The 2025 NFL Division Races Are Nuts!

This might be the messiest division in all of football right now. The Baltimore Ravens lead the division at 6-6. The Pittsburgh Steelers are second with the same record, and the Cincinnati Bengals are third with a 4-8 record.

Every team in the North has a negative point differential. Each team also has major flaws. Right now, Lamar Jackson and the Ravens offense are broken as he has not thrown a touchdown pass in three straight games.

The Steelers are proving to be an average team. Aaron Rodgers is showing his age with a plethora of injuries, and the defense has been a letdown from the get-go. It might be time for Mike Tomlin and Pittsburgh to part ways.

The Bengals are at 4-8 and oddly might be the most optimistic. Joe Burrow is back from his turf toe injury and looked solid on Thanksgiving. They are only two games back of first place. Their biggest flaw, as we all know, is the horrid defense.

It’s a three-team race in this division, and it has been historically viewed as one of the best. This year, however, the three-team race is a product of poor play across the AFC North.

I predict that Baltimore will get it together and win it at 9-8 with Cincinnati right behind them. Pittsburgh is in free-fall mode and will finish third.

AFC South

For much of the year, it looked like the Indianapolis Colts had this division on lockdown. Not so fast, because if you look up the standings, the Jacksonville Jaguars are atop the standings at 8-4. The Colts’ two straight losses have brought them back to the mix.

The Houston Texans have made a major resurgence after a slow start. Since starting 3-5, the Texans have rattled off four straight to go to 7-5 and are getting hot at the right time. The Jaguars haven’t played pretty football, but continue to win.

Indianapolis, on the other hand, is trending the wrong way. They have lost three of their last four games, and opposing teams have sold out to stop Jonathan Taylor. That has resulted in Daniel Jones needing to save the day, and he hasn’t gotten the job done.

Jones hasn’t been bad, but hasn’t been great either. The limitations are evident. This is another three-way division race that could come down to the final week.

My prediction is that Houston stays hot with that incredible defense and takes the division. CJ Stroud will find his footing once again and get that offense to pull its weight. The Jaguars will finish right behind them, and the Colts will miss the playoffs.

It seems unfathomable now, but trends matter especially this time of year.

NFC North

This division has not gone the way anyone thought it would. The Chicago Bears lead it at 9-3 and are the first seed in the NFC. The Green Bay Packers are 8-3-1 in second, while the Detroit Lions are in third at 7-5.

We have to give the Bears credit. They have won close games all year long and just beat the defending Super Bowl Champs. Ben Johnson has come in there and done a great job changing the culture.

Green Bay is starting to play good football at the right time. Jordan Love has looked good in his last two games, and the defense was helacious against Detroit. That is a Super Bowl-caliber defense, and it is up to that offense not to squander it.

The Lions, on the other hand, have had an underwhelming season. It looked like they were going to pick up right where they left off early into the eh year, but have sputtered against good competition. They have lost to the Kansas City Chiefs, Philadelphia Eagles, and Packers.

In every litmus test game, Detroit has failed. They have another one this week against a red-hot Dallas Cowboys team. This division is still up for grabs.

I predict the Packers to overtake the Bears by the end of the year. Chicago will finish second, and the Lions will miss the postseason and address some things on the defensive side of the football in the offseason.

NFC West

This is the best division in football. It featured three nine-win teams. As a result, the seventh seed in the NFC is a team with nine wins.

The Los Angeles Rams, Seattle Seahawks, and San Francisco 49ers are 9-3, 9-3, and 9-4, respectively. The division race is air-tight, and the Rams are losing on Sunday to the Carolina Panthers opened things up a little bit more.

The Rams have had a dominant season. Matthew Stafford is having his best season as a pro, and the defense leads in points per game allowed.

The Seahawks have had a quietly great season. Sam Darnold has been terrific, and that defense has been suffocating, especially on the road.

The biggest surprise is the 49ers. They have had to deal with so many injuries on both sides of the ball. They lost Fred Warner and Nick Bosa for the season.

Brock Purdy and George Kittle missed a lot of time, and San Francisco is still 9-4. That’s a testament to the coaching staff and how incredible they have been. My prediction for this division may not be as juicy as the others.

I believe the results will remain the same. The Rams at first, Seattle right behind, and the 49ers in third. San Francisco will most likely finish the seventh seed, especially if Detroit loses to Dallas on Thursday.

I could be very wrong, though.

End Of My Divisions Rant

Those four divisions have a proper three-team race, but every division has a cool story to it.

The New England Patriots and Denver Broncos have a chance to break division-winning streaks in their respective divisions.

The NFC South and NFC East are more interesting than they should be. The Panthers are a half-game behind the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. That division is far from a lock, which is what it looked like a few weeks ago.

The craziest question I have is, could Dallas catch Philly? The Eagles have lost two straight, and the Cwoboys have won two straight. It was 8-2 vs 4-5-1, which seemed impossible.

Now it’s 8-4 and 6-5-1. Dallas looks unstoppable because the defense is starting to complement the high-powered offense. Philadelphia hasn’t looked great all year, and now they have a few losses. Could they implode?

It’s something to think about.