Analytics expert Cynthia Frelund took data from the past 12 NFL campaigns to create historical references for personnel, schemes and matchups, identifying factors that are proven to lead to wins (or losses). She vetted the correlations with a bunch of real football people (e.g., coaches) and had her math checked out by real math people (e.g., PhDs) to make sure the model reflected reality as much as possible. Then she compared this year’s personnel, schemes and matchups -- with the vetted mathematical weightings -- and simulated the season to produce a ceiling, floor and projected win total for all 32 teams. The ceiling-to-floor range is something to focus on -- a big discrepancy means the team is projected to play in more close games.
The Bengals open up the 2025 campaign in Cleveland against the Browns.
The Bengals’ senior man could very well suddenly be Mike Pennel, the massive former Chiefs nose tackle who logged six tackles in the last Super Bowl they won.
The Cincinnati Bengals won’t have to deal with referee Ron Torbert two years in a row in Cleveland.
CINCINNATI — Cincinnati beefed up its defensive tackle depth this week by adding former Chiefs option Mike Pennel. The veteran has played 11 NFL seasons with various teams and is coming off a 2024 season with 25 tackles and three sacks.
The Micah Parsons trade was probably the biggest preseason shakeup since the Bears pulled off a stunning deal to land pass rusher Khalil Mack nearly seven years ago to the day.
Week 1 of NFL play will not include a Friday game next season, the league said Tuesday.
The 2025 NFL regular season kicks off on Thursday, with the defending Super Bowl champion Philadelphia Eagles (-8.5) hosting the Dallas Cowboys in the 2025 NFL Kickoff Game. Week 1 spans Thursday through Monday, highlighted by a Friday international matchup in São Paulo between the Kansas City Chiefs (-3) and Los Angeles Chargers, and a Sunday Night Football showdown featuring the Baltimore Ravens against the Buffalo Bills (-1.5). The opening weekend also features heavyweight matchups like the Lions (-2.5) vs. Packers and 49ers (-2.5) vs. Seahawks.
The NFL became the world’s most valuable league by figuring out how to never fully cede the stage to the rest of the sports world. This week, games that count return — but it’s also true that since Philadelphia dethroned Kansas City in the Super Bowl in February, the intrigue into the NFL never truly went away.
There will be people who watch Bill Belichick at the University of North Carolina and just see someone coaching a college football team at a basketball school. Belichick? I remember that name. He was good in the NFL, right? Coached Tom Brady or something like that? Why is he coaching a college team again?