2. Arizona Cardinals
I have been higher on the Arizona Cardinals for a while now. They were a good football team in the 2024 NFL Season and are honestly a well-coached operation. At one point last year, the Cardinals were 6-4 and firmly in the NFC West race. Well, with mounting injuries already for the San Francisco 49ers, the Seattle Seahawks being a non-factor with Sam Darnold at QB, and the Los Angeles Rams not having Matthew Stafford out there, the Cardinals might become the favorites to win the division.
Heading into the 2025 NFL Offseason, this team's primary weakness was along the defensive line, so what did GM Monti Ossenfort go out and do? He improved the defensive line with players like Calais Campbell, Dalvin Tomlinson, Josh Sweat, and Waler Nolen in the 2025 NFL Draft.
This is a rock-solid roster and one ready to compete for the division title. They won eight games in 2024 and absolutely have a clear path to a 10-win season in 2025. Bank on it.
1. New England Patriots
The one team I have been the highest on approaching the 2025 NFL Season is the New England Patriots. The Patriots have a special QB on their hands in second-year passer Drake Maye, who was a lot better than the stats indicate during his rookie season.
The Pats hired Mike Vrabel as their head coach, and he brought back Josh McDaniels as the offensive coordinator. Those two additions alone are enough to thrust this team into breakout status, but the offensive line is a lot better, and Maye has some encouraging weapons on offense as well.
This is an up-and-coming franchise just one year after going nowhere with Jerod Mayo running the show. The New England Patriots are coming, and they're coming quickly.