Which National Football League Teams are Looking Like Contenders in the 2025-2026 Season?

A breakdown of the top six NFL contenders this upcoming season.

Aitan Dorsky, Staff Reporter • July 6, 2025

This is a picture of San Francisco 49ers Quarterback Brock Purdy who is looking for a bounce back season after missing the playoffs last year. (Photo Credit: Jar-Lar, CC BY-SA 4.0 , via Wikimedia Commons)

Coming into this next NFL season, there are some new teams that look like they could win it all. Let’s look at the Super Bowl Contenders going into this NFL season.

Philadelphia Eagles

I have to start with last year’s Super Bowl champions, as they had a great offseason, and they are looking like they are on track to the Super Bowl again. They still have one of the best offensive lines, and they kept their dominant defensive pieces from last season. Also, Saquon Barkely is entering his prime and looking to build off of his 2,000 rushing yard season last year, which he achieved despite not playing in the last game of the regular season. The Eagles had the least amount of yards allowed last season, and they were the only team to average under 300 yards allowed per game. Based on the betting odds, the Eagles are the favorites to win the Super Bowl.

Kansas City Chiefs

The Kansas City Chiefs won two out of the last three Super Bowls, and they haven’t changed much about their team. Teams live and die by their quarterback, and Patrick Mahomes is considered one of the greatest of all time. They have kept their core intact and are looking to build off of the great season last year. They were tied for the best record in the NFL last season, and they didn’t lose a single home game. They also won their first 10 games of the season and are looking to repeat their success. They were also the best team in the AFC. The betting odds project the Chiefs will make the Super Bowl again, and they have the second best chances to win it.

Detroit Lions

The Detroit Lions had the best point differential in the NFL by far last season with a point differential of +222. They also scored the most points while allowing the seventh least. They were tied for the best record in the NFL and didn’t lose an away game last year. They came up short in the playoffs, losing to the rookie Jayden Daniels and his Washington Commanders. Jared Goff had the second most passing yards of any quarterback in the NFL, and Jahmyr Gibbs came up fifth in rushing yards in the NFL last year. They had a very strong regular season last year and are looking to build on it. Also, Amon-Ra St. Brown came up fifth in receiving yards last season and cemented himself as one of the top receivers in the game. The Lions defensive back Kerby Joseph led the NFL in interceptions with nine. He also had the highest completion percentage of any quarterback who played over 12 games. They averaged the second most total yards per game as well as second in passing yards per game. Based on the betting odds, the Lions have the fifth best betting odds to win the Super Bowl.

Buffalo Bills

The Buffalo Bills are coming off of a AFC Championship loss last season and having the fifth best record in the NFL. After losing Stefon Diggs, Josh Allen had one of the best seasons of his career and won MVP. The Bills had the best turnover ratio of +24, and were tied for the third best point differential of +157. According to the current Super Bowl betting odds, the Bills have the fourth best odds to win the Super Bowl this upcoming year. The Bills’ path to the playoffs is easy, as they are in one of the worst divisions in the NFL. The Bills have made their team a lot better by adding a lot of wide receiver depth, which will give Josh Allen better weapons this year.

Baltimore Ravens

The Ravens are coming off another early exit in the playoffs last season. They were tied for the sixth best record in the NFL last season. They also scored the third most of any team in the NFL. Their linebacker Roquan Smith had the fifth most tackles of any player in the NFL. Another linebacker on the Ravens, Kyle Van Noy, had the fourth most sacks in the NFL. Also, their defensive back Marlon Humphrey was tied for the third most interceptions in the NFL with six. Also, Derrick Henry had the second most rushing yards in the NFL. The Ravens also averaged the most total yards per game as well as the most rushing yards per game as a team. The Ravens also had the second most sacks of any team last season. In this upcoming season the Ravens have the third best betting odds to win the Super Bowl.

Washington Commanders

The Commanders were tied for the sixth best record in the NFL last season and faced a loss in the NFC Championship game. This was all with Jayden Daniels, a rookie quarterback, at the helm. They averaged the third most rushing yards per game last year. Jayden Daniels is looking to become ever better, after his rookie of the year winning season last year. They scored the fifth most of any team in the NFL last season, while having an average defense last year. They tried to help make their defense better by signing defensive tackle Javon Kinlaw. While the betting odds don’t project that the Commanders will perform well, I completely disagree with them. Jayden Daniels also got another really good weapon with the Commanders acquiring Deebo Samuel.

Bold Predictions

I am now going to make some predictions that aren’t backed up by many statistics.

I think that the San Francisco 49ers will miss out from the playoffs for the second year in a row. They had a very lackluster season last year, and as their players get older, I don’t foresee much change this season.

It’s possible that the Jets will finally end their playoff drought this season. They still have one of the most talented defenses in the NFL, and under their new coaching staff, they have the potential to improve tremendously. Also, their amazing running back duo of Breece Hall and Braelon Allen are entering their prime. With Justin Fields as Quarterback, I think the Jets don’t need to rely on the offensive line as much due to Fields’ mobility. Also, I think Fields will be able to help the Jets pass game, finally getting them to the playoffs this upcoming season.

I believe that the Commanders will make the Super Bowl this upcoming season. In my opinion, the Commanders have only made their team better since last season, and they made the NFC Championship game last year. Jayden Daniels has a full year of experience under his belt, and he will take that step to superstardom this season. I think that their improved team will make the Super Bowl this season, and I think that they can beat most teams that they might play in the Super Bowl this upcoming season.

Contrary to popular belief, I believe that the Dak Prescott led Cowboys championship window is officially closed. Even with their talented team, they still haven’t been able to achieve much with it the past few years. Dak played with extremely talented Cowboys teams in the past, and he has never made it to the Super Bowl. I doubt that they will be able to do it this upcoming season and in the next few seasons.

Coming into this next NFL season, there are some new teams that look like they could win it all. Let’s look at the Super Bowl Contenders going into this NFL season.

About the Contributor

Aitan Dorsky, Staff Reporter

Aitan Dorsky is a Content and Proofreading Editor for ‘The Science Survey’ which means his job is to check to see if the content of the article is true and has no errors. Aitan Dorsky also has to make sure that the content is appropriate for the newspaper as well as looking for spelling, grammar, and punctuation errors. What Aitan finds most appealing about journalism is that he is able to share stories that need to be shared as well as highlighting topics that are underrepresented. Aitan wants to make sure that everybody has a voice and that people know about what is happening in the world, the good and bad. What he finds most appealing about taking photographs that tell a story is that pictures can help readers visualize what is being talked about in the article. Outside of school Aitan is a huge sports fan — especially football — and he also enjoys playing fantasy football. Aitan is also a huge Marvel Comics movie fan and he has seen every Marvel movie in the franchise; his favorite is ‘Thor: Ragnarok.’ Aitan plans on studying journalism in college specifically either sports or investigative journalism, and perhaps also sports broadcasting. In ten years’ time, Aitan sees himself as a graduate of a great university and working for ESPN as either a writer or a reporter.