16. Dallas Cowboys
The Dallas Cowboys are not a bad team on paper. They won 12 games three years in a row with a healthy Dak Prescott. This is a team that needs Prescott to get back to form in the worst way, because I think they can at least compete in the NFC East if he’s on top of his game. Prescott has the best set of weapons we’ve seen in his time in Dallas with the arrival of George Pickens, but Dallas needs to sort out its drama with Micah Parsons to avoid a major distraction entering the season.
15. San Francisco 49ers
I think in some respects, the 49ers are skating by on their past reputation. Make no mistake about it – this is not the same 49ers team that represented the NFC in the Super Bowl a couple of years ago. But it is a similar team, at least in terms of the big-name players you’ll recognize. The 49ers are breaking in a young defense, but they have the perfect coach to do that with Robert Saleh back in the fray. I like the Niners to bounce back this year.
14. Los Angeles Chargers
It’s going to be fascinating to see how the Chargers build on their 11-win season from last year. I don’t like knocking teams for beating who’s in front of them, but the Chargers didn’t really beat many good teams last year, except for their two tight games against Denver. The Chargers had the #1 overall defense in the league last year, but there’s a bit of an asterisk next to that. 8 of their 11 wins last season came against teams that ended up picking in the top 10 of the NFL Draft. It’s not going to be the same in 2025.
13. Houston Texans
Part of me wants to believe the Houston Texans are going to bounce back with a vengeance in 2025 after a bit of a disappointing season in 2024. Part of me also believes this team might not have been as good as we saw in 2023. The Texans were clearly well ahead of schedule on their rebuild after trading Deshaun Watson, and they certainly have big-time pieces. They could have one of the easiest paths to a division title of any team in the AFC.