Free agency won’t begin until March 12, and the draft in Green Bay follows on April 24, so teams have significant roster moves to make before the 2025 season begins in September.
But that hasn’t stopped Yardbarker NFL writers from evaluating the Super Bowl potential of AFC teams for the 2025 season. (2024 regular-season records are in parentheses.)
Here’s a way-too-early rundown:
AFC East
BUFFALO BILLS (13-4) | Kansas City still has a team, right? | Andy Reid’s Chiefs will continue to keep Sean McDermott’s Bills away from the NFL’s biggest game. Reid gave McDermott his first NFL job while head coach of the Eagles in 2001 but has eliminated his former assistant from the playoffs in four of the past five seasons.
MIAMI DOLPHINS (8-9) | No money, more problems | After announcing that he was done playing in Miami, wide receiver Tyreek Hill backtracked, sort of, while live-streaming a video game by saying the team needed to “put some pressure on (expletive), fix this (expletive) and add some (expletive) dogs in this (expletive).” Eloquent as he may be, Hill must not realize that Miami is already $14M over next season’s cap, the fourth-worst number in the NFL, which doesn’t bode well for 2025.
NEW ENGLAND PATRIOTS (4-13) | So, you’re saying there’s a chance? | Tom Brady, a sixth-round pick in 2000, led the Patriots to their first Super Bowl win in franchise history, which obviously means starting QB Drake Maye will lead New England to glory in his second season with the team. Actually, there are 26 reasons the team won’t reach Super Bowl LX: the 26 teams that finished 2024 with a better record than New England.
NEW YORK JETS (5-12) | Will the offense in the room please stand up? | The Jets won fewer games with Aaron Rodgers on the roster than they did with him on the IR in 2023. Whether or not new head coach Aaron Glenn keeps the future Hall of Fame QB around remains to be seen, but the 19.9 points per game New York averaged in 2024 won’t win them any championships, even with the NFL’s third-ranked defense. — Bruce Ewing
AFC West
DENVER BRONCOS (10-7) | Inching toward the mountaintop | The Broncos have found their guy at QB in Bo Nix, who had the league’s sixth-most TD passes (29 in 17 starts) in the regular season. If they give him more weapons in the NFL Draft and free agency, he could lead Denver to its first playoff win since Super Bowl 50. And once you get in the playoffs…
KANSAS CITY CHIEFS (15-2) | Can they stop winning Super Bowls? | In Super Bowl LIX against the Philadelphia Eagles, the Chiefs aim to become the first team to win three straight championships in the Super Bowl era. Even if K.C. loses to Philadelphia, it should remain in the Super Bowl hunt for years to come, as QB Patrick Mahomes, who won’t turn 30 until Sept. 17, is still in his prime.
LAS VEGAS RAIDERS (4-13) | Can minority owner Tom Brady donate one of his Super Bowl rings? | Brady — who won seven Super Bowls in 23 seasons as a Patriots/Buccaneers QB — better get used to losing. The Raiders recently hired new head coach Pete Carroll, but he may flop if Vegas doesn’t find a viable starting QB in the NFL Draft or free agency. This season, Vegas ranked 27th in the league in passer rating (82.4).
LOS ANGELES CHARGERS (11-6) | Depends on whether QB Justin Herbert can step up in the playoffs | In two playoff starts, Herbert is 0-2 and has a below-average 60.7 passer rating. In a 32-12 wild-card round loss to the Houston Texans this season, he tossed four interceptions. — Clark Dalton
AFC North
BALTIMORE RAVENS (12-5) | Bill Murray in “Groundhog Day” | Every Ravens season seems to play out the same way: amazing regular season, Lamar Jackson in the MVP conversation and then a demoralizing loss in the AFC playoffs. Unless Jackson finds a way to improve his playoff performances, Baltimore will be stuck in the same day over and over again.
CINCINNATI BENGALS (9-8) | In Joe Burrow we trust | Burrow nearly led the Bengals to a Super Bowl in 2021, and he’s the only QB not named Tom Brady who has taken down Mahomes in the AFC. Cincinnati needs to make some improvements on defense, but the championship window is open as long as Burrow is donning black and orange.
CLEVELAND BROWNS (3-14) | Is there a number lower than zero? | The Browns have one of the bleakest futures in the NFL considering Deshaun Watson carries a $72.9M cap hit in each of the next two seasons and will be coming off an Achilles injury. Cleveland should be more focused on 2026 mock drafts than any hopes of a playoff berth.
PITTSBURGH STEELERS (10-7) | Not until drastic changes are made | Mike Tomlin has gone .500 or better in all 18 of his seasons as the head coach in Pittsburgh, but he hasn’t won a playoff game since the 2016 season. The Steelers might need to hit the reset button on head coach and QB to get back to Super Bowl contender status. — Jack Dougherty
AFC South
HOUSTON TEXANS (10-7) | Get an offensive line (and coordinator), and then we’ll talk | Houston reached the AFC divisional round for the second consecutive season, but it won’t be a legitimate title contender unless it fixes its offensive line, which ranked No. 22 in ESPN’s pass-block win rate and 31st in run-block win rate. Houston fired offensive coordinator Bobby Slowik, so who head coach DeMeco Ryans hires as his replacement will also determine how big of a threat the Texans will be in 2025.
INDIANAPOLIS COLTS (8-9) | Can Anthony Richardson throw more completions than incompletions? | In 2024, Richardson became the first QB with at least 250 pass attempts to complete fewer than half of his passes since former Broncos QB Tim Tebow in 2011. Poor QB production is just one of Indianapolis’ problems, but it’s the most concerning.
JACKSONVILLE JAGUARS (4-13) | Secondary is primary obstacle | New Jaguars head coach Liam Coen has solid offensive personnel to work with in Year 1, but Jacksonville’s defense, particularly the secondary, needs an overhaul. The Jaguars ranked last in pass defense (4,375 yards) and 26th in passing touchdowns allowed (29) and intercepted six passes, making it the team’s most significant road block to success.
TENNESSEE TITANS (3-14) | Is there a C.J. Stroud or Jayden Daniels in this year’s draft class? | The Titans have the No. 1 overall pick in the 2025 NFL Draft, putting it in a position to add a QB, the team’s biggest need. If it chooses wisely, Tennessee might be able to replicate the success of previous worst-to-first turnarounds in Houston and Washington in 2023 and 2024, respectively. — Eric Smithling
