NFL
By: Rick
This NFL season might seem like one of the most upside-down seasons so far. The teams most people expected in the playoffs aren’t there, and the ones people didn’t expect are. Looking back at 2025, which teams surprised me the most?
New England Patriots:
Yes, football fans, the Patriots look to be back on top. For those of us hoping they’d suffer a bit longer, we didn’t get our wish. We all knew that Mike Vrabel would turn this team around, just didn’t expect it to be so soon. After all, most of us were shocked that the Tennessee Titans let him walk despite some degree of success with the team before it fell apart after losing Derrick Henry. Vrabel might not have been getting Super Bowl wins with the Titans, but he had them competing every year. Who knew he’d take the 4-13 Pats and turn them into a division winner over the Buffalo Bills?
Jacksonville Jaguars:
In 2023, the Jags ended a 5-year playoff drought. After the 2024 season, they fired their head coach and moved on to Liam Coen. It should be no surprise that a team that is 2 years removed from the playoffs could quickly make it back. However, to do so with a first-year coach, who just took over the team at a young age, for a coach of 40, and get back to playoff contention, that’s worth noting. The team finished 3rd in the division last year with a 4-13 record after losing Trevor Lawrence for the remainder of the season. Lawrence has struggled in his NFL career so far, but he looks in his element under new leadership.
Kansas City Chiefs:
The Chiefs surprised me, but not in a good way. All dynasties eventually come to an end, but for a team to fall off this hard is shocking. It started well before the injury to Patrick Mahomes. From the Super Bowl to start the year getting blown out, to the complete collapse and missing the playoffs in 2025, no one would bet the Chiefs would be where they’re at to finish the season.
Chicago Bears:
In a division that had three teams with 11+ wins last season, did anyone expect the struggling 5-12 Chicago Bears to win the division in 2025? If you did, you’re one heck of a homer/Bears fan. With division matchups for week 18, if the Lions beat the Bears and the Vikings beat the Packers, then this whole division has a winning record in 2025. That’s usually an uncommon feat, and with Chicago leading the way with new head coach Ben Johnson, this was easily one of the biggest surprises of the year.
Seattle Seahawks:
If you had told me Sam Darnold, the former NY Jet, often criticized as a “bust” in the NFL, would have back-to-back 13-win seasons, that would be the definition of surprise. Yet, here we are as the Seattle Seahawks are currently 13-3. What’s even crazier is, he’s the first QB to have back-to-back 13-win seasons, and it’s with two separate teams. Everyone wrote him off after his stint in NY. They gave credit to the talent the Vikings had in 2024. Still, Sam Darnold is finding a way to win in today’s NFL.
There have been plenty of surprises in 2025. What has been your favorite of the NFL season so far?
