We’ve made it through the hardest part of the year. Of course, I’m talking about the offseason where there is no football! Some teams are vastly different, while others look similar to last year with minimal changes. Let’s look at my bets for the three best teams and a longshot for each conference to kick off the new NFL season.
2025 NFL Futures: Super Bowl Picks & Predictions
AFC Top Teams
Baltimore Ravens (+700 via BetMGM Sportsbook)
The Ravens have the lowest odds and for good reason. The Ravens have made the playoffs for three straight seasons, but they haven’t gone past the AFC Championship. This year, they have all nine Pro Bowlers from last season returning to their roster. This includes quarterback Lamar Jackson, who has gone back-to-back years of either winning or being runner-up for the MVP. John Harbaugh was able to keep his offensive and defensive coordinators. If there’s one big change, it’s that Tyler Loop is now their kicker instead of Justin Tucker. Another thing potentially stopping them? The Ravens have the toughest strength of schedule in the AFC based on last year’s standings. I don’t doubt the Ravens will win the AFC North, but the seeding might cause an issue in advancing.
Buffalo Bills (+750 via FanDuel Sportsbook)
The Bills are second on this list because they did experience some changes, but more to their defense. Buffalo has gone five straight seasons with 11 or more wins, but they have not gotten past the AFC Championship in any of those seasons. Their kryptonite? The Chiefs in the playoffs, as four of those five times, they’ve lost to the Chiefs. The offense has been steady, finishing in the top six for all of those five seasons, largely in part to last year’s MVP, Josh Allen. Defense let them down last year, but the Bills have improved where they could, drafting Maxwell Hairston in the first round and signing Joey Bosa in free agency.
Kansas City Chiefs (+850 via DraftKings Sportsbook)
There’s no way I could leave them off this list. This team has represented the AFC in the Super Bowl for three consecutive years. Even if you only know the slightest about football, you know about the Chiefs. They are the reason that the top two teams didn’t make the Super Bowl. However, the reason they’re third is because they arguably “lucked” into their wins and narrowly won most of those games last season. They also had offensive line issues, which cost them the Super Bowl three-peat. While they signed players and drafted Josh Simmons, they also shipped Joe Thuney out to Chicago. Compared to the other teams, the Chiefs are tied for the third-toughest strength of schedule in the AFC. The Chiefs are also in the toughest division in the AFC, the AFC West, which includes the Chargers and Broncos, both of whom made the Wild Card last year. That could cause some potential issues.
AFC Longshot: Jacksonville Jaguars (+8000 via DraftKings Sportsbook)
It gets really bleak looking at the AFC’s odds after those top three. There are definitely stronger teams, like the Chargers or Broncos, but I decided to pick the team with the 4-13 record last year for my longshot. This team built off the stars they had and did a lot in the offseason. On the offensive side, they released Gabe Davis and Evan Engram, plus they traded Christian Kirk to the Texans, although they did sign Dyami Brown to help replace those weapons. On the defense, they signed Jourdan Lewis and Eric Murray in free agency. Of course, they’ve also made big splashes with the former Buccaneers offensive coordinator Liam Coen, now leading the helm with a new young General Manager in James Gladstone. However, their biggest move was when they traded up to the second overall pick in the 2025 NFL Draft to snag Travis Hunter, who can play both wide receiver and cornerback. The Jaguars are in the weakest division of the AFC, as the division winner, the Houston Texans, went 10-7 last year. That’s not terrible, but six other teams in that conference had the same record or better. I do think they are playoff-caliber, but ultimately, it’ll take a lot of luck to get past the top three in the AFC. But with this roster, if they do get hot, I think the Jaguars have a slim chance, although that chance is better than +8000 odds that I’m seeing!
NFC Top Teams
Philadelphia Eagles (+750 via FanDuel Sportsbook)
The Eagles have made it to the Super Bowl in two of the past three years. People are still clamoring that “Howie Roseman has done it again!” There’s next to no question why they are the favorite after outscoring their opponents in the NFC Championship and Super Bowl to a total of 95-45. There is a big question around how to replace former offensive coordinator Kellen Moore, who is now coaching the Saints. But it’s not that big of an issue when you have ten of your eleven offensive starters returning, and the team has been in the top seven for points scored on offense in three straight seasons. If the slightest issues do begin to develop, leave it to the Eagles and Roseman to find a quick resolution.
Detroit Lions (+1100 via Bet365 Sportsbook)
The Lions are a team with betting odds all over the place this season. They have the second-best odds to win the Super Bowl in the NFC, but they have the most place bets on ESPNBet to miss the playoffs out of any team that made the playoffs last year. Why is that? Both offensive coordinator Ben Johnson and defensive coordinator Aaron Glenn took head coaching jobs elsewhere. The Lions also have the second-toughest strength of schedule and are in arguably the toughest division, which includes the Packers and Vikings, both playoff teams from last year. The NFC North also includes the hopeful Bears, who have been on cloud nine since they hired Ben Johnson. Detroit still has a stacked roster, but as we saw last year, their defense was decimated with injuries and it was too much to overcome. This will be an interesting team to watch in the season ahead.
Washington Commanders (+2000 via FanDuel Sportsbook)
Adam Peters and Dan Quinn took command of this roster last year and, as a six-seed, made the NFC Championship. This team has continued supporting their young second-year quarterback, Jayden Daniels, with weapons. This offseason alone, they traded for Deebo Samuel and Laremy Tunsil. They also signed a lot of veterans in free agency, like Von Miller, Javon Kinlaw, Eddie Goldman and Jonathan Jones to play alongside Marshon Lattimore, whom they traded for before the trade deadline last year. This team is improving year after year and despite having the eighth toughest schedule, they have it the easiest in their division. The Commanders just have to prove it wasn’t a one-year fluke.
NFC Longshot: Tampa Bay Buccaneers (+3500 via Caesars Sportsbook)
The Buccaneers are right around the middle of the pack in terms of odds to become Super Bowl Champions. The reason I love them as longshots is that their division is weak and teams get a home playoff game for winning their division, something they’ve done in four straight seasons. One unknown heading into this year is that the Buccaneers are going through their third different offensive coordinator in the same number of seasons. But when you have weapons like Baker Mayfield, Bucky Irving, Mike Evans and first-round pick Emeka Egbuka, the firepower should overcome any possible coaching deficiencies. That’s not all, as they’ll also have Chris Godwin and Jalen McMillan when they get healthy and return from injuries. The only downfall they have is on defense, but they have kept it mostly the same and spent both of their Day 2 picks on cornerbacks. If the Buccaneers can keep it together, I can see a magical run happening.
Super Bowl Prediction
Washington Commanders Over Buffalo Bills
Could I have chosen the two favorites, the Ravens and Eagles? Yes. I’m not going to argue about that prediction and it very well might come true. But I went with my gut and I went about it in a very unique way.
First off, let’s look at the Bills. They’ve come close, but every time, something always happens that gets in their way. I think that will happen again, but this time they will get a little further into the playoffs and closer to the elusive Lombardi Trophy.
Now, for the uniqueness. A trend started in the 2013 NFL Season and since then, we’ve seen a “unique” Super Bowl every four seasons. The Seahawks and Broncos were in Super Bowl XLVIII, at which point the Seahawks’ only previous appearance was in the 2005 season, and the Broncos had last been there in 1999. The Seahawks won under second-year quarterback Russell Wilson. Four years later, in Super Bowl LII, the Eagles, led by backup Nick Foles, won their first Super Bowl ever and defeated the New England Patriots. From the 2014 through 2019 seasons, that was the only time the NFC won a Super Bowl. That next leads us to Super Bowl LVI, when the Rams, led by Matthew Stafford in his first year on the team, defeated the Bengals. Since that game, we’ve only seen three teams (Chiefs, Eagles and 49ers) make it to the Super Bowl.
That’s three times in which the NFC has won every four years, and twice were with a quarterback in their first or second year on that team. After three years with the same three teams, we are due for a unique Super Bowl champion and the Washington Commanders with second-year Jayden Daniels can definitely do it. Most people are tired of the same-ol’, same-ol’. Let’s get some new contenders in here with a Commanders-Bills matchup and win big money!
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Thanks for reading “2025 NFL Futures: Super Bowl Picks & Predictions.” If you’re looking for more football content like this or need help with the last-minute fantasy football start/sit decisions for your roster, you can find me on Facebook at “Fantasy Sports Start or Sit’Em Questions,” Twitter/X @FSSOSEQ or on BlueSky!
*Photo Credit: Lon Horwedel — USA TODAY Sports*
