The 2024-2025 NFL season was one of the most entertaining and competitive campaigns in recent memory. Though the Super Bowl on Feb. 9 is highly anticipated to be a thriller, this season has already stamped its name in the history books.
Every team that made the playoffs won at least 10 games, and there were only two teams that missed the playoffs and finished with a winning percentage above .500. The Seattle Seahawks won 10 games but lost the division to the 10-win Los Angeles Rams due to strength of victory. The Cincinnati Bengals finished 9-8 and only missed the playoffs due to a poor start that stemmed from an atrocious scoring defense.
Foundation of Youth:
Beginning with the rookies, this year’s draft class was historically one of the most successful. For the second consecutive season, the gem of the draft was the second-overall pick. Additionally, for the first time in NFL history, four rookies all had over 1,000 receiving yards in the same season.
In 2023, after the Carolina Panthers selected Bryce Young first overall, the Houston Texans drafted Ohio State quarterback C.J. Stroud. Though Ohio State has recently struggled at producing league-ready talent at the quarterback position, Stroud turned a three-win Houston team into a contender in his rookie season.
In 2024, to nobody’s surprise, generational talent Caleb Williams was selected first overall by the Chicago Bears. With receivers such as DJ Moore, Keenan Allen and Rome Odunze, Williams was a preseason favorite for Offensive Rookie of the Year. Williams had a strong rookie season, totaling over 4,000 all-purpose yards and throwing 20 touchdowns with only six interceptions.
However, the rookie quarterback who established himself as the most dominant at his position in the NFC was Heisman-winner Jayden Daniels, who the Commanders took second overall. Daniels led a Commanders team that had not been past the divisional round since 1991 to a 12-5 record and the NFC Championship game.
Of all the NFC playoff teams, Daniels has arguably been the most valuable player to his team, maybe second to Justin Jefferson. Through the regular and postseason, Daniels accumulated 5,416 all-purpose yards and 38 touchdowns, turning a bottom-of-the-barrel offense into a top five scoring offense in the NFL.
Malik Nabers had an extremely impressive campaign for the New York Giants, accumulating 109 catches for 1,204 yards and seven touchdowns. Doing all this on a Giants offense that lacked a capable starting quarterback established Nabers as a top 10 wide receiver. It is unfair to Nabers, but he really has no chance to win this award given the success of the Commanders. Daniels is my pick for OROY in the NFC.
The decision for OROY in the AFC was much more difficult, primarily because these awards are designed to go to quarterbacks, and Bo Nix would have been the obvious choice for the award in almost any other season. However, there are also three 1,000-yard receivers, who drew attention for their rookie campaigns, to consider for the award.
Nix finished his rookie campaign with over 4,200 all-purpose yards and 33 touchdowns in the regular season. More impressively, he led a mediocre Denver Broncos team, who had no success under Russell Wilson, to the postseason for the first time since Super Bowl 50.
Brian Thomas Jr. and Ladd McConkey both thrived in thin receiving rooms, hauling in a significant amount of yards and touchdowns for offenses that struggled to find consistency anywhere else. If the voting were between Nix and these two wideouts, I would lean towards Nix, but to me, the most impressive pass-catching prodigy is Brock Bowers, and it is not particularly close.
Though the Las Vegas Raiders had more holes to fill on offense than most other teams entering the season, they chose to go with the promising tight end prospect rather than throwing a rookie signal-caller straight into the fire. Though the season was a failure for the Raiders, who need a new quarterback more desperately than any other team, Bowers exceeded expectations.
As soon as he stepped foot on an NFL field, Bowers was already an elite route-runner, and he also established himself as an above-average run-blocking tight end. The Raiders had three temporary starting quarterbacks throughout the year and were one of the worst red zone offenses in the league. Despite all this, Bowers had 112 catches for 1,194 yards, both easily breaking the all-time mark among rookie tight ends.
Nix was the perfect fit that the Broncos needed to become competitive again and displays the talent to be a starting quarterback in the league for a long time. Conversely, though he only scored five touchdowns, no rookie was more valuable to their team in 2024 than Brock Bowers, which is why he gets my vote for OROY in the AFC.
For Defensive Rookie of the Year, Jared Verse and Quinyon Mitchell are the two reasonable choices in the NFC, while Laiatu Latu is the clear favorite in the AFC.
Expect the Unexpected:
Though the Chiefs and Eagles were in no world sleeper picks for the 2025 Super Bowl, the season has been filled with surprises.
Starting with the underwhelming performance of the 49ers, there are a number of teams who finished significantly better or worse than I anticipated prior to the season. The 49ers’ lack of success can be attributed to the absence of Christian McCaffrey, whose future in the NFL remains uncertain. However, they also struggled on the defensive side of the ball more so than in recent years and did not see the production they expected from Deebo Samuel and Brandon Aiyuk.
Another team I thought displayed promise that played below expectations is the New York Jets. When the Jets acquired Rodgers in 2023, I never anticipated a scenario where Rodgers would become the problem. However, the team gave Rodgers too much of a say in the team’s decision-making, which led to a disastrous 2024 season for the best five-win roster I have ever seen.
The Jacksonville Jaguars are another team that has some talent but is nowhere near where they need to be if they want to return to the playoffs. The AFC South is a weak division, and the Jaguars could compete for division titles every season if they capitalized on their opportunities. The problem for Jacksonville this season was the lack of leadership and consistency from Trevor Lawrence.
Lawrence entered the league as one of the most touted prospects of this generation and led the Jaguars to a 27-0 postseason comeback against the Chargers in 2022. The potential is clearly there, but Lawrence needs to quickly establish a winning culture if the Jaguars want to redirect the current trajectory of the franchise.
Perhaps the most surprising team this year was the Minnesota Vikings. After first-round quarterback JJ McCarthy was ruled out for his rookie season, the expectations for the Vikings were not high. With veteran Sam Darnold at the helm, the Vikings put together one of the most impressive seasons of all time, winning 14 games without a plethora of star power. Darnold completely revived his career and kept the Vikings in the top three in wins all season.
Speaking of obscurities, this year’s Bengals team was quite an anomaly. Ja’Marr Chase became the fifth player since 1966 to lead the NFL in receiving yards, receiving touchdowns and receptions. Joe Burrow also led the NFL in completions, passing yards and passing touchdowns. Despite the dominance of the Bengals offense, the defensive woes of Zac Taylor’s squad prevented them from making the playoffs.
After losing Stefon Diggs, my expectations for the Bills entering this season were not necessarily championship contention. Josh Allen has proven repeatedly that no matter what roster is around him, he is going to thrive and consistently be the best player on the field.
When the Bills needed Allen to carry them back to offensive stability, he posted the best numbers of his career and led the Bills to 15 total wins. He may have acquired fewer yards and touchdowns than Lamar Jackson, but in my opinion, if one considers the meaning of the Most Valuable Player award, Allen is the most deserving of the award.
Playoff Rundown:
Beginning with the AFC, Wild Card Weekend kicked off with the Texans utterly embarrassing the Los Angeles Chargers in a game that made many question Justin Herbert’s ability to perform in big games. The Texans battled with injuries throughout the regular season but had no problem winning in dominant fashion on opening weekend for the second consecutive season.
Though the Texans did not have enough firepower to get through the Chiefs in the divisional round, the future is extremely promising in Houston. After winning a duel against Herbert, who many considered to be a top five quarterback prior to his second postseason meltdown, Stroud has now won a playoff game in dominant fashion in each of his first two seasons.
The Chargers also have brighter days ahead of them, as this was a rebuilding year and yet another successful franchise turnaround for Jim Harbaugh. If they give Herbert more targets alongside McConkey, the Chargers have the potential to be contenders in the coming years.
As expected, the Bills had no trouble taking care of the Broncos, who were shut out after scoring a touchdown on the game’s opening drive. The Broncos exceeded all expectations this year and are in a good position moving into Sean Payton’s third season as the head coach.
As I have said all season long, the Steelers were never a legitimate contender, and that showed as the offense picked up only 11 first downs in the Wild Card showdown with the Ravens. Derrick Henry was uncontainable in this game, rushing for 186 yards and two scores.
The Ravens and Bills faced off in the Divisional Round in a game that featured the AFC’s two best offenses. The game was extremely physical and both quarterbacks, who are the only two worthy MVP contenders, showed up when it mattered. Buffalo’s defense was the X-factor in this game, and the Bills claimed the victory after a failed two-point conversion attempt on a dropped pass from Mark Andrews.
Though the Bills proved to be the more capable team than the Chiefs on numerous occasions this season, Kansas City always finds a way to win when it matters most. The Chiefs have received much criticism this season due to several controversial calls going in their favor at critical moments in the game. While I agree with this to an extent, it is hard to deny the powerhouse that Andy Reid has developed.
For the fourth time since 2020, Josh Allen did everything he could to will the Bills to the postseason victory over the Chiefs, but Patrick Mahomes still remains unbeaten in this playoff rivalry. For all the raw talent that Allen brings to the table, Mahomes’ ability to win takes precedence.
In the NFC, the Commanders ended Baker Mayfield’s magical season, with a 37-yard Zane Gonzalez field goal as time expired. At this point, the Commanders were riding a wave that began when they upset the Eagles in Week 16. They rode that wave into Detroit and scored 45 points, slaying the dragon of the NFC, Dan Campbell’s Lions.
Prior to the postseason, I anticipated the Green Bay Packers to perform better than expected and potentially upset the Eagles. However, the Eagles’ defense allowed just three points through three quarters and easily advanced to the second round.
The Rams exposed the Vikings’ lack of playoff experience, recording nine sacks and dominating a 14-win team. While I do not personally think that Sam Darnold is the answer in Minnesota, the Vikings offense is in good hands as long as Kevin O’Connell is the head coach. Despite having an under-the-radar season, this game reminded the league just how dangerous the Rams can be when everything is going well.
The Rams continued this high level of performance into their divisional round game against the Eagles but were unable to take down Saquon and company despite sacking Jalen Hurts seven times. Barkley ran for 205 yards and two touchdowns.
For all the entertainment that the NFC divisional round provided, the NFC Championship game was a dud. The Eagles dominated every aspect of the game and ran away with the lead in the final quarter. Barkley ran for 118 yards and three scores on just 15 carries.
The Eagles have steamrolled through the playoffs in the NFC and are now the only team standing between Kansas City and a third consecutive Lombardi trophy. These two teams met in the Super Bowl just two seasons ago, with the Chiefs winning 38-35 after a controversial holding call on Chauncey Gardner-Johnson.
This Eagles team has more depth than in 2023, specifically in the secondary after drafting Mitchell and Cooper DeJean. The offensive core remains almost the same, aside from Jason Kelce being replaced by Cam Jurgens.
The primary difference between this Eagles team and the one the Chiefs faced in 2023 is the replacement of Miles Sanders with Barkley, who has had one of, if not the best seasons of all time for a running back. Brandon Graham and Jalen Carter have been a stifling force on the defensive line and Philadelphia is better equipped to take on the Chiefs than any other team.
From an objective perspective, the Eagles seem like the easy choice for this game because their roster is significantly stronger than the Chiefs roster. However, there has never been a player who rose to the occasion more in their first seven years than Patrick Mahomes. The level of play that he elevates to when the playoffs roll around has started a dynasty in Kansas City.
Steve Spagnuolo has the defense playing at a higher level than ever before, and Mahomes is currently connecting very well with Travis Kelce and Xavier Worthy. The Eagles offense will be very hard to stop, but with the right game plan, I think the Chiefs will win 30-27 to secure the first three-peat in NFL history.
Liam Bradford can be reached at Arg-sports@uidaho.edu
Jennifer Geesman
Great ( and thorough) article!!!