After the NFL schedule is released, the fans are in a frenzy trying to analyze their team and how it will match up against their opponents. With this frenzy comes a lot of predictions, and a lot of teams crowned Super Bowl winners in June, and nothing gets fans fired up more than hearing that 2025 is their year and their team has a chance to take the league by storm. Nothing gets the blood flowing like a close race to win the division, and in this set of predictions, we have close races and even a division that comes down to a divisional record tie-breaker.
AFC EAST:
The AFC East has been a proven stomping ground for the Juggernaut Buffalo Bills, and in 2025, I don’t think that changes, and the Bills are going to win this division easily with a 13-4 record. I have all three of the New York Jets, Miami Dolphins, and New England Patriots with losing records, making this division well in hand by Week 15 of the regular season. Josh Allen is in line to have another great year with Khalil Shakir being a target monster in the middle of the field, and another offseason for second-year WR Keon Coleman to make a leap and become a formidable WR in the NFL. Bills Fans are more than happy to host a home playoff game in Highmark Stadium, and it will prove to be a tough match for whatever Wildcard team draws Buffalo’s straw.
AFC NORTH:
The AFC North is once again a blood bath of a division and will forever be a tight prediction race. This division was tight down to the wire with the Cincinnati Bengals, Baltimore Ravens, and Pittsburgh Steelers all within one game of one another. However, we will start with the Ravens, even with the additions of Malaki Starks and Jaire Alexander, I see the Ravens taking a step back and finishing 10-7. The Steelers are once again backing their way into the playoffs with a 10-7 record, but a solid record in the division. Mike Tomlin will always win at least 9 games, and I think the addition of Aaron Rodgers adds some, but not enough. Surprisingly, the hard-hitting AFC NORTH will be won by Joe Burrow and Chase Brown. The firepower that this offense has is ridiculous, and I do not believe most people will be able to keep up with the Bengals, no matter how porous their defense may be in 2025.
AFC SOUTH:
In 2024, the AFC South was run unanimously by the Houston Texans, and truly, I don’t see this changing as this division has the Indianapolis Colts, Tennessee Titans, and Jacksonville Jaguars all struggling to keep their head above water. The Colts pose the most threat, but even that is laughable. Daniel Jones is in line to start, and this doesn’t leave a lot to be desired. Cam Ward and the Titans are still far away, in my opinion, and paying big money to Dan Moore Jr. isn’t the most inspiring signing if I was expecting my future quarterback to have a clean blindside. On the other hand, Trevor Lawrence is preparing for a make-or-break year, as a proven QB whisperer, Liam Coen, comes into town. If this doesn’t work, there is no telling what the future is for the now Jaguars QB. Houston will be drooling at the chance to host another home playoff game, and it is all but locked up, and we haven’t played a single game yet.
AFC WEST:
The AFC West is another tight three-horse race between the Kansas City Chiefs, Los Angeles Chargers, and Denver Broncos, with the Chiefs taking the division by two games over both the Chargers and Broncos. The Las Vegas Raiders will be better, but their division will prove to be too much for their roster. However, I do see the Raiders playing spoiler late in the season to a team that may be looking at a win-and-in situation. Patrick Mahomes will have a better season in 2025, but Bo Nix and the Broncos may give this division all it can handle. I would not be surprised if Jim Harbaugh gets the Chargers back in the playoffs as a wild-card team. All-in-all, this division is loaded and will be entertaining to watch in 2025.
AFC Record Predictions:
Cleveland Browns: 3-14
Jacksonville Jaguars: 4-13
Tennessee Titans: 4-13
Miami Dolphins: 6-11
Las Vegas Raiders: 6-11
Indianapolis Colts: 6-11
New York Jets: 7-10
New England Patriots: 7-10
Denver Broncos: 10-7
Pittsburgh Steelers: 10-7
Los Angeles Chargers: 10-7
Baltimore Ravens: 10-7
Houston Texans: 10-7
Cincinnati Bengals: 11-6
Kansas City Chiefs: 12-5
Buffalo Bills: 13-4
The AFC is proving again in 2025 to be very top-heavy and bottom-heavy, as all teams have either double-digit losses or wins. The wild card does seem to be a tight race, as four teams are fighting for three spots in this set of predictions. The Broncos ended up missing the playoffs as the eighth seed due to their division record and the rest of their schedule having many teams not to take lightly. The Steelers once again made the playoffs through a tie-breaker, just to promptly get sent home in the wild-card playoff matchup. Bills secure the one seed, and the playoffs go through Buffalo until they are usurped as the top remaining seed. Could this be the year that the Buffalo Bills finally have all they need to leave the 2025-2026 season as world champions?
