The dust may have just settled on a riveting NFL season but each and every side will be immediately putting their preparations for the 2024/25 season into action.
San Francisco 49ers and Kansas City Chiefs battled out in the Super Bowl with the Chiefs coming away with their fourth win in the last five years, and the players will now enjoy their moment, basking in the glory and celebrating during their time off until training camp’s resume.
We saw some big improvements from a number of sides, notably the Detroit Lions, they had quite long NFL odds going into the season, but they will be disappointed not to have reached the Super Bowl and they will hope to take the momentum they had into the 2024/25 season and look to fight their way to Super Bowl glory.
The quality of each side and the exhilarating matchups we saw throughout the season has us all eagerly anticipating the new season even though the 2023/24 season has just come to a close, and a few teams in particular are peaking a lot of interest.
Detroit Lions
Let’s kick off with the Detroit Lions who went all the way to the NFL Conference Finals where they were ultimately beaten by the San Francisco 49ers 34-31 in overtime. Not many would have gone with the NFL odds on just one touchdown thrown by both QBs in this game, but the running backs did their work for both teams.
The Lions won the NFC North with a record of 12 wins and five defeats. This was the first time the team had won their division since 1993, a very long wait and a generation of fans got to experience the glory for the first time.
Jared Goff went above and beyond for his side after arriving from the Los Angeles Chargers in 2021 and gave his best performance for his side this season. A breakout star to monitor for 2024/25 for this side, Sam LaPorta gave Goff 10 touchdown receptions this season and the Chargers now have more weapons on offense than they have had for a good long while.
New England Patriots
Life hasn’t been so smooth in Massachusetts since the Tom Brady era came to an end. Hope for Mac Jones’ development has always been overshadowed by Brady’s history with the team and now has brought an end to Bill Belichick’s time as head coach.
Everything is going to change for the former perennial champions who have lost ground massively on rivals Buffalo Bills and Miami Dolphins within the AFC East. Four wins ad 13 defeats in 2024/25 was the final nail in the coffin of Belichick who has struggled to replace Brady and Rob Gronkowski especially in his team.
The Patriots have players with experience, Ezekiel Elliott who was so strong for the Dallas Cowboys for many seasons, as well as wide receiver DeVante Parker, but this team is entrenched in a full rebuild mode which will take time to come through.
Jared Mayo has been named as Belichick’s replacements, and the 37-year-old will be the youngest head coach in the league after being on the coaching staff in New England since 2019.
Cincinnati Bengals
Injury played a bit part in what saw the 2021/22 Super Bowl runners-up finish bottom of the AFC North in 2023/24.
Losing Joe Burrow to injury when the team were five for five led them to struggle through with Jake Browning at quarterback for the remainder of the season. The NFL odds are going to look very different with Burrow back as the Bengals are so well stacked on offense with the likes of Ja’Marr Chase and Joe Mixon.
Adding depth in key areas will be vital in the off season, and once again the AFC North could be one of the best divisions in the league in 2024/25 with some big names set to miss out on the playoffs once again.
Dallas Cowboys
Could we see America’s team back competing in the later stages of the playoffs in 2024/25? The Cowboys overtook the Philadelphia Eagles to take top spot in the NFC East last year but were outplayed and outfought in the opening round by the Green Bay Packers.
The Eagles went out with a whimper too to the Tampa Ba Buccaneers, leaving the NFC East with plenty to prove once again going into 2024/25. Dak Prescott looked to be reaching his top level and CeeDee Lamb is showing his ability as a star wide receiver in the league.
Despite some star power, they are lacking quality throughout the roster which really came to light in the playoffs. Some more work from Jerry Jones and his staff to support their key players with the right additions and help the Cowboys reach the glory they firmly believe they deserve.
While the odds and the prospects of every side in the NFL will switch and change throughout the summer with the Draft, Free-Agency and training camp issues, every side will be looking to improve more than their rivals for 2024/25
