NFL season assessment: What we realized in 2024 and daring predictions for 2025

One other NFL season is within the books, and we’ve a brand new Tremendous Bowl champion to chase. Perhaps the Kansas Metropolis Chiefs dynasty isn’t useless, however the run of Lombardi Trophies has come to a minimum of a short lived halt after the Philadelphia Eagles crushed their three-peat desires in a 40-22 mauling. It’s revenge and redemption for the Eagles after shedding to the Chiefs in Tremendous Bowl 57, and so they made it look simple in methods we not often see towards Patrick Mahomes.

However the Tremendous Bowl is simply the ultimate chapter of a season-long saga. There have been so many intriguing storylines that unfolded, and we’re going to look again on the 2024 season and assessment a few of the foremost takeaways.

The Eagles are (and have been) the NFC’s undisputed gold commonplace

Photograph by Don Juan Moore/Getty Pictures

Mookie: I’m not even certain Eagles followers have been capable of totally admire how nice their crew has been for nearly your entire twenty first century. Since 2000, Philadelphia has the NFC’s second-best win share (.601), the second-most division titles (11), essentially the most playoff wins (20), essentially the most NFC Championship Recreation appearances (8), essentially the most Tremendous Bowl journeys (4), and tied for essentially the most Tremendous Bowl wins (2). Three totally different head coaches and quarterbacks have taken them to the Tremendous Bowl, one thing no different crew in both the AFC or NFC can declare throughout that span.

Their solely unhealthy stretch was lacking the playoffs 5 instances in six seasons from 2011-2016. Even the Eagles’ final 4 10+ loss seasons (1999, 2005, 2012, and 2020) have been instantly adopted by playoff berths. Philly has been the usual for fulfillment within the NFC for 1 / 4 century, and that hole has solely widened following this overcome the Chiefs. And but, don’t be shocked if there are occasional calls to fireside Nick Sirianni if the Eagles lose consecutive video games at any level subsequent 12 months.

Drafting the suitable rookie QB can shortly change a franchise’s trajectory

Curtiss: All it takes is only one. Instance? The Washington Commanders. Going into the season, nobody anticipated the Commanders to make the leap that they made. Rookie sensation Jayden Daniels shocked everybody (myself included) with the season that he had, which led to the crew reaching the NFC Championship for the primary time since 1991.

When it comes to QBs in his draft class, Daniels was my QB3 behind the New England Patriots’ Drake Maye and the Chicago Bears’ Caleb Williams. The very fact he got here in and instantly modified the Commanders’ trajectory as a franchise was large for them, just like what C.J. Stroud did his rookie season with the Houston Texans. As for the Denver Broncos, Bo Nix was capable of change Denver’s trajectory, albeit not practically to the identical affect as Daniels. Nonetheless, Denver has a starter in Nix followers can really feel comfortable about after failing to discover a substitute for Peyton Manning since he retired in 2016. All it takes is the suitable QB and it will probably change every little thing.

Residence area benefit continues to be king within the playoffs

Mookie: We’re steadily seeing much less residence dominance within the common season, however that hasn’t translated to the postseason. In 2024, the house win share was simply .533, the fifth-lowest over the past 20 years. Solely the Washington Commanders received any highway playoff video games this season, knocking out the Tampa Bay Buccaneers and Detroit Lions. Over the previous three seasons, residence playoff groups are a whopping 28-8. Wish to make a deep run within the playoffs? You most likely want a minimum of two residence video games. There are the odd exceptions just like the 2021 Cincinnati Bengals, the 2023 Kansas Metropolis Chiefs, and the 2007 and 2011 New York Giants, however it’s unusual for a purpose.

The Dallas Cowboys don’t know what they’re doing

Curtiss: To be truthful, the Cowboys’ Tremendous Bowl window closed again in 2022 once they misplaced to Brock Purdy and the San Francisco 49ers within the NFC Divisional Spherical. Quick ahead to now, the crew appears fully totally different. The roster is way worse than it was, head coach Mike McCarthy is gone, and there’s no clear course with this crew. Issues might change, however it’s onerous to really feel constructive in regards to the Cowboys.

Newly employed head coach Brian Schottenheimer isn’t essentially unhealthy, however it wasn’t essentially the most inspiring rent in your entire teaching cycle. Proprietor/GM Jerry Jones has finished extra hurt than good along with his fixed meddling in crew operations, focusing extra on getting the Cowboys’ consideration as an alternative of constructing a reliable crew, and his general vanity is why Dallas is the place they’re now.

Working backs are again, child!

Mookie: Saquon Barkley, Derrick Henry, and Josh Jacobs have been the three highest-profile free agent working backs final offseason. They completed first, second, and seventh respectively in speeding yards, with Barkley eclipsing the two,000-yard mark and successful Offensive Participant of the 12 months in his first season with the Philadelphia Eagles.

It seems Barkley and Henry particularly weren’t washed or overrated; they simply wanted nice offensive traces and nice groups to flourish. This isn’t to say working backs are going to get giant long-term offers once more shifting ahead, however maybe it’s time for a market correction after a lot questioning in regards to the validity and worth of the place lately. Barkley will get to rejoice with a Tremendous Bowl ring after a traditionally nice debut with the Eagles.

Which groups have been essentially the most shocking?

Photograph by Kevin Sabitus/Getty Pictures

Mookie: The Commanders are the runaway most shocking crew on the constructive facet. Even essentially the most optimistic Commanders fan couldn’t have foreseen an NFC Championship run off the again of two highway playoff wins towards high-powered offenses. They’ll undoubtedly be thought-about within the working to win the NFC East subsequent season… and maybe just a little greater than that.

On the surprisingly horrible facet, I at all times thought the New York Jets have been overhyped and wouldn’t make the playoffs, however I didn’t suppose they’d be this horrible. Their in any other case stingy protection fell aside, Aaron Rodgers was a lot worse than his stats steered, and the extent of dysfunction was too Jetsian even by Jets requirements. The brand new GM Darren Mougey and head coach Aaron Glenn have one hell of a rebuild on their arms. I hope they like Madden scores.

Curtiss: Two groups come to thoughts. The primary alternative is the Washington Commanders. Under no circumstances, form, or type did I feel that they’d be within the NFC Championship Recreation with a rookie quarterback in Jayden Daniels and with a head coach retread in Dan Quinn. Daniels elevated your entire crew and so they outperformed their expectations. Washington smashed its over/below win whole and recorded its most victories in a season this century.

Second crew? The Jacksonville Jaguars. It was shocking to see the Jags have the autumn off that they did, two seasons faraway from reaching the AFC Divisional Spherical. You could possibly inform by how the crew regarded to start out the season that this wasn’t going to finish nicely for anybody. It might need been for the most effective as a result of the Jags obtained a brand new coach in Liam Coen on the expense of firing common supervisor Trent Baalke. A win is a win I suppose?

Probably the most predictable ending

Photograph by Al Bello/Getty Pictures

Mookie: The Payments and the Lions shedding within the playoffs the best way they did was as predictable because it might get. One franchise has been notoriously shut however not fairly capable of get excessive, whereas the opposite franchise is synonymous with shedding. The Payments got here up agonizingly quick towards the Chiefs for the umpteenth time, whereas Detroit’s finest common season in franchise historical past resulted in a 14-point loss to the Commanders. Jared Goff picked the worst time to show into Jared Goof, whereas the decimated Lions protection had zero solutions for Jayden Daniels. It will’ve been cool to see considered one of these two longsuffering franchises carry the Lombardi Trophy, however the wait continues.

Curtiss: The Steelers’ late-season collapse was one thing I noticed coming from a mile away. It’s their MO. Begin the season off overachieving (which will get everybody pondering they could possibly be Tremendous Bowl contenders) solely to comply with it up with an inexcusable loss and collapse down the stretch. Shedding on Thursday Evening Soccer to a Cleveland Browns crew that had been struggling all 12 months was a pink flag everybody ought to’ve paid consideration to extra carefully.

In opposition to the top-tier playoff groups, they have been fully outclassed in each means. From the offense being discovered to the protection calling one another out in back-to-back years, it was an ending everybody ought to’ve seen coming. Can’t wait to see it once more subsequent 12 months however with steeper penalties.

Early daring prediction for the 2025 NFL Season?

Photograph by Brooke Sutton/Getty Pictures

Curtiss: Cincinnati Bengals head coach Zac Taylor would be the first coach to be fired. Taylor is the fourth-best coach in his division and the crew has been infamous for sluggish begins to start out the season and it has confirmed to be expensive, because the Bengals have missed the postseason in every of the previous two years. It was a telling signal when, all through the course of this season, the locker room appeared to lose religion in Taylor judging by the interviews and the physique language. If the Bengals get off to a sluggish begin, Taylor could possibly be out the door (even when Paul Brown’s pockets received’t enable it).

Mookie: The Detroit Lions will miss the playoffs. I don’t doubt Dan Campbell is an excellent head coach who has revitalized the Lions. The teaching mind drain is actual, nonetheless, and there was a league-wide siphoning of Detroit’s assistants. By far the largest transfer was offensive coordinator Ben Johnson turning into the Chicago Bears head coach. How a lot of Jared Goff’s profession revival will be tied to the schematic brilliance of Johnson? We’ll discover out fairly quickly.

Any Goff regression (and even marginal offensive line regression) might make issues very dicey in Detroit, even once they get their injured defensive stars again. Campbell was brutally sincere when he mentioned, “This will have been our solely shot” once they misplaced to the 49ers within the NFC Championship two seasons in the past. We is perhaps discovering out fairly quickly if these have been prescient phrases.

Anyway, refer again to this text when the Bengals and Lions are enjoying in Tremendous Bowl 60 in Santa Clara subsequent February.