2025 NFL Bold Predictions: Shocking Picks From Top Reporters on Super Bowl Contenders, MVP, and More
Football is in the air.
Training camps are opening up across the nation, hope is as eternal as the days are long. And, under the grueling summer sun, championship aspirations are being forged as jobs are won and lost.
This really is one of the most wonderful times on the sports calendar, and with the regular season looming less than two months away, it’s time to make some bold predictions.
We have assembled a panel of some of the preeminent NFL writers and reporters across the Substack platform, soliciting their boldest predictions for the upcoming season.
Our panelists were given carte blanche to make a pick on a team that will surprise, a player who will make a run at an award, or a coach who won’t last until we’re carving turkey amid the November autumn winds.
Here’s what they see coming — the bold, the unexpected, and maybe even the inevitable in 2025.
Matt Lombardo - Between The Hashmarks
If you have read this space, followed me on social media, or listened to the Between The Hashmarks Podcast, you know how bullish I am on the Denver Broncos. It’s time to go on the record, officially, with how optimistic I am that Denver makes a major leap.
In Bo Nix’s second season, after continually improving as his rookie campaign went along, and thanks to the arrival of running back R.J. Harvey in the backfield just as the front office dropped rookie cornerback Jahdae Barron opposite Patrick Surtain Jr., this has the potential to be the most lethal defense and one of the most balanced rosters overall.
Combine the Broncos’ rise, with the Chiefs looking very vulnerable in Super Bowl LIX and the fact that the last time Kansas City lost a Super Bowl, Joe Burrow’s Bengals stunned Arrowhead on the road to a Super Bowl the following season, and this feels like it is setting up for a special season in Mile High.
The talent that’s in place in Denver, around a young and ascending quarterback, is eerily reminsicent of the 2024 Washington Commanders. Last summer I’d scream to anyone who would listen that Washington was a team capable of ruining someone’s day in the postseason. How’d that wind up working out?
Led by Nix and a stingy defense, the Broncos earn at least a split with the Chiefs, win the AFC West, and wind up winning at least one playoff game.
Mike Tanier - Too Deep Zone
The Colts Revolution is scheduled for November 10th, the start of their bye week.
Neither GM Chris Ballard nor head coach Shane Steichen will survive it. We will have seen both Daniel Jones and Anthony Richardson in the lineup by then, which means we will have seen enough. Carlie Irsay-Gordon will also have heard enough on her headset. She was giving off real itching-to-clean-house energy before her father's passing, and there's no way she's going to suffer these fools after witnessing what a train wreck they have made of the quarterback situation after two years of trying to develop AR, and in Ballard's case, eight freakin' years on the job.
Also, if you are looking for an Offensive Player of the Year darkhorse, consider Tampa Bay Buccaneers running back Bucky Irving at +5000 (DraftKings, late June).
Per Sports Info Solutions, Irving's broken/missed tackle rate of 21.3% was the highest in the NFL among players with 200-plus rushes. He produced 682 rushing plus receiving yards in his final six games, plus 83 more in the playoff loss to the Commanders, after not getting the ball that often early in his rookie season. Irving reminds me of the young Brian Westbrook. He won't get the punchpress carries that Saquon/Henry/Bijan get, so he won't win a rushing title, but explosive plays, receiving yards and Bucs success could make him a superstar.
Arif Hasan - Wide Left
The Colts Make the Playoffs as a Double-Digit Win Team with Anthony Richardson as the Starter
I don't think Anthony Richardson secretly played well last year, but I do think the Colts underperformed their true talent level -- including Richardson. In addition to landing in a situation where defenders held on to interceptions more often on interceptable passes, the Colts dealt with one of the lowest fumble recovery rates in the league and one of the most unsustainably bad red zone conversion rates on both sides of the ball.
Those elements, along with the additions in the offseason and Richardson's improvement at the end of the year, are reasons to think the Colts could turn it around with Richardson at the helm. The Colts also have a receiver group just on the verge of being unlocked. Daniel Jones was a smart addition, but Richardson has more opportunity for growth and more tools to work with. The Colts give him one last chance and he takes them, with their surprisingly performant defense, to the playoffs.
Bob Sturm - SturmStack
For me, the bold prediction I would offer that might be considered somewhat bold is that the NFC South’s QB situation will be incredibly entertaining and worth tuning in all season.
In particular, Michael Penix and Bryce Young are both guys who I will be tracking with great interest, as Young took some very significant strides forward in his game in 2024, and it seems that his progress is likely to be built upon.
With Penix, I wonder if we are looking at a guy who might end up being one of the very top QBs in the 2024 draft and quickly seen as a play-making difference maker at the most important position. I have bought many shares of Penix based on his college and pro performances so far, and I expect another giant step forward.
Frank Cooney - Hall of Football
Ashton Jeanty, plus Raiders, Pete Carroll, and Chip Kelly = Rookie Of The Year.
Jeanty is a perfect schematic fit for Pete Carroll’s run-first philosophy and Chip Kelly’s multi-concept ground game. Carroll’s history—coaching Reggie Bush and Marshawn Lynch to prolific rushing seasons—paired with Kelly’s diverse zone and gap schemes, sets up Jeanty to hit the ground running.
A stout offensive line anchors Jeanty’s immediate impact. Las Vegas upgraded its trenches in free agency and the draft, and relied on a unit that ranked mid-pack in run-blocking last year. Jeanty’s experience behind solid blockers at Boise State translates seamlessly, allowing him to secure 20+ touches and grind out tough yards from day one.
Beyond pure rushing, Jeanty’s pass-catching chops and blocking acumen unlock the Raiders’ play-action game. He hauled in 23 catches in 2024 and excels in pass protection, giving Geno Smith a reliable outlet and easing pressure in obvious passing downs.
Finally, a powerful run game forces defenses to respect the ground threat, opening lanes for play-action and explosive downfield passing. Jeanty’s ability to churn out yards and punish defenses after contact (1,733 yards after contact in college) will soften box defenders—ultimately lifting the entire offense and making life easier on Smith and the receivers.
Michael Ham - The Touchdown Collective
Jayden Daniels plays his way into the MVP conversation.
Jayden Daniels won the Heisman Trophy in 2023 and was NFL Offensive Rookie of the Year for 2024 - so don’t put it past him to be in the running for NFL MVP this time around. The Commanders’ quarterback’s EPA per play was among the league leaders last season, and with better protection and weapons in place – in the shape of LT Laremy Tunsil and WR Deebo Samuel – I think we can expect to see another jump in Daniels’ performance for year two.
So, if you’re looking for a sleeper pick outside of Lamar Jackson, Josh Allen, and Patrick Mahomes - while sticking with a quarterback, and on a team which can win - you need look no further than Daniels.
Joe Staszak, Epic Swagger, De Facto 4 Downs Editor
Call it bold. Call it crazy. But don’t call it impossible.
The Arizona Cardinals, long an afterthought in the NFC playoff picture, are poised to shock the league in 2025. After doubling their win total last year, Arizona enters Year 3 of the Monti Ossenfort/Jonathan Gannon rebuild with real momentum and a reloaded defense that could finally give quarterback Kyler Murray the support he’s never had on the other side of the ball.
The bold prediction? The Cardinals finish with double-digit wins and at least one playoff victory, cementing themselves as one of the league’s surprise contenders.
Why the optimism?
Let’s start with the trench warfare. Arizona overhauled its defensive front this offseason with a flurry of moves that sent a loud, unmistakable message that they’re done being soft up front. The team signed Josh Sweat, Dalvin Tomlinson, and Calais Campbell in free agency, drafted disruptors Walter Nolen III and Jordan Burch, and still had Baron Browning from a trade they made last season.. That’s not just tinkering, that’s a full-blown identity shift. If the veterans can stabilize and mentor the rookies, this unit could go from liability to strength seemingly overnight.
Meanwhile, Kyler Murray looks ready to make that leap. After showing flashes of his old self late last season, the 27-year-old quarterback now has a legitimate super star WR1 in Marvin Harrison Jr., a full year of health, and a coaching staff that’s betting the house on his consistency. They didn’t go big on offense in the offseason, and that was intentional. It’s a vote of confidence in Murray. Now it’s his turn to deliver.
Sure, there are risks. Walter Nolen’s maturity and Will Johnson’s injury history, their top two draft picks last April, and the age curve for Campbell and Tomlinson all add variance to the projection. But not many head coaches get to year four without a playoff appearance and still get to keep his job. It’s now or never for Gannon and Murray because if they don’t deliver, neither might get another year to prove them selves in the desert.
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Loving the picks, everybody 🙌
"This really is one of the most wonderful times on the sports calendar"
Even more wonderful than the actual NFL season?