The NFL is finally back with training camp kicking off this week, which means the football content will start to come in waves. Let’s start the season with one bold prediction for each NFC team going into the season.
One Bold Prediction for Each NFC Team
Arizona Cardinals: Kyler Murray’s Final Year in Arizona
The Cardinals have been underwhelming since drafting Kyler Murray first overall in 2019. Murray has been good, but given where they drafted him, you expect a little more than just “good”.
With Murray as their starting quarterback, the Cardinals have a 36-45-1 record. He also has a very high cap hit, as he is being paid over $46 million per year.
The lack of results may warrant a change of scenery for Murray and a hard reset at the quarterback position for Arizona in 2026 and beyond.
Atlanta Falcons: Three Pass Catchers Finish With Over 1,000 Yards
The Falcons have used their last few first-round picks to bolster their offense by picking Michael Penix Jr., Bijan Robinson, Drake London, and Kyle Pitts.
Penix will be entering his first full year as a starter and has quite the arsenal at his disposal. The previously mentioned first-round selections, along with Darnell Mooney coming off a great year, should allow for Penix to spread the love around to everyone.
Due to Robinson’s ability to run effectively inside and outside of the tackles, the Falcons’ receivers will be able to capitalize and use the open space to their advantage.
Look out for London, Mooney, and Pitts to all be 1,000-yard threats in 2025.
Carolina Panthers: Bryce Young Has a Better Season than C.J. Stroud
In a nonstop conversation involving the top two picks in the 2023 draft, Bryce Young will continue his upward trajectory and have a better statistical season than C.J. Stroud in 2025.
Young finished 2024 on a positive note and strung together some very solid performances to end the year. He also gets another year in the Dave Canales system and more help on the outside with rookie receiver Tetairoa McMillan.
Stroud won’t be bad by any means, but Young’s supporting cast has improved, while the Texans didn’t do much to improve their receivers and traded away Laremy Tunsil this offseason.
Chicago Bears: Dennis Allen Produces a Top 5 Defense
All the attention for the Bears is connected to new head coach Ben Johnson and quarterback Caleb Williams, but many are forgetting the elite staff Johnson put together.
Defensive coordinator Dennis Allen has head coach experience, which will allow Johnson to delegate most defensive duties to him. There are also quite a few players who fit Allen’s scheme better than the previous one.
With a defense that has only one true superstar in Jaylon Johnson, it will have to be a cohesive effort to reach the “top five” label, but that doesn’t mean it’s impossible. Tyrique Stevenson had a rough 2024, but his skillset is a great match for what Allen asks of his corners.
Pass rushers Montez Sweat and Gervon Dexter Sr. will both benefit from the scheme change and added defensive line talent as well. Grady Jarrett and Dayo Odenigbo should provide some relief from all the extra attention they were getting at the end of 2024.
Look out for the Bears in 2025. They might just be great on both sides of the ball for the first time in a while.
Dallas Cowboys: Jaydon Blue Wins Starting Running Back Job by Thanksgiving
This one may not seem bold, but given the lack of a leader in the running back room, Jaydon Blue has a great chance to earn a bulk of the carries for the Cowboys this year.
Dallas spent a fifth-round pick on Blue in the 2025 draft, and his skillset would work well with the rest of the offense, which includes CeeDee Lamb and George Pickens.
Detroit Lions: Offense Finishes Outside of Top 10
The next year or two for the Lions will be an adjustment as they lost some key components to their success of the last few years.
Ben Johnson leaving for a head coaching job and the surprise retirement of center Frank Ragnow create two holes that will be difficult to fill. Detroit still has plenty of talent to field a better-than-average offense, but it will be less dominant than what Lions fans have become accustomed to.
Green Bay Packers: Worst Record in NFC North
The Packers ended 2024 on a very sour note with the loss to Chicago on their home field, but that isn’t the issue. They finished 1-5 against their division and was a blocked field goal against the Bears in Week 11 away from going 0-6.
With the Lions and Vikings both being incredibly talented and the Bears seemingly on the rise, the Packers didn’t make enough moves to keep pace with the rest of the division and will finish in the basement of the North for the first time since 2005.
Los Angeles Rams: NFC Championship Game Appearance
The Rams made some good moves this offseason, headlined by signing receiver Davante Adams to pair with Puka Nacua. Those two as primary pass catchers and Kyren Williams leading the backfield will allow Matthew Stafford to lead a very good offense in 2025.
Don’t forget that they have one of the best and youngest defensive lines in the entire league that will cause havoc for any offensive line they face. The Rams are a complete team and have the veteran leadership to make a deep playoff run this year.
Minnesota Vikings: Aaron Jones has 1,500 Rushing Yards
When your team is deploying a first-year starter at quarterback, you need to ensure that his supporting cast can pick him up during his bad games.
Aaron Jones had a very strong 2024 season with over 1,100 rushing yards, but that was with Sam Darnold slinging the rock like an MVP candidate for a majority of the year. With a quarterback like J.J. McCarthy at the helm, you don’t exactly know what you’re going to get.
Expect Kevin O’Connell to lean heavily on the run game early in the year while McCarthy gets his legs under him.
New Orleans Saints: Do Not Have the Worst Record in the League
Every year, there’s a team that exceeds expectations and a team that vastly underperforms. The Saints will be neither of those teams, but it will allow them not to be the worst team in the league.
It may be a combination of Tyler Shough being “good enough” and their defense being above average to keep them out of the last-place spot, but they will not be the worst team in the league next year.
New York Giants: Malik Nabers Wins Offensive Player of the Year
Malik Nabers finished 2024 with over 1,200 receiving yards and missed out on a ton of yards due to poor quarterback play. Russell Wilson may not be a superstar anymore, but he’s a major improvement over what Nabers had last year.
Nabers will be dominant on all three levels in the pass game and will benefit greatly from Wilson’s ability to throw the deep ball well.
Philadelphia Eagles: Don’t Win NFC East
The Eagles were the last team standing last year after they won the Super Bowl, but they may be in for a rude awakening. The Cowboys are healthy and added a receiver, and the Commanders have one of the best young quarterbacks in the league.
The NFC East won’t be as open as last year for the defending champs.
San Francisco 49ers: Shanahan Gets Fired
Kyle Shanahan has been with the 49ers for quite some time and has put together some great seasons for them. However, all the departing talent will catch up to him, and the 49ers will finish with an under-.500 records in 2025, and Shanahan will have to find a new home.
Seattle Seahawks: Bottom Three Teams in NFL
Seattle moved off quarterback Geno Smith this offseason and looks to ride the resurgence of Sam Darnold for the foreseeable future. However, they just don’t have the supporting cast to do so.
They traded star receiver D.K. Metcalf to Pittsburgh and attempted to replace him with Cooper Kupp. Both Kupp and Jaxon Smith-Njigba played similar roles in separate offenses in years past, so the fit may not be what the Seahawks hope. Their offensive line is also ranked 30th according to PFF.
The Seahawks will underperform next year, and we will likely see the Sam Darnold we saw in the first few years of his career.
Washington Commanders: Jayden Daniels Wins MVP
Last but certainly not least, the Commanders will continue their surge to the top of the NFL as their second-year superstar quarterback wins the Most Valuable Player award.
The Commanders added Deebo Samuel and Laremy Tunsil to aid Jayden Daniels while his contract is cheap. Daniels took the league by storm in 2024 and will continue his dominance into the 2025 season and beyond.
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