NFL 2025-26 Preview

Wow, so already it's that time of the year again. The leaves seem to be turning (a bit earlier than usual, I might add). Kids are returning back to schools again. And yes, of course, people are asking that eternal question:

Are you ready for some football?

Indeed, the NFL season kicks off tomorrow night, when the Dallas Cowboys visit the defending Super Bowl champion Philadelphia Eagles. 

One night after that, the Kansas City Chiefs, the defending AFC champs, will head out west to meet the Los Angeles Chargers (still a bit tricky not to say the San Diego Chargers). 

Then on Sunday, there will be a full slate of games.

So it seems like that time to publish my preview, including playoff and even Super Bowl predictions. Yes, it is early, and obviously there are factors that can alter these picks. Still, nonetheless, I have made a tradition of doing it. Saw no reason to change it this time around.

That said, I will not do the exhausting division by division and team by team breakdowns. That is tiring to do, and probably tiresome to see published. This preview will be quicker, will briefly visit each division along with my picks, and explanations of why I feel things will go the way that I predict that they will go.

After that, I will make my picks for this firs two game for this week 1 in the NFL.

Here goes:

NFC

NFC East:

Difficult to picture a team dethroning the defending champions, who seem to have everything. Philly has a tough offense with two dual threats, quarterback Jalen Hurts and running back Saquon Barkley. Their defense is probably the best in the league. And they gained a ton of confidence by winning the Super Bowl. So the real question is whether this success catapults them to establish themselves as one of the league's powerhouses for years to come, or if they instead suffer from a championship hangover. Can't rely on the inconsistent Cowboys, and the Giants may make improvements, but it hardly seems likely that they can enjoy enough sustained success to contend for the division title. That leaves Washington, and I still suspect that the Eagles are better. 

NFC North:

Not sure that there are any really bad teams in this division. Detroit has been the class of the division in the past few years. But the Packers always seem on the verge of breaking out and enjoying success again, and could prove to be a serious thorn on the side of the Lions. Minnesota seems like they are on again, off again. You never know if you're going to get a seeming playoff team and possibly one of the top seeds, or a team that never really takes off. If they are good, they can contend, but it's impossible to know which Vikings team will show up. As for Da Bears, they feel like they are a team heading in the right direction, but probably need another season or two before yielding serious results. So for now, I still like the Lions to win the NFC North division title.

NFC South:

Tampa Bay has now won four straight NFC South division titles. The year before that, they were second but wound up winning the Super Bowl. However, they just don't feel like a serious title contender, and have managed to win this division title mostly because the other teams are pretty mediocre. The Panthers are among the worst teams in the league the past few seasons, and it's difficult to imagine them improving significantly. The Saints feel like they are hitting hard times. That leaves the Falcons, and they are an unknown quantity. Feels like this will be yet another year with the Bucs winning this division with a .500 record or so. Maybe a little bit better than that, or maybe a little bit worse. Just don't look for any serious contenders in this division. Still, Tampa should emerge here. 

NFC West:

This division feels like it will be between the two relative powerhouses in recent seasons, the Los Angeles Rams and the San Francisco 49ers. Both have reached the Super Bowl in recent seasons, and both figure to have the talent to carry them to the playoffs and perhaps to make some noise once there. Both teams figure to have a serious shot at a division title. My sleeper pick in the NFC, and thus in this division, would be the Cardinals. I'm not sure if they are ready to take on either the Rams or 49ers for NFC West supremacy or anything. But they just might make some noise and pull off some upsets. As for the Seahawks, it feels like they are headed towards a last place finish this season. I suspect that the 49ers will edge out Los Angeles for this division title.

AFC

AFC East: 

The class of this division in recent years has clearly been the Buffalo Bills. They have qualified for the playoffs every season since 2019, and have won five straight division titles, and winning at least one playoff game during that five season stretch. In fact, they have won seven postseason contests during that time. The only team that they cannot seem to beat would be the Chiefs. Buffalo feels like they will have another title contender this year, but will they roll to yet another division title? The Jets are rebuilding, but it feels like it will take a couple of seasons, at least. New England also might be making improvements, but like with Gang Green, it will take time. The only team that feels like they might seriously challenge Buffalo would be Miami, and they just have not been consistent. There are times when they look explosive and ready to jump to that next level. But something always seems to go wrong, especially towards the end of the season. So my pick is still with Buffalo to win another AFC East title. 

AFC North:

Under John Harbaugh and with a tough defense and quarterback Lamar Jackson at the helm, you have to figure that the Ravens will always be tough and have a chance. They have won the AFC North in each of the past two seasons and are a playoff contender more often than not. The Pittsburgh Steelers never seem to have a really terrible season, but they also do not feel like serious contenders. The Browns seem to have once again largely fallen into irrelevance. That leaves the Cincinnati Bengals, who have hardly been a model of consistency. That said, if Joe Burrow can stay healthy, Cincy can be a very serious factor, both in this division race, as well as in the playoffs. Still, with no guarantees that he will stay healthy, the safest bet would be another division title for Baltimore. 

AFC South:

As with the NFC South, this division still feels like it's filled with disappointments. The Titans, Jaguars and Colts have been pretty awful in the past couple of seasons or so. There's nothing obvious to suggest that they will be much better this year. That leaves the Houston Texans and their emerging star quarterback C.J. Stroud. Sometimes, he seems like the next Patrick Mahomes. The thing is, the Texans are not enjoying the success that the Chiefs have, and for good reason. They should emerge as division champs, and pretty easily. But it seems doubtful that you can expect this team to go much farther in the playoffs than they have recently, either. 

AFC West:

A potentially tighter race than it has been in recent seasons might make the AFC West more exciting this year. Obviously, the Chiefs are still the cream of the crop in this division. But the Chargers feel like they are heading in the right direction, and might be able to challenge the Chiefs for divisional supremacy. Also, the Broncos took a gigantic leap by qualifying for the postseason last year. They finally seem like a team on the rise, and so they could be tough, although it is difficult to picture them wrestling the title away from KC. About the only team that figures to be irrelevant yet again would be the Raiders, who are almost assuredly going to be the cellar dwellers in this division. In the end, I expect an upset, with the Chargers finally making a great leap and taking this division title this time around. 

2025 Week 1 First Two Games Prediction:

Thursday Night: Dallas at Philadelphia - This is a big game, and a division showdown right off the bat. While I think the Cowboys are not a bad team, they sure feel like an inconsistent one. And going on the road to face a familiar opponent in the hostile (very hostile) atmosphere of Philadelphia will be a bit too much. Look for the Eagles to win this one, probably comfortably, pulling away in the second half. My pick: Philadelphia

Friday Night: Kansas City at LA Chargers - Another big division showdown, but this one is quite different. After all, the Chiefs have now won the AFC West nine straight times. It must have grown tiresome a while ago for the rest of the division, and crossed over into sickening territory. This year, I expect someone - possibly the Chargers - to give them a more serious run for their money. And I suspect that it begin with this game. Jim Harbaugh came on board to help the Bolts turn things around. They should have some success this season, but I think this particular game means more to them than the Chiefs, which I why I am picking the Chargers to pull it out in a close one. My pick: LA Chargers