The NFC has some frisky teams that could sneak into the NFL playoffs in 2025. Let's cover three of them here.
Just about every single team in the NFC has a legitimate reason to get into the playoffs in the 2025 NFL Season, but with 16 teams vying for seven spots, nine teams will be going home early. There are some upstart teams in the conference that are trending in the right direction, though, and these squads could breakout in a big way in 2025.
In fact, while most of the NFC playoff predictions include the heavy favorites, could these sneaky teams do enough to make the playoffs in 2025?
Could these NFC teams shock the NFL world?
Arizona Cardinals
The Arizona Cardinals were 6-4 at one point in 2025 and filled their weakest position in the offseason, which was the defensive line. When you now look at this roster, it is truly hard to find a spot that doesn't ooze with talent. Being that this team won eight games in 2024, there is absolutely a path for them to win another game or two, perhaps hitting that double-digit win mark and earning a top Wild Card seed in the NFC.
Chicago Bears
The Chicago Bears had a great offseason, as they added all of Ben Johnson, Jonah Jackson, Drew Dalman, Joe Thuney, Colston Loveland, and Luther Burden III. They also made some key defensive additions, and, like the Cardinals, have a better roster than you might think. Now yes, Johnson has to get Caleb Williams developed pretty quickly if the Bears want to make the playoffs in 2025, but Williams did throw 20 touchdowns against just six interceptions in year one, so there is a lot to like about that.
With a strong defense already present, Chicago is close and could even hang around in the NFC North for a little bit.
Atlanta Falcons
The Atlanta Falcons 2024 season surely did not go the way they had expected. At one point, they were 6-3, and it felt like they were going to runaway with the NFC South title, but Kirk Cousins seemed to decline in real-time, prompting them to turn to Michael Penix Jr. Well, with Penix Jr clearly the guy now, the Falcons have something to build toward, and this offense does have plenty of talent to get the job done.
GM Terry Fontenot also made notable additions on the defensive side of the ball, and with the NFC South a weaker division, the Falcons may actually have a path forward to winning the division instead of just earning a Wild Card spot. I would keep an eye out for the Falcons and for Michael Penix Jr to establish himself as a franchise QB in 2025.