NFL (2025 Season)

[Great Lakes Roads]

Predictions for each division's winner and wildcard spots (2025-26 season)

AFC East- Bills
AFC West- Broncos
AFC North- Ravens
AFC South- Texans

NFC East- Eagles
NFC West- Seahawks
NFC North- Packers
NFC South- Buccaneers

AFC Wildcards- Steelers, Chiefs, Chargers
NFC Wildcards- Lions, Commanders, Vikings

OOF, looks like I need to change these predictions, especially since it's week 9!

My midway predictions for each division's winner and wildcard spots (2025-26 season)

AFC East- Patriots
AFC West- Broncos
AFC North- Ravens
AFC South- Colts

NFC East- Eagles
NFC West- Seahawks
NFC North- Packers
NFC South- Buccaneers

AFC Wildcards- Bills, Chiefs, Chargers
NFC Wildcards- Lions, 49ers, Rams

Eliminated AFC teams: TEN, NYJ, MIA, CLE, LAS, CIN, HOU, JAX, PIT
Eliminated NFC teams: NO, NYG, ARI, WAS, MIN, ATL, DAL, CAR, CHI

[Max Rockatansky]

The Ravens have a pretty easy schedule coming up.  I would think now that Lamar Jackson is back that they are going to make a run at the division.

[Roadgeekteen]

Dolphins have fired GM Chris Grier following 9 years as GM. Mike McDaniel will stay on through the season.

[Great Lakes Roads]

Dolphins have fired GM Chris Grier following 9 years as GM. Mike McDaniel will stay on through the season.

I have a feeling that Mike McDaniel will get fired at the end of this season...

[Henry]

Hey, da Bears are 4-3, and hanging on to third in the NFC North! The next three games will be easy, but then lead to a very tough end stretch, with Cleveland the only winnable match, but stranger things have happened before, so I'm on board.

[NWI_Irish96]

Hey, da Bears are 4-3, and hanging on to third in the NFC North! The next three games will be easy, but then lead to a very tough end stretch, with Cleveland the only winnable match, but stranger things have happened before, so I'm on board.

Insane last 2 minutes in Cincy today. Bengals scored a TD, 2-pt conversion, then recovered an onside kick and scored another TD to turn a 14 point deficit into a 1 point lead. Then the Bears countered with a TD to win by 5.

[thspfc]

I have a feeling that Mike McDaniel will get fired at the end of this season...

I have . . .
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=t4QK8RxCAwo

[jmacswimmer]

Hey, da Bears are 4-3, and hanging on to third in the NFC North! The next three games will be easy, but then lead to a very tough end stretch, with Cleveland the only winnable match, but stranger things have happened before, so I'm on board.

Insane last 2 minutes in Cincy today. Bengals scored a TD, 2-pt conversion, then recovered an onside kick and scored another TD to turn a 14 point deficit into a 1 point lead. Then the Bears countered with a TD to win by 5.

Phew...

The game-winner reminded me of the Minneapolis Miracle. Similar to Diggs, Loveland makes the catch on the edge of field-goal range, is surrounded by several defenders that should have tackled him and resulted in very little time left after a spike, but he somehow slips out assisted by defender errors and goes the distance untouched. Only minor nitpick is whether Loveland should have slid down just short of the end zone and allowed the offense to spike and kick a field goal as time expires (and thus eliminate any hail-mary possibility the other way), but I can't fault him if Loveland wasn't sure of the exact time left and/or whether the offense could run down and get set in time.

Shouldn't have even needed that if not for the defense+special teams implosion, but a win is a win and it's nice to see the Bears capable of handling a shootout.

[TheHighwayMan3561]

Only minor nitpick is whether Loveland should have slid down just short of the end zone and allowed the offense to spike and kick a field goal as time expires (and thus eliminate any hail-mary possibility the other way), but I can't fault him if Loveland wasn't sure of the exact time left and/or whether the offense could run down and get set in time.

With the game on the borderline of getting up there and spiking the ball with linemen running 60 yards downfield, I think going into the end zone was unquestionably the right call.

[jmacswimmer]

Only minor nitpick is whether Loveland should have slid down just short of the end zone and allowed the offense to spike and kick a field goal as time expires (and thus eliminate any hail-mary possibility the other way), but I can't fault him if Loveland wasn't sure of the exact time left and/or whether the offense could run down and get set in time.

With the game on the borderline of getting up there and spiking the ball with linemen running 60 yards downfield, I think going into the end zone was unquestionably the right call.

I think so too the more I've watched the replay, but struck me as an interesting end-of-game management hypothetical. I'm sure Loveland couldn't believe his eyes after he bounced off the tackle attempt, turned upfield, and saw no one between him & the endzone (again, much like Diggs).

[NWI_Irish96]

Only minor nitpick is whether Loveland should have slid down just short of the end zone and allowed the offense to spike and kick a field goal as time expires (and thus eliminate any hail-mary possibility the other way), but I can't fault him if Loveland wasn't sure of the exact time left and/or whether the offense could run down and get set in time.

With the game on the borderline of getting up there and spiking the ball with linemen running 60 yards downfield, I think going into the end zone was unquestionably the right call.

Yeah with no time outs left, there are too many things that can go wrong if you try to pull that off. Scoring was 100% the right move.

[webny99]

The game-winner reminded me of the Minneapolis Miracle. Similar to Diggs, Loveland makes the catch on the edge of field-goal range, is surrounded by several defenders that should have tackled him and resulted in very little time left after a spike, but he somehow slips out assisted by defender errors and goes the distance untouched.

The main difference being the stakes.    But it is nice to see the Bears putting up points and winning close games for a change.

[Henry]

The game-winner reminded me of the Minneapolis Miracle. Similar to Diggs, Loveland makes the catch on the edge of field-goal range, is surrounded by several defenders that should have tackled him and resulted in very little time left after a spike, but he somehow slips out assisted by defender errors and goes the distance untouched.

The main difference being the stakes.    But it is nice to see the Bears putting up points and winning close games for a change.

I'm glad that I was proved wrong once again, as I had hoped; Caleb Williams might be better than everybody thinks he ever will be. On the other side of things, it's a shame that Joe Burrow isn't available to lift the Bengals out of their current tailspin; the loss just goes to show how valuable to them he really is.

[mgk920]

Weird, no team in the NFC-North currently has a losing record.  Green Bay, despite their loss Sunday to the Panthers, leads at 5-2-1 and the Vikings are worst at 4-4.

 

Mike

[epzik8]

Sure seems like the Jets are sellers at the trade deadline.

[NWI_Irish96]

Wow, Colts traded 2 first round picks to the Jets for CB Sauce Gardner.

[RZF]

My Chargers picked up a needed left tackle from the Saints in Trevor Penning.

Herbert has proven time and time again that he can overcome a beat up second-string O-line, but that's not a sustainable model for making a deep playoff run or even a Super Bowl. Great deadline move.

[ZLoth]

Breaking this morning:

Dallas Cowboys: Marshawn Kneeland passes away at age 24
ESPN: Cowboys' second-year DE Marshawn Kneeland dies at 24

NFL: Cowboys DL Marshawn Kneeland dies at age of 24
Dallas Morning News (paywall): Dallas Cowboys defensive end Marshawn Kneeland dies at 24

Cause of death has not been disclosed, and is currently under investigation. He last played last Monday against the Arizona Cardnials where he recovered a blocked punt in the end zone and scored his first and only touchdown in his NFL career.


ADDENDUM:

Dallas Morning News: Dallas Cowboys defensive end Marshawn Kneeland dies by suicide after police chase
AP News: Cowboys' Marshawn Kneeland found dead of apparent suicide at 24 after evading officers, police say

[JayhawkCO]

Reports are suicide. Permanent solution to a temporary problem. Very sad.

[epzik8]

I will never again say a bad word about Geno Smith if he beats Bo Nix tonight

[thspfc]

TNF in Denver is a domestic biohazard attack.

https://www.espn.com/nfl/game/_/gameId/401437762/colts-broncos

https://www.espn.com/nfl/recap/_/gameId/401772944

[JayhawkCO]

I cannot wait to bet against the Broncos in the playoffs.

[JayhawkCO]

I cannot wait to bet against the Broncos in the playoffs.

Broncos have beaten:

- The 3-6 Jake Browning led Bengals
- The 2-7 Geno Smith led Raiders by 3 points
- The 3-5 Davis Mills led Texans by 3 points
- The 1-7 Justin Fields led Jets 13-11
- The 2-7 Jaxson Dart led Giants by 1 point
- The 1-8 Cam Ward led Titans by 1 score

[thspfc]

At this point I think the Broncos are one of the most likely teams to lose in the first round and also one of the 5 to 7 most likely teams to win the Super Bowl, but the former is empirically 6 times more likely to occur than the latter.

They are on pace to break the single season sack record, held by the 1984 Bears, in 16 games. When a pass rush takes over the game you can beat anyone anywhere IF your offense is just half decent. I have little confidence in that "if".

[74/171FAN]

I cannot wait to bet against the Broncos in the playoffs.

Broncos have beaten:

- The 3-6 Jake Browning led Bengals
- The 2-7 Geno Smith led Raiders by 3 points
- The 3-5 Davis Mills led Texans by 3 points
- The 1-7 Justin Fields led Jets 13-11
- The 2-7 Jaxson Dart led Giants by 1 point
- The 1-8 Cam Ward led Titans by 1 score

Yet they also beat the Eagles...