PostScript Sports

Be sure to check out the AFC Preview from last week in recent posts. We shift to the NFC in a conference that feels wide open in comparison to the AFC going into 2025. Can Philly repeat? Who is the team that surprises us all? Outside of Philly is any roster that great in the NFC? We dive in below.

Philadelphia Eagles 11.5 – Over:

The Eagles are coming back with most of the essential pieces. Losses of Slay and Becton will be there but the Eagles still probably have the best offensive line and skill position groups in the league plus a strong defensive line. The Eagles have drafted well over the years and have been able to reload. I’m not very high on many of their NFC East counter parts. I see them rolling to another division title and be fighting for a top seed in the NFC.

San Francisco 49ers 10.5 – Under:

I think every fan in the NFC West outside of San Francisco was thrilled to see the 49ers sign Purdy to a hefty long term extension. It’s not that Purdy hasn’t been good since taking over under center in San Francisco. It’s that they have allocated their resources to him. The health of Christian McCaffery will be a huge factor in this offense as I think yards will be hard to come by as the receiving room now misses Deebo Samuel, has Brandon Aiyuk coming back off injury, a still unknown commodity in second year receiver Ricky Pearsall and questions if Jauan Jennings can’t replicate his production of last year. Shanahan is a great schematic head coach and will get the most out of the roster he is dealing with week to week. But in a division with the Rams and Seahawks I don’t know if this is a team winning 11 games.

Detroit Lions 10.5 – Under:

This is a team that lost a lot in the offseason after a successful 2024 regular season. The loss of Pro-Bowl center Frank Ragnow, 9-sack getter Za’Darius Smith and defensive back Carlton Davis III are all going to be felt this coming season. But the biggest loss will come by the loss of both offensive and defensive coordinators. As you tally that up and you play in a competitive NFC North I don’t know if Jarred Goff and that rush attack can lift this Lions team to 11 wins.

Tampa Bay Buccaneers 9.5 – Under:

I get it Baker had a great season, they play in a weak division, they have some wide receivers coming back. There are plenty of reasons I can see why you would take the Buccaneers over this season. 9.5 just seems high to me. They are coming off a 10 wins in a season where all three of their division rivals were dumpster fires. Bryce Young and the Panthers are going to be better, the Falcons are a promising young offense and well the Saints we’ll talk about later. But I don’t think you’re getting as easy of a schedule this season. For that I’m going under.

Los Angeles Rams 9.5 – Over:

The Rams feel like they can make a jump from last year. After a cold 1-4 start they seemed dead in their tracks. A hot second half and a super tough out in the playoffs have Sean McVay and company optimistic going into this 2025 campaign. You have stability at quarterback and I don’t see a drop off in production coming from Stafford in 2025. The Rams have a good back in Kyren Williams and a defense that lacks big names but seemed to play well as a unit and have a sustainable pass rush. With the feelings that the 49ers, Lions and Bucs are taking a step back in 2025 someone has to take their spot and it feels like the Rams are a great candidate for that.

Minnesota Vikings 9.5 – Under:

If you think you know what this Vikings offense will look like in 2025 you’re either lying or know something nobody else does. You’re getting a lot of the same except you’re now turning the keys over to JJ McCarthy. In essentially a rookie campaign after missing all of last year due to injury. I like their skill positions, their defense was stellar last year and doesn’t appear that should change either. Kevin O’Connell is every bit as good as any coach in the league. I just have such a question at quarterback that it’s making say under. 

Green Bay Packers 9.5 – Over:

I can’t take the under on everyone in the NFC North and the Packers feel like the team ready to pounce back a-top the division with a depleted Lions team and a new quarterback at the helm in Minnesota. Jordan Love has shown glimpses of looking like a top-5 quarterback and has shown glimpses of mediocre at best. Which Jordan Love shows up really dictates what this team can achieve. I think they are the best looking team in the NFC North for 2025 and I don’t think they are two losses worse than they were last year when the two top teams in the division are likely worse than last year.

Washington Commanders 9.5 – Over:

Similar to the Packers, why is this team supposed to be 2-3 losses worse than they were last year? This is a Jayden Daniels question. Can he replicate the second half of last year and be one of the best quarterbacks in the league or does he have a sophomore slump similar to what we saw with CJ Stroud in 2024. My bet is that he plays well again. Though the Commanders trot out a young quarterback this is an experienced roster and I think ready to challenge with the Eagles in the NFC East.

Dallas Cowboys 8.5 – Under:

I think Dallas could be a dumpster fire again. What am I supposed to be excited about? Dak coming back after an injury should help this team but they still have a terrible running back situation, a weak offensive line and nothing that really excites me at wide receiver and tight end. Micah Parsons is undoubtedly one of the best defensive players in the league but outside of that I don’t know what I’m supposed to love about this Cowboys defense. I see this team being much closer to the Giants than the Eagles in this division. Feels like an easier under for me.

Chicago Bears 8.5 – Under:

This one was surprisingly hard for me. I usually take the Steelers over and just wait to see the same thing play out over and over again, I often do the same thing with the Bears under. The only reason I go under this year is similar to my reasoning for the Raiders under. Your division is just super well coached and tough. If the Bears were in the NFC South I think I’d pick them to win it and take the over. I just think it’s hard for a team with a first year head coach and second year QB to win 9+ games in the NFC North in 2025.

Arizona Cardinals 8.5 – Under:

This feels way too high to me. Did Kyler Murray suddenly turn into a better than league average quarterback? Did the defense get way better? What am I missing here? I’m just having a hard time finding what this team will hang its hat on to be a winning football team this season. There isn’t anything they do particularly well and there are still a lot of holes on both sides of the ball for them.

Atlanta Falcons 7.5 – Over:

This is an offense bet. The Falcons defense will probably still be pretty bad in 2025. But I think this offense is ready to pop and be one of the more explosive offenses in the league. I just saw flashes with Penix that excite me and in a weak division I think being good on just one side of the ball can be enough to win the South and for the Falcons to be at least an 8 win team.

Seattle Seahawks 7.5 – Over:

I am biased so take what I say here with that in mind. But why would I bet the Seahawks are 3 wins worse than last year? Geno for Darnold feels like a wash to me and I like Geno. My outlook on this team is I think the defense is going to be really good in its second year with Mike Macdonald as head coach. If this offense is league average and limits turn overs this feels like they at least replicate their 10-7 record from past season.

Carolina Panthers 6.5 – Over:

The Panthers to start 2024 looked like they could be in for one of the worst seasons in NFL history. They also didn’t have their first round pick. Bryce Young looked lost and got benched. It looked bleak. But they were frisky towards the end of the season and Bryce started to look like the Bryce we saw at Alabama that made him the #1 pick. I don’t think there is any chance this team makes the playoffs but I think in a bad division and in their second year under head coach Dave Canales I think they go over 6.5 wins.

New York Giants 5.5 – Under:

Not a great time to be a football fan in New York. Much like the team they share Metlife Stadium with I’m sitting here after a decade long track record of just poor decisions. With one of the 5 worst quarterback situations in the league and in a division with Philly and Washington I think this team struggles to win many games. They have a good defensive line and the defense could be pretty good but the defense is going to have to play near perfect to keep them in games this season.

New Orleans Saints 5.5 – Under:

I don’t even think the Browns would trade for the Saints quarterback room. They are decent in the trenches which could raise their floor but they have a first year head coach who is known for being a quarterback whisperer and no one that seems capable of being a competent NFL quarterback in the building. The Saints could be in for a few bad seasons. I just don’t think this number is low enough, I think this is a team that could be in the running for the first pick in the draft. I don’t think they come close to 6 wins in 2025.