Our Wildest NFL Predictions for 2025
VikingsTerritory has provided a litany of Minnesota Vikings-themed predictions throughout the spring and summer. Now, it’s time for broad NFL prognostications.
Our hottest takes for 2025 are here, with surprising takes on teams, players, and season twists that could shake up the business in unexpected ways.
We asked our writers to serve up their boldest takes for the 2025 campaign, with the mindset to be unafraid of thinking boldly.
Here’s what they came up with: bold non-Vikings predictions for the season ahead.
The NFL Predictions from Our Writers You Won’t See Coming
Our writers bring the heat with NFL predictions — bold ones.
1. The Cincinnati Bengals Bottom Out
VT Writer: Kyle Joudry
The Bengals implode entirely, leading to a top-five selection in the 2026 NFL Draft. The Burrow/Chase connection remains elite — to the delight of fantasy football players — but the team is a disaster despite nailing arguably the game’s most crucial pair of positions (QB & WR).
2. Denver Broncos Reach the AFC Championship
VT Writer: Janik Eckardt
Denver has improved last year’s fantastic defense in free agency and the draft, and the offense will take a step forward in Bo Nix’s sophomore year.
3. Travis Hunter Wins OROY and DROY
VT Writer: Henrique Gucciardi
A genuinely unique player, Hunter will play both WR and CB in the NFL, although he should play more on offense. With defenses focusing more on Brian Thomas, Hunter is well in the mix for OROY, while his ability to make plays as a CB gives him a shot for the defensive award as well.
4. The Kansas City Chiefs Fall from Grace
VT Writer: Tony Schultz
The Chiefs have an utter collapse. We all know they’re a top team, but their last Super Bowl loss, combined with roster changes and the aging of their players, has caught up with them. Not even Taylor Swift could come up with a song strong enough to fix this breakup.
5. The Cardinals and Jaguars Advance to the Postseason
VT Writer: Dustin Baker
Arizona posted a top 10 offense last year, according to EPA/Play, and nobody cared. Jonathan Gannon must win now, and that urgency will propel the Cardinals to a Wildcard playoff game, their first since 2021.
Meanwhile, Liam Coen provides the Baker Mayfield treatment to Trevor Lawrence. The Jaguars thrive inside a weak division, finish 9-8 or 10-7, and play mid-January football.
6. Justin Herbert Wins the MVP Award
VT Writer: Ted Schwerzler
Justin Herbert has had the hype train rolling for plenty of years now, but has yet to substantiate most of it. He’ll be the best we’ve ever seen from him and take home MVP honors.
Yahoo Sports‘ Corbie Craig wrote about Herbert’s MVP chances this week: “In 2024, Herbert threw just three interceptions, had the highest deep-ball TD rate and finished with a 9:2 TD-to-INT ratio, second only to Jackson. The problem? His receivers dropped a league-high 6.6% of his passes.”
“Drafting a WR like Ole Miss standout Tre Harris feels like a quality step toward fixing the wideout woes of last season. With the issues Herbert’s supporting crew ran into last season, it still was not enough to stop him from posting the third-highest WAR of all starting QBs, as well as posting many of the highest single-game passer ratings of his career.”
The Chargers finished 11-6 last year.
“Enter Jim Harbaugh. The head coach is rebuilding the Chargers’ identity with a power run game, headlined by Najee Harris and rookie Omarion Hampton. The expectation? Open up the field for Herbert to thrive. If the Chargers put together a double-digit win season, Herbert’s clean play and explosive ceiling could make him a live MVP threat — especially at this number,” Craig concluded.
7. Joe Flacco Cooks
VT Writer: Ali Siddiqui
Joe Flacco will throw 20 or more TDs for the first time since 2016.
8. Caleb Williams Benched for Tyson Bagent
VT Writer: Cole Smith
My hottest NFL take this year is that Caleb Williams gets benched for Tyson Bagent at some point this year. Bagent just got a contract extension, and even though Williams will improve some aspects of his game, his chemistry with Ben Johnson will lead the head coach to shake up the QB position.
9. Washington Commanders Miss the Postseason
VT Writer: Wesley Johnson
I actually have three bold NFL predictions: the Washington Commanders miss the playoffs. Dak Prescott is an MVP candidate. Drake London breaks the single-season reception record.
10. Las Vegas Raiders Fire Up a Winning Record
VT Writer: Josh Frey
Geno Smith is reuniting with Pete Carroll, and Ashton Jeanty is going to be an immediate force at the running back position. Add on top of that the dynamic young tight end Brock Bowers and a stable WR1 in Jakobi Meyers, and the Raiders offense has a chance to take the league by storm in 2025 if they can get any production out of the three wide receivers they drafted this spring.
11. The Chicago Bears Make It to the Playoffs
VT Writer: Sean Borman
Chicago may not be a Super Bowl contender, but the offense and defense jell just enough to reach the postseason and generate excitement in the Windy City for the first time in five-plus years. The Bears have good protection up front from the revamped offensive line, significant improvement from Caleb Williams while familiarizing and progressing in Ben Johnson’s offense, along with a steady, solid defense that helps close out many close wins.
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