You like how I kept the title theme going?
The first Sunday of the NFL offseason is always a weird one, isn’t it? We go from our gameday rituals, routines, and living our lives based on the NFL schedule… to waking up that first Sunday after the Super Bowl feeling lost and unsure of what to do with ourselves.
I suppose being productive is always an option.
If we really think about it though, free agency and the draft are just around the corner. Before we know it, we’ll be into our offseason summer Sunday routines, and then training camp will hit us out of nowhere at the end of July. Complaining about the preseason is every fanbase’s favorite pastime in August… and then it arrives. The NFL season in September.
We have a ways to go, but the good news is the withdrawal eventually levels off. And thankfully we have March Madness, NBA basketball, and baseball to help us through it.
The end of the season may be bittersweet, but it’s also a good time to issue season-ending grades for each team. I know the NFL won their grievance against the NFLPA, which now bans them from publicly publishing their report cards but last I checked, I had nothing to do with that… so I’m publishing mine.
For reference, my grading criteria is just like the NFL Hall of Fame voting criteria.
AFC East
Buffalo Bills (12-5)
I’ll give some weight to the fact that they made the postseason again, but that almost makes me want to deduct a few points because how do you advance to the postseason once again and lose in the Divisional Round?
I’ll tell you how: the Bills’ over-reliance on Josh Allen was always going to bite them. At no point did anyone think he might need some talent around him as he made his seventh playoff appearance this season? And don’t get me started on the Joe Brady hiring.
Grade: C
Miami Dolphins (7-10)
Somehow, some way, Mike McDaniel held on to his job until the end of the season. Stringing together a few wins seemed to be enough for the powers that be to let him finish out the year.
The biggest question for Miami has been the same for years now: what to do with Tua? He comes with cap hits of $39M, $31M, and $41M through 2028, leaving the Dolphins with more questions than answers.
Grade: C
New England Patriots (14-3)
Like I’ve been screaming from the rooftops all season — coaching matters. And look no further than the Patriots for living, breathing proof of that concept.
Sure, they lost in the Super Bowl, but if anything, it shows just how far they’ve come in a short amount of time and how far they still have to go to get back to their Tom Brady dynasty heyday. Nonetheless, the Patriots pulled a complete 180 and were a thorn in the Bills’ side all season long.
Grade: A+
New York Jets (3-14)
Seriously, what does one even begin to say about the Jets organization? They have so many problems I could start an entire content series on that alone. Move along, folks. Nothing to see here. Same ol’ Jets.
Grade: F
NFC East
Dallas Cowboys (7-9-1)
I guess it wasn’t their year after all. I was told in July it was though. Silly fans. Tricks are for kids.
Biases aside, I think the Cowboys are wasting Dak Prescott’s best years. He was in the MVP conversation this season and is largely the reason they even have a fighting chance half the time.
I was also told the Cowboys got better with the trade of Parsons to Green Bay. Silly Jerry. Tricks are for kids.
The Cowboys need to hope they hit on their draft picks because Dak isn’t getting any younger.
Grade: D
New York Giants (4-13)
How do I even break this down in a few sentences? Thankfully most of you follow me, so I don’t have to fill in too many blanks.
This truly felt like the season that just wouldn’t end. To call it a roller coaster is an understatement.
The Giants started with Russell Wilson as their starting quarterback and Brian Daboll as head coach and ended with Jaxson Dart at quarterback and John Harbaugh as head coach.
Come to think of it, if you don’t follow the Giants and only read that sentence, you’d need a lot of blanks filled in.
Grade: D
Philadelphia Eagles (11-7)
More predictions I got right? Back in July I said to watch Quinyon Mitchell and that he was going to have an even better season than his rookie year.
Offensively, the Eagles completely fell apart. So much so that I forgot Saquon Barkley was on the team.
The Super Bowl hangover was real, and in a better division they wouldn’t have been able to mask their dysfunction for so long. That image of Nick Sirianni and A.J. Brown screaming at each other during the Wild Card game summed up the season quite nicely.
Couldn’t have happened to a better team.
Grade: C
Washington Commanders (5-12)
The Commanders didn’t have Jayden Daniels for a majority of the season, so offensively they were limited. Their defense being one of the worst in the league didn’t help matters either.
Somehow, they went from the surprise team in 2024 (another prediction I got right) to one of the most disappointing in 2025.
With injuries piling up and lackluster defensive play, the season hit the skids. If they take nothing else away from this year, I hope they realize how much they need to prioritize young talent.
Grade: D
AFC North
Baltimore Ravens (8-9)
I remember joking that the coach of the losing team in the Ravens–Steelers game at the end of the season would end up in New York. Remind me to tally up all my correct predictions at some point.
This season felt like it fell more on Lamar Jackson than it ever did on John Harbaugh but I’m not complaining about how things turned out.
The Ravens’ defense had a knack for giving up double-digit leads in the final two minutes all season long, and with Lamar Jackson conveniently hurt again until the moment actually mattered, the Ravens were dead on arrival before they even got to Pittsburgh.
All’s fair in love and war.
Grade: D
Cincinnati Bengals (6-11)
At some point the Bengals really need to get themselves a defense and an offensive line that can protect Joe Burrow, who looks like he wants to be anywhere else but on the field.
Burrow being hurt didn’t help matters, but even if he was healthy, it likely would have been negated by their putrid defensive play.
Grade: D
Cleveland Browns (5-12)
Five wins and, what, five quarterbacks later? And the Browns are still in the same spot they’ve always been: the bottom of the division.
They have a talented defense and the worst quarterback contract any of us have ever seen in Deshaun Watson, who feels like a figment of their imagination at this point.
If Shedeur Sanders is their guy, they need to start building around him.
I would also like to remind everyone that they lost to the Jets in what was a very painful game to watch. Even from the press box.
Grade: D
Pittsburgh Steelers (10-7)
The Steelers offense was less than inspiring this season. Watching Rodgers dink and dunk all year is its own special form of torture.
Actually, that wasn’t even the worst part. That would be watching them get completely dominated by the Texans in the Wild Card round.
The Steelers look to be in the same exact position in 2026 that they were in for 2025: trying to figure out the offense again, but this time with Mike McCarthy at the helm.
Like I said… expect more of the same.
Grade: D
NFC North
Chicago Bears (12-7)
In case you haven’t gotten it yet: coaching matters.
That game against the Rams might have been the best game of the season, or at least one of them. The Bears are a young team, and lack of experience seemed to get the best of them at times, but Ben Johnson has laid a really solid foundation.
I expect continued success for the Bears.
Grade: A
Detroit Lions (9-8)
If underachieving was a team, it would be the Lions.
I think we can all agree this was a massively disappointing season for them. Being too reliant on Gibbs — as good as he is — made them one-dimensional, which is a recipe for disaster.
The offense corrected itself a bit once Dan Campbell took play-calling duties back, but it wasn’t enough. They hit rock bottom and never really came back up.
Grade: C
Green Bay Packers (9-8-1)
The joke was on Jerry Jones when he traded Parsons to Green Bay. He immediately turned the Packers from a bubble team into legitimate contenders. But Parsons’ ACL injury in December all but put the nail in the coffin.
In an epic collapse against Chicago, Green Bay met their demise in the postseason.
It’s not all bad in Green Bay, though. Jordan Love is a talented quarterback, and with a healthy Parsons, Matt LaFleur can coach this team to a successful season.
Grade: C
Minnesota Vikings (9-8)
What would the Vikings’ record be without Justin Jefferson? Maybe four or five wins?
McCarthy, for all his inexperience, did have flashes of greatness but the thing about inexperience is that it eventually catches up to you.
With both McCarthy and Wentz unavailable at one point, poor Max Brosmer had to face the recently crowned Super Bowl champion Seattle Seahawks in Week 12.
Believe it or not, they did end the season with a five-game winning streak. And believe it or not, the Vikings had both Sam Darnold and Daniel Jones on the roster at one point.
They need another option at quarterback in 2026.
Grade: C
AFC West
Denver Broncos (14-3)
Had Bo Nix not gotten hurt on a play that no one even saw happen, we might be having a very different conversation.
Twelve comeback wins this season and excellent coaching by one of the best in the business, Sean Payton, had the Broncos in real contention.
Speaking of comebacks, this team may stay largely intact for 2026, as they’re not projected to lose many players in free agency.
Grade: A+
Los Angeles Chargers (11-6)
There’s a lot of talent on this roster it’s just that they just make too many little mistakes that add up to big ones over time. They suffer from the same disease the Giants have: shoot-yourself-in-the-foot-itis.
Still, Justin Herbert is a top-10 quarterback any way you slice it. We may eventually have to have the conversation about the lights being too bright for him… but not yet.
The Chargers are almost there.
Grade: B
Las Vegas Raiders (3-14)
The Jets of the West Coast.
I’m mostly wondering how much Sin City is going to ruin Mendoza.
Grade: F
Kansas City Chiefs (6-11)
My, how the mighty have fallen. Surely this is all Taylor Swift’s fault, right?
Mahomes, for the most part, did what he could with what he had until he got hurt, but their downfall felt inevitable. The signs were already there in 2024 that a massive step back could be coming in 2025.
If you were like me and predicted that, you got called crazy.
But like Kanye West once said: “I’m not wrong, I’m just not right… yet.”
Grade: F
NFC West
Arizona Cardinals (3-14)
Another “Jets of the West” team.
I really don’t know what goes on over there in Arizona, but coaching matters both ways. Kyler Murray just couldn’t get into a rhythm under Gannon, but under new head coach Mike LaFleur, that could all change.
Expect the former Rams offensive coordinator to whip this offense into shape.
Grade: F
Los Angeles Rams (14-6)
An MVP season from Matt Stafford. A high-powered offense. A fantastic head coach. A top-tier defensive line. A decent secondary.
And then a run-in with the best defense in the league — the Seattle Seahawks — in the NFC Championship, which was one of the best games of the season, crushed the Rams’ Super Bowl hopes.
The Rams need help in the secondary and on special teams if they want another run.
Oh, and pay Matt Stafford whatever he asks for.
Grade: A
San Francisco 49ers (13-6)
McCaffrey certainly quieted the naysayers this season, and the Niners needed it because they were decimated by injuries.
Credit to all the depth they’ve built over the years because in a season like this, that depth matters.
But leave it to the Seahawks to serve up a slice of humble pie to San Francisco.
Grade: B
Seattle Seahawks (17-3)
The Super Bowl champions. No, I did not get that prediction right. I had the Rams.
The Seahawks defense was an absolute menace all season and terrorized just about every team they played. Mostly, though, they terrorized Drake Maye.
Seattle has a lot of young talent on this roster and guys like Darnold and JSN in their primes.
The Seahawks will be a problem for quite some time.
And so will this division.
Grade: A+
AFC South
Houston Texans (12-5)
If you didn’t already know, I’m a big DeMeco Ryans fan.
He went from taking over a franchise in 2023 that had won 11 combined games over the previous three years to a 12-5 record and a Divisional Round appearance.
Once again for the cheap seats in the back. Coaching matters.
Quarterback play matters too, and C.J. Stroud left a lot to be desired at times this season.
Grade: B
Indianapolis Colts (8-9)
As good as I am at predictions, something I didn’t predict was Daniel Jones playing lights out for half a season… followed by Philip Rivers finishing the year. What year is it again?
There are a lot of variables for the Colts going into the offseason. If Jones had stayed healthy, they probably get a higher grade but 2004 called, and the Colts were up the River without a paddle.
Grade: C
Jacksonville Jaguars (13-4)
The Jags came back this season with a much-improved offense powered by Travis Etienne.
Trevor Lawrence struggled early with a non-existent passing game but was able to right the ship with some technical adjustments and an insane amount of motivation.
Unfortunately, they ran into a much more motivated Josh Allen in the postseason.
Still, the Jaguars are in good shape heading into 2026.
Grade: B
Tennessee Titans (3-14)
The Jets of the South.
Cam Ward is a bright spot, but they have to start building around him if they want to generate any success.
Titans fans should feel pretty good about New York’s finest in Saleh and Daboll coming to town in 2026.
Grade: F
NFC South
Atlanta Falcons (8-9)
I will never understand this franchise. I just won’t.
Bijan Robinson carried the entire offense all season, and while I can’t kill them for losing to the Seahawks, I can absolutely kill them for losing to the Jets and ruining their shot at winning the division.
SMH.
Grade: D
Carolina Panthers (8-10)
On any given week, I wasn’t entirely sure what we were going to get from this team, and I don’t think their fanbase was either.
The Panthers overachieved in their own way by making the postseason, because no one expected that.
Their inconsistencies kept them from winning more games, but they are slowly putting it together and trending upward.
Grade: B
New Orleans Saints (6-11)
The Saints’ season wasn’t as bad as expected.
The chemistry between Olave and quarterback Tyler Shough was noticeable and something this franchise can build on.
They need more young talent, but their salary cap is still a mess. The good news is once you’ve got the right quarterback and coach, the rest can start falling into place.
Grade: C
Tampa Bay Buccaneers (8-9)
Remember when the Bucs beat the Seahawks early in the season? It looked like they might run away with the division and have a legitimate shot at contending.
But thanks to a litany of injuries and some questionable play-calling, they played themselves right out of the division and any postseason hopes they had.
Also… remember when they had Liam Coen and Dave Canales on their staff?
The Bucs need to do some soul-searching.
Grade: D
Overall Thoughts
My favorite thing about the 2025 season was getting to see some new teams and faces in the postseason. It does get boring after a while constantly talking about the Chiefs and the Eagles.
While I think both teams will bounce back, they won’t have as easy of a path to victory as they once did. Both the AFC and NFC have teams quietly stacking young talent, and with ten coaching changes this season, I think we can continue to expect the unexpected in 2026.
Oh, and in case you missed it:
Coaching matters.
