Superbowl Winner:
Detroit Lions (Nathan)
With one of the most complete rosters in the league, and key players returning from injury – the Detroit Lions have a real shot at winning their first Super Bowl in 2025. Despite losing both their offensive and defensive coordinators from last season, a solid draft and key defensive players returning from injury means that they’ll be right back at the top in 2025 and I envision them having real success in 2025.
Baltimore Ravens (Cónor)
The Ravens are perhaps the strongest team in the NFL to not make the Superbowl in recent years. They have the strongest roster in the league outside of Philadelphia, with a perennial MVP candidate at Quarterback. Their only issue is that once the playoffs begin their regular season performance levels disappear. Surely that can’t last forever.
MVP:
Lamar Jackson (Nathan)
Ahead of the 2025 season, the Baltimore Ravens look to have the best all-round team in the AFC, and the star of the show (as he has been for last six seasons) is Lamar Jackson. His ever-present threat never ceases to dwindle, and this really feels like it could be the Ravens’ year.
Lamar’s speed and passing ability make him so hard to defend, and in this well-rounded squad on both offense and defense – there is a real chance that Jackson will lead his team to glory.
Jalen Hurts (Cónor)
The Eagles are on top of the world as defending Superbowl champions, but there is still bitterness that their Quarterback, Jalen Hurts, is not considered amongst the elite. With the Championship secured they now have the freedom to scheme the game plan a little to accentuate his stats and put him in contendtion for the league's biggest individual prize.
Their defence will likely be a bit worse, and Saquon Barkley won’t have as many carries. This means Hurts will need to air it out more and I’m sure Philly would love nothing more than to prove more people wrong.
OPOY:
Derrick Henry (Nathan)
Some people fear that Derrick Henry is over the hill, but not me. That man is as frightening as ever in an even better Ravens team than in previous seasons. Henry’s presence is doubly scary when you also have Lamar Jackson’s rushing ability to contend with. Since 2021, he has been slowly improving – getting ever closer to the stats he obtained in 2020 – the year in which he won the Offensive Player of the Year award.
Puka Nacua (Cónor)
When healthy, Nacua is as involved as any skill position player in the league. He became the focal point of the Rams offence last season upon his return to injury and Matthew Stafford peppered him with targets. The signing of Davante Adams may eat into his target share but it should make for a more explosive offence overall. In this offence, Nacua has as good a shot as any other wide receiver for the triple crown.
Defensive Player of the Year
Aidan Hutchinson (Nathan)
After his 2024 season got cut short thanks to injury – the league breathed a sigh of relief knowing they weren’t going to face him. However, now he’s back, and I don’t see anything stopping him in 2025. And the stats don’t lie – before his injury in week 6, he led the league in sacks with a whopping 7.5, only four off what he managed to achieve in 2023.
It’s clear as day that he is a defensive machine and one of the best in the league – so with a healthy season in a Lions team I have already predicted to do very well – the other 31 teams better watch out.
Aidan Hutchinson (Cónor)
Hutchinson was on a tear last season and was looking to be the runaway winner for the award until an unfortunate leg break in week 6. Even several weeks after his injury he was still placed in the top five in both sacks and pressures. While a return from an injury can be unpredictable, reports from camp indicate he’s back to his disruptive best, with the Detroit Lions having to implement ‘the Hutch rule’ so he doesn’t ruin practice.
Offensive Rookie of the Year
Emeka Egbuka (Nathan)
With Chris Godwin’s history of injuries, 19 th pick Emeka Egbuka could take the WR2 spot from him permanently for the Buccaneers. His great hands, size and footballing IQ make him one of the most NFL-ready players of the 2025 draft class.
Egbuka has already demonstrated in training camp and preseason that he’s ready to step into a role historically rich with production, and he now has the added advantage of llining up alongside future Hall of Famer Mike Evans. Whilst competition for this award will no doubt be fierce – watch out for Egbuka come the end of the season and beyond.
Omarion Hampton (Cónor)
The Los Angeles Chargers invested heavy draft capital by taking Hampton in the first round, so expected him to be utilised a lot early. The status of veteran running back, Najee Harris, is still unclear, so Hampton may be taking on a larger load than expected. The North Carolina product is on a strong team with a run first emphasis, so don’t be surprised if he looked more impressive than Ashton Jeanty after their rookie seasons.
Defensive Rookie of the Year
Malakai Starks (Nathan)
When it happened, this felt like the perfect pick for both the Baltimore Ravens and Malaki Starks. Whilst a safety hasn’t won the award since 1990 – Starks versatility to play corner too will enhance both his production and his chance of securing the award.
Starks is a rangy ballhawk who also possesses insane tackling range, football IQ and instincts. So, in a Ravens team touted to do very well in 2025 – Starks could be the final piece of the puzzle for the team to win the Super Bowl which has eluded them in recent years.
Abdul Carter (Cónor)
Abdul Carter has all the makings to be the next great pass rusher in the NFL. Physically dominant, productive in college and going to a situation where he can shine. The New York Giants defensive line was already a strength, now they have a potential superstar on the edge who should immediately produce.
Coach of the Year:
Ben Johnson (Nathan)
What the Bears have managed to do both in free agency and in the draft is nothing short of exceptional, and the spearhead of it all is brand new head coach Ben Johnson. The former Lions OC has transformed the Bears offense into a genuine threat to the rest of the NFC and after a disappointing 5-12 season in 2024, they could easily end up as a 9- or 10-win team – earning Johnson the coveted Coach of the Year award.
Liam Cohen (Cónor)
First year head coaches have an advantage over their peers when it comes to winning this reward. If Cohen takes the Jaguars to the playoffs and redeems the reputation of Trevor Lawrence then he should be the favourite. Other rookie head coaches such as Ben Johnson will be in the running for this award, but the Jaguars will have a better chance of reaching the playoffs compared to the Bears.
Comeback Player of the Year:
Daniel Jones (Nathan)
Daniel Jones and the Colts have shown promise in preseason, and it seems Jones has already struck up a good partnership with receivers Pittman Jr and Downs and now has rookie tight end Tyler Warren as an excellent weapon and checkdown option.
Plus, unlike in New York with the Giants last season, Jones will have a good rushing attack to fall back on. Now he has earned the starting job on a new team with new coaches, new teammates and a new fan base – this could be the start of something for Daniel Jones.
Aidan Hutchinson (Cónor)
All Hutchinson has to do to win this award is to play at this level of his first two seasons. He doesn’t even have to return to the level he was at the beginning of last year to win this award, just play at an acceptable level. That, combined with the severity of his injury, along with the monster contract he’s likely to receive soon, will be enough to give him the award.
Surprise Playoff Team:
Indianapolis Colts (Nathan)
In my heart of hearts do I really believe that the Indianapolis Colts will make the playoffs? It certainly looks unlikely. But do I believe that they will surpass expectations and have a chance to sneak into a wildcard spot? Absolutely.
They drafted well - adding weapons around starting QB Daniel Jones and solidified the depth chart – and already have some hugely talented players in the locker room such as Jonathan Taylor, Michael Pittman Jr and Kenny Moore. In the AFC’s weakest division, a 9-8 Colts team have the chance to raise more than a few eyebrows in 2025 and make a playoff appearance for the first time since the 2020 season.
Arizona Cardinals (Cónor)
It sounds inexplicable looking back, but going into their week 10 BYE last season, the Arizona Cardinals were 6-4. They were leading their division. After the BYE it was a different story as they only won two of their last seven games, but they’re not as far off as they seem.
Jonathan Gannon is a better coach than he’s given credit for. Kyler Murray has shown that he is capable of being much better than he has been in recent years. This team will be competing for a wild card come December.
Surprise Playoff Miss:
San Francisco 49ers (Nathan)
I am predicting that each of the seven NFC teams that made the playoffs in 2024 do the same this year – so choosing a shock team to miss out was a challenge. However, the odds for the 49ers to return there this season are shockingly high. Aside from Christian McCaffrey, George Kittle, Brock Purdy and Trent Williams, the offense is lacking and they’re relying on a lot of unproven talent.
On defense, Fred Warner is the standout, but they lost players in key positions to free agency which they have failed to adequately replace. While it may not surprise some fans if the 49ers miss the playoffs in 2025, the fact that analysts, reporters, and oddsmakers are so bullish on them is precisely why I included San Francisco as a shock team to fall short.
Washington Commanders (Cónor)
This could be sacrilegious considering the Commanders just made the NFC Championship game, but they did so clutching a four leaf clover. Despite some notable additions to the team, their overall squad is still below the true elite of the league. Jayden Daniels had the best season of any rookie QB that we’ve seen last year, but to expect him to repeat it would be putting too much pressure on him.