. The Denver Broncos had a hectic offseason, jettisoning Russell Wilson and his putrid contract in favor of a quarterback competition between veteran Jarrett Stidham, veteran Zach Wilson, and rookie Bo Nix. With Nix winning the starting job, winning 10 games, and going to the playoffs, the sky will only get brighter in the years to come with his rookie contract still in effect. As for Kansas City, they continued to be the dominant team they have been for years, even if the offense stepped backwards. Even still, they went to the Super Bowl for the third time in as many years.
At the NFL Honors, there was some controversy in the end-of-season award show for the offensive awards. Despite being the second-team All Pro quarterback, Josh Allen of the Bills won his first ever MVP trophy over Baltimore Ravens and first-team All-Pro QB Lamar Jackson. Even further, Eagles running back Saquon Barkley won the Offensive Player of the Year Award, which was only a stir because Bengals wideout and triple-crown winner (led the NFL in all of receptions, receiving yards, and receiving touchdowns) did not get a single vote for the award by the voting committee. Offensive Rookie of the Year went to Commanders QB Jayden Daniels, who was almost unanimous in winning the award (one voted for Raiders TE Brock Bowers). Joe Burrow won the Comeback Player of the Year award, recovering from a season-ending wrist injury in 2023 to lead the NFL in passing yards and passing touchdowns (4,918 and 43, respectively).
The defensive and staff awards were a lot less controversial than the offensive awards. The tightly-contested Defensive Player of the Year award went to shutdown Denver Broncos CB Pat Surtain II, beating out the likes of Bengals DL Trey Hendrickson, Browns DL Myles Garrett, and Steelers EDGE TJ Watt. There was no debate with the Defensive Rookie of the Year award, as Los Angeles Rams DL Jared Verse won the award after a spectacular campaign. The biggest uncertainty was the winner of the Coach of the Year, with many deserving the award. The actual winner, however, was Minnesota Vikings HC Kevin O’Connell and his ability to turn Sam Darnold into a star in the Vikings offense. Former Detroit Lions offensive coordinator Ben Johnson won the Assistant Coach of the Year award, which was widely anticipated. Finally, the league’s most prestigious award is the Walter Payton Man of the Year, which honors one player for their excellence off the field and in their local community. This year’s winner was Jaguars DL Arik Armstead.
Of course, one of the biggest revelations at the NFL Honors awards ceremony is who makes it into the NFL Hall of Fame in Canton, Ohio. The winners of immortal fame were former Chargers TE Antonio Gates, former Chiefs and Vikings DE Jared Allen, former Eagles, Saints, and Raiders CB Eric Allen, and former Packers WR Sterling Sharpe. Sharpe joins his brother Shannon, as they become the first set of siblings to be in the Hall of Fame. The biggest opinions came from the exclusion of former Giants QB Eli Manning, who led his team to two Super Bowl upset wins over the New England Patriots and QB Tom Brady. Many debate on whether Manning is a Hall of Fame caliber QB, but the selection committee didn’t see enough from him to induct him in his first year of eligibility. Other notable talent to miss the cut include K Adam Vinateri, WR Steve Smith Sr., OL Jahri Evans, LB Luke Kuechly, and DE Terrell Suggs.
So, what’s next? While there may be no football until early August, there are plenty of important dates to watch out for. February 18 at 4PM EST is when teams can designate the Franchise or Transition tag on impending free agents, and teams have until March 4 at 4PM EST to do so. March 10 is when impending free agents are permitted to contact and enter contract negotiations with teams, which will become official on March 12 at 4PM EST (when the new league year starts). March 30 through April 2 is the annual league meeting between the owners, where possible new rules will be discussed. Afterwards, teams can start offseason workout programs, beginning on April 7 for teams with new head coaches and April 21 for teams with returning head coaches. One of the biggest dates for the offseason is the NFL Draft, which will be hosted from April 24 to April 26 in Green Bay, Wisconsin. May 1 is the deadline for teams to exercise fifth-year options for former first-round picks. July 15 is when players designated with a Franchise Tag to sign a multi-year contract or extension with the team, or else they will play the one year on the contract. And finally, mid-July is when training camps open for teams.
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