We are now almost halfway through the 2025 NFL regular season and some of the preseason predictions by experts and fans alike have already begun to look a little stupid. Most of the big names are still in contention, but a slow start by almost every recognized contender has meant football fans are enjoying one of the most open campaigns in recent history.
If you wanted to have a bet on the Super Bowl before the season started, most would have gone for a repeat title for the Eagles. Others may have thought that it was finally the year that the Bills would be able to go all the way. Both those teams are still in contention, but neither has been able to dominate games and only find themselves in a group of seven or eight teams that can still realistically dream of Super Bowl glory.
The NFL prides itself on its parity, of course. One of the great things about pro football is that there are relatively few dynasties, and most teams have the chance of winning a championship every now and then. As we get nearer to the second half of the 2025 season, here are the teams looking more likely to be sizing up for Super Bowl rings next February.
Kansas City Chiefs
After starting 0-2 and losing, once again, to the Eagles – this time at Arrowhead Stadium – the eulogies for the Chiefs were being prepared. The dynasty was finally over and there was to be no comeback from missing out on a three-peat last year. Fast forward a few weeks and, suddenly, the Chiefs are right back in the mix.
Four wins in five weeks of football have completely changed the outlook for Kansas City, and the victory over the Lions in week six helped sow the seeds of a Super Bowl run for this team. There are still questions over its ability to dominate in quite the same way as it did a couple of years ago, but there are still the likes of Mahomes and Kelce to rely on, so the Chiefs are definitely part of the conversation now.
Buffalo Bills
When the Chiefs lost those first two games of the season, all eyes immediately switched to the Bills. As the Ravens continued to fall away – and lose Lamar Jackson to injury – many pundits were already calling the AFC for Buffalo and proclaiming that the time had finally come for Josh Allen to lead Buffalo to a Super Bowl win.
As with some of the other top sides in the league, the last few weeks have been a difficult time, however, and now Buffalo needs to come out of its bye week with a renewed sense of purpose. Two consecutive losses, against the Falcons and at home against divisional rival New England, have raised questions about the strength of the Bills. Games against the Chiefs and the Bucs at home over the next month may tell us a lot about how well the Bills will do this year.
Green Bay Packers
If the Bills were to take the AFC, then it was expected that the Eagles would continue their domination of the NFC. But performances were far from convincing in the opening weeks, and two losses – one against the New York Giants – started getting everyone thinking that maybe this team was not as powerful as they thought it was.
That has left the door open for some of the other teams in the conference to stake a claim, and the NFC North is probably one of the toughest divisions in the entire league. Green Bay leads the way, even though a tie with the Cowboys a week after a loss to the Browns has raised a few eyebrows. The Packers will soon get a chance to test themselves against the Eagles at Lambeau Field, and then join in on the divisional game schedule pile-up towards the end of the season. This is a team that is still in with a chance.
Detroit Lions
Everyone expected the Packers to be better this year, but there was still a general consensus that the Lions would win the NFC North again. Things have not gone exactly to plan for Detroit, however, and the opening day loss to Green Bay was the first sign that 2025 would not be as straightforward as it had hoped.
Meeting a resurgent Chiefs at Arrowhead was probably an example of unfortunate timing, and now the Lions host the Bucs before their bye week. There is every chance that Detroit could be 5-3 going into week ten, but with such a battle for this division, some good wins against the Vikings, Bears, and Packers in the months ahead could set the Lions back on track for a shot at the Super Bowl.
San Francisco 49ers
There is one team that is still not getting as much attention when it comes to Super Bowl predictions, even though it leads its division and has the added incentive of playing at home for the championship. The 49ers dropped away dramatically last year, winning just six games, but have almost equaled that total already and are looking good in what has been a surprisingly strong NFC West.
San Francisco has benefited from a fairly easy schedule so far, and will continue to play many of the league’s weaker teams as the season goes on. But that only gives them a better chance of winning the division and claiming a higher seed for the playoffs. With the NFL being so open this year, it does not seem completely unbelievable that the 49ers could burst back into contention and end up winning the Super Bowl at their own Levi’s Stadium next February.
