By – Bucs Report – Special to Sports Talk Florida

The NFL is a peculiar league. Due to the format of its playoffs, a selected few teams play in late January while the rest of the league is preparing for the next season as we speak. This article will discuss team performance to watch in the upcoming year without focusing on the big teams, with established QBs almost guaranteed to perform next year. Yes, we know, nothing is guaranteed in the NFL, and the league of ‘parity’ always finds a way to surprise us.

Making predictions this early in the year is always ungrateful, but we will do our best to pinpoint teams that should be tracked in 2025. Will they perform up to standard? Who knows? It is too early if you want to make a safe NFL bet for the 2025 season. But if you bet on these playoffs, you can check out the odds at Stake.com and place your bet. In the meantime, read what we have to say about the upcoming 2025 NFL season and which team performance you must be privy to.

Denver Broncos

Sean Payton proved once again that he belongs to the top echelon of the NFL coaches. When he took over, the Broncos weren’t in a good spot. It took Payton only a few seasons to establish a culture and deliver the first playoff appearance to the Broncos in the last 10 years. The best part of his short tenure in Denver is that the franchise has found its QB in Bo Nix. Former Oregon Ducks and Auburn Tigers QB is nominated for the Rookie of the Year reward, and he looks poised to win it.

Many issues disappear for NFL franchises once the QB is there, but it’s even better than that for Denver. The Broncos were one of the teams with the worst cap situation in 2024. Many of those issues will be gone in 2025, and the team will have the funds to strengthen itself. Add the two things we stated above to the fact that the Broncos have one of the better and younger defenses in the league, and ladies and gentlemen, you get yourself a contender. The Broncos are, without a doubt, a team to be watched in 2025.

Tampa Bay Buccaneers

While Baker Mayfield still has plenty of doubters at more than a few moments last season, he appeared like an MVP candidate. Mayfield is not in that tier of QBs where Josh Allen, Patrick Mahomes, or Lamar Jackson are in the league. Still, he has enough poise to take his team if circumstances are right. This year, the Buccaneers failed to walk with a home win against the Washington Commanders in the world card round of the NFL playoffs, and the disappointment of their fan base is immeasurable. Losing on a last-second field goal is never easy, but we believe the Bucs will return more muscular than last year.

The Mayfield/Evans duo can still deliver. The running game has strengths with the Rookie of the Year candidate in Bucky Irving. The lines are strong in Tampa on both sides of the ball, and if they fare well in the draft, we could have a good Buccaneers team competing against them next year. Of course, the uncertainty about the trust in the coach Todd Bowles remains, but that matter will be resolved in the offseason.

Dallas Cowboys

There is never a dull day in Dallas with Jerry Jones. After the Cowboys released their head coach, Mike McCarthy, the coaching position was opened in Dallas. It is funny to know that coaching in Dallas is one of football’s best and worst jobs. It is a premium position, but it comes with a meddling owner in Jones. Whoever gets to be the coach in Dallas will have an established QB in Dak Prescott and a defense on an upswing led by Mike Zimmer and Micah Parsons. CeDe Lamb is one of the league’s premium receivers, and he will be a joy to watch next year.

Of course, there are question marks about the overall roster quality, but a new coach will have a chance to leave his imprint during the draft and the offseason. Considering the situation in the NFC East with a dominating Philly team and the Commanders on the quest, the Cowboys will once again be playing in the league’s most interesting division.

San Francisco 49ers

A team with a vast potential or one with a closing window? Which is it? It is a tricky question and even more challenging to answer. The 49ers are a good team. Kyle Shanahan is one of the best coaches in the league and an offensive guru. The 49ers have been good on both sides of the ball and have been a regular contender for years. So, what’s the issue? Well, injuries are. The 49ers were devastated by injuries in 2024.

We can only hope that the injury bug will be avoided in 2025. If this happens, they are poised to be one of the best teams in the league. When you have the likes of Brock Purdy, Nick Bosa, Samuel Deebo, George Kittle, Dre Greenlaw, Fred Warner, Christian McCaffrey, and Brandon Aiyuk, nothing less is expected from your team than to win games. If you’re into sports betting, this is a good moment to bet on the 49ers to reach the NFC Conference Final. That’s how much faith we have in Kyle and his schemes.

Cincinnati Bengals

A one-person army. Let us correct ourselves on this one – a two-person army. Joe Burrow and Ja’Marr Chase are some of the best, if not the best, quarterbacks/wide receivers in the league. After winning the triple receiving crown, Chase showed he is in a league of his own. Burrow would have been a top MVP candidate if the Bengals weren’t abysmal. Individually, these two are better than half the league. The Bengals were awful on defense this year. The offense couldn’t score enough, as the defense was leaking left and right. Despite this, Burrow took them one step away from the playoffs. In the offseason, the Bengals have too many holes to patch to compete, but they will be a fun team to watch. We say this because of the Burrow/Chase connection. Whatever happens, these two will deliver, as we saw this year.

Carolina Panthers

Panthers have been among the worst NFL teams in the last few years. Early in the year, they drafted a bust at QB with Bryce Young. He even lost the starting position to Andy Dalton. While we all knew that the Red Rifle wasn’t the answer, it was believed that Young’s confidence was shattered and his days in the league numbered. Instead, we got a man who faced adversity and beat it. With Dave Canales in his ear late in the year, the Panthers were a team to watch. Young had a stellar after-stellar performance, showing that he’s the man in Carolina.

The Panthers are a long way from competing. Still, with a long offseason in front of us, the NFL draft, and the overall solid team that the Panthers have, they will make the NFC South more interesting. The Panthers are behind both Buccaneers and Falcons, but they will have a better record than 5-12 next year. We can guarantee that. While the Falcons have massive expectations for next year and their young QB, Michael Penix Jr., the NFC South will also be decided between the Bucs and the Panthers.

Los Angeles Chargers

No one wanted early playoffs for the Chargers this year, yet they were torn apart by the Houston Texans. The Chargers had a fine regular season, led by Justin Herbert and Jim Harbaugh. They exited the playoffs in the Wild Card round, and there’s nothing to be ashamed of, especially considering that this is Harbaugh’s first season back in the NFL. Herbert is one of the best quarterbacks in the league, and we’re sure these two will be on a good path to dominating the league in the coming years. NFL Predictions are already putting them as one of the top teams in the league even before the start of the league year.

We are sure the Chargers will never struggle offensively as long as Herbert is there. They could do better on the defense, but even now, with Derwin James Jr. leading the way, they can deliver on any given day. Another offseason for Jim Harbaugh, and he will have this team firing on all cylinders.

Jacksonville Jaguars

Jaguars are another team looking for their identity. The Jags are a fun team to watch yearly, but it is often for all the wrong reasons. The last few years have been a circus, to put it that way. The Urban Meyer fiasco has not yet been forgotten, and they’re moving away from their coach again. Doug Pederson tried his best and failed. Trevor Lawrence entered the league as a generational QB prospect and the No. 1 Draft pick. So far, he hasn’t delivered on massive expectations.

It is unfair to put a QB in Jacksonville and expect them to carry a dysfunctional franchise. At times, Lawrence looked good and better than average. But at no moment during his Jaguars career was he dealt a good hand. When he had receivers, he lacked the O-Line; when both were there, the running game was nonexistent. We’re not even going to mention their defense.

Plenty left to be desired in Jacksonville, and matters could finally get better with a new coach. Lawrence will have the offseason to heal, and with the not-so-great AFC South division, he will have a chance to get back into the playoffs.

New England Patriots

For over two decades, the New England Patriots were the boogeyman of the league. The era of Bill Belichick and Tom Brady ended a few years ago, and the Patriots quickly fell into mediocrity. It isn’t easy to part ways with the best QB of all time and then do the same with your coach. While Brady proved that they had some fuel left in the tank and won another title with the Buccaneers, in the end, it was time for Bill to leave the Patriots, too. It’s not like they did any better than under Belichick in the last few years, as Jerod Mayo was fired after only one season. Now, another familiar face is in the building.

Mike Vrabel was hired as the new Patriots head coach. He is more than familiar with the Patriot’s way. He is brought in to implement the culture again and to make the Patriot’s defense a powerhouse in the league. The same as when Vrabel was an LB for the Patriots. The team has plenty of flaws, but all of them can be fixed if Drake Maye is their man at QB. The youngster showed promise last season but was given little to work with. With a new coach, another offseason, and the draft ahead, he could be given weapons to see what he has in store. Of course, people will always argue that a defensive coach can’t help a QB. However, we still believe that the Patriots must be monitored in 2025, as they will surprise many people.

Bottom Line

NFL season is short, but the offseason is long. Every prediction we made here might come to fruition, or we might fail miserably. It is too early to tell. But for most teams, the offseason has already started, and the playoffs will be over as you blink for most franchises. The team we listed above has that asterisk over them. They are only a few moves or one big leap from being relevant once again or reaching that next step and becoming a team to be feared come to the playoffs in January of 2026. Trust us when we say it, one of the Buccaneers, Broncos, Cowboys, Panthers, Jaguars, Chargers, Bengals, 49ers, or Patriots will surprise the football world next year.

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