The 2024 NFL season was an exciting campaign that saw the Denver Broncos return to the playoffs for the first time since 2015, the Washington Commanders make an epic run to the NFC Championship game, and the Philadelphia Eagles win Super Bowl 59 in a dominating fashion against the Kansas City Chiefs.
The 2025 season will showcase fans’ excitement, incredible and dramatic stories, and intense journeys from each team eyeing to reach and win Super Bowl 60 in Santa Clara.
Some teams could be ready to return to the playoffs for the first time in years, while other teams who made the big dance last year might take a big step back in performance at some point during the 2025 regular season. In the NFL, teams have to earn their spot for the playoffs; nothing is ever just handed to them.
Here at TPS, we will explore who will make the playoffs and who will likely miss them.
Here are the 5 NFL Teams Who’ll Likely Miss the Playoffs and 5 NFL Teams Who’ll Make the Playoffs in 2025.
Which of these 10 NFL teams will miss or make the playoffs next season?
Miss the playoffs: Denver Broncos
As good as the Broncos were in the 2024 NFL season, there are a couple of reasons why they could likely miss the playoffs in 2025: Bo Nix could experience that dreaded sophomore slump. The AFC West is a very competitive division, with the Raiders likely improving, thanks to Pete Carroll as head coach, Geno Smith as their quarterback, and drafting Ashton Jeanty.
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The Chargers aren’t slouches either, as they brought in Najee Harris to improve the backfield, and of course, the Kansas City Chiefs currently rule the AFC West with an iron fist and won’t relinquish control of the division to the Broncos anytime soon. The Broncos did sign J. K. Dobbins, who rushed for 905 yards in 2024, but we’ll have to see if he’ll adjust to the Broncos’ offense in 2025, and he has been injury-prone in the past.
It’s equally as important for the Broncos to make sure Nix is 100 percent healthy for the entirety of the 2025 season and doesn’t fall short, after a very good rookie season in 2024. On top of that, the Broncos have a tougher schedule ahead of them, with road games against the Chiefs, the defending Super Bowl champion Philadelphia Eagles, and the Washington Commanders, with all of them continuing to improve and build upon their success from the 2024 season.
Make the playoffs: New England Patriots
Even though the Patriots were a mess in 2024, things are about to change with Mike Vrabel as head coach of the team and Josh McDaniels returning as offensive coordinator, to help Drake Maye improve in 2025. The Patriots signed Stefon Diggs, who will improve the team’s passing attack, and they signed Carlton Davis and Harold Landry, who should improve their defense.
The Patriots also signed veteran offensive linemen like Garrett Bradbury, Yasir Durant, and Morgan Moses, and drafted Will Campbell with the fourth pick of the 2025 NFL Draft to further protect Maye from opposing pass rushes. All of that, and more, spells a recipe for potential success for the Patriots, who could give the Buffalo Bills a bit of a tougher challenge in the AFC East.
The Patriots also have an easy schedule for the 2025 season, which should make the chemistry between Maye and Diggs flourish quite nicely during the regular season. The ball is in the Patriots’ control to potentially escape the last-place abyss and begin their return to the “Evil Empire” status, many fans cringed over during the Tom Brady era.
Miss the playoffs: Pittsburgh Steelers
Even though the Steelers signed DK Metcalf and Aaron Rodgers, they potentially may miss the NFL playoffs due to a very tough AFC North, as per usual, losing key contributors like Najee Harris, and an aging core of players like T. J. Watt and Cam Heyward, which ultimately leads to a decline in performance.
Don’t get it twisted, the Steelers’ defense is a formidable unit, but they can’t do everything to keep the team afloat when the Kansas City Chiefs, Buffalo Bills, and Baltimore Ravens continue to improve their roster with incredible talent. Mike Tomlin is a great coach and has dealt with a lot of wild personalities like Antonio Brown and Le’Veon Bell in the past, and now he has to deal with Aaron Rodgers’ wild and controversial opinions and his frequent appearances on the Pat McAfee Show.
The Steelers also have a tough schedule in 2025, with games against the Buffalo Bills, Green Bay Packers, and Detroit Lions on the docket and divisional matchups with the Ravens, Cleveland Browns, and Cincinnati Bengals as per usual. This is also likely Rodgers’ final season in the NFL, as the Steelers must find a solution at quarterback after the 2025 season.
Make the playoffs: Tennessee Titans
The Will Levis project failed. He had more memorable performances promoting mayonnaise and memes that will live forever on the internet. It is officially Cam Ward’s time to shine in Nashville. Ward is stepping into a Titans unit with an improved offense with Tyler Lockett in the lineup and Tony Pollard already on the team, an improved defense under defensive coordinator Dennard Wilson, and an easier schedule in the upcoming 2025 regular season.
The defense should take a nice step forward, but the 2025 season all depends on how Ward adapts to playing in the NFL, as opposed to playing in college. Although the Houston Texans are favored to win the AFC South, the Titans need everything to go right if they want to compete for a playoff spot in 2025.
They have talent, loads of potential, and can reliably cruise past the Jacksonville Jaguars and Indianapolis Colts in the AFC South and sneak into the NFL playoffs as a wildcard team. We can’t wait to see what strides Ward and the Titans will make in the 2025 regular season.
Miss the playoffs: Minnesota Vikings
As exciting and powerful as the 2024 Vikings were to watch, the 2025 Vikings have many more questions than answers, and could come back down to earth when the 2025 season is all said and done. With Sam Darnold gone, will J. J. McCarthy replicate Darnold’s production from 2024? Will McCarthy be able to stay healthy during the 2025 season?
The Vikings also have a difficult schedule, as the team will face the AFC North teams and have three straight weeks of facing off with the NFC East teams. Some analysts predict the Vikings’ defense might regress in 2025, due to roster turnover, as Camryn Bynum, Jerry Tillery, and Patrick Jones II are not on the team, even though Brian Flores is a great defensive coordinator.
The NFC North is very competitive, as we saw in 2024. We’ll just have to wait and see how everything plays out. On top of that, McCarthy will square off against some of the NFL’s most elite defenses from the Baltimore Ravens, Pittsburgh Steelers, and Philadelphia Eagles, and the Vikings’ defense will have to face off against the third-hardest set of opposing offenses in 2025.
Make the playoffs: San Francisco 49ers
After dealing with an injury-plagued season in 2024, key players like Christian McCaffrey, Nick Bosa, and Brandon Aiyuk will return to the lineup for a refresh in the 2025 season. The 49ers have a much easier schedule in 2025, where they’ll square off against teams like the New York Giants, Carolina Panthers, and New Orleans Saints, who each finished with losing records in 2024, and the team still has an incredible coaching staff led by Kyle Shanahan, ready to pull some new tricks out of his hat.
Brock Purdy will continue to mature under Shanahan’s system, as the team must try to stay healthy in 2025 for a stronger run towards finishing in first place in the NFC West. The 49ers also have Robert Saleh back as defensive coordinator, and his defense will do wonders with Fred Warner, Nick Bosa, and former Super Bowl champion Bryce Huff in the lineup, making for a unit ready to strike fear against opposing offenses in 2025.
The odds of the 49ers returning to the NFL playoffs are in their favor. We just have to see what they’ll accomplish during the regular season.
Miss the playoffs: Detroit Lions
Just hear us out. Yes, the Lions are a very well-coached organization under Dan Campbell, but the 2025 Lions will be without offensive coordinator Ben Johnson and defensive coordinator Aaron Glenn, who are now the head coaches of the Chicago Bears and New York Jets, respectively. On top of that, the Lions might see some significant regression from key players on the roster.
The Lions also have a tougher schedule in 2025, as they’re set to square off against teams like the Philadelphia Eagles, Kansas City Chiefs, Baltimore Ravens, and have an NFC Divisional Round rematch against the Washington Commanders.
The Lions won a great number of close games in 2024, and it might be tougher in 2025. Jared Goff has been very good for the Lions, but he must take the next step in his career. Will his play improve or regress without Ben Johnson calling the plays? We’ll have to wait and see when the 2025 season kicks off.
Make the playoffs: Las Vegas Raiders
Listen up on this one. There are a few signs of optimism for the “Silver and Black” to make the NFL playoffs. The team has Pete Carroll as head coach, John Spytek as general manager, who helped the Tampa Bay Buccaneers win Super Bowl 55 from the front office, and has Geno Smith at quarterback. The Raiders drafted Ashton Jeanty with the sixth pick of the 2025 NFL Draft to improve the rushing attack.
The wide receiver room remains a bit questionable outside of Jakobi Meyers, but the Raiders still have Brock Bowers, who will continue to shine in the team’s passing attack and should develop some great on-field chemistry with Smith as his quarterback. Going back to the Raiders hiring Carroll, he has had success no matter where he coached, whether it was with the USC Trojans or the Seattle Seahawks, and was named the second most likely head coach to have a successful season by NFL Scout Brent Sobleski. We can’t wait to see what the new look Raiders can accomplish during the 2025 season.
Miss the playoffs: Los Angeles Rams
As good as the 2024 Rams were, they have a much tougher schedule for the 2025 season, and will square off against competitive teams like the Baltimore Ravens, Tampa Bay Buccaneers, Detroit Lions, and the defending Super Bowl champion Philadelphia Eagles. Matthew Stafford is still playing well, but he isn’t getting any younger, and if he or anyone else on the roster suffers any injury setbacks, then kiss their playoff odds goodbye.
The Rams’ defense could also see some regression, but Jared Verse is a beast and should continue to play very well. If the Rams start the season slowly, it could spell problems for their postseason hopes. The Rams also released fan favorite Cooper Kupp, who signed with their NFC West rivals, the Seattle Seahawks, increasing the competitive nature between the two divisional foes.
On top of that, the competition in the NFC is expected to be even more competitive, as the Green Bay Packers, Buccaneers, Eagles, and San Francisco 49ers have shown great signs of improvement during the offseason. The Rams did sign veteran wide receiver Davante Adams, but we’ll have to see how he’ll perform in Sean McVay’s system.
Make the playoffs: Chicago Bears
As bad as the Bears had been in 2024, they took some positive steps in the right direction during the 2025 offseason. The Bears snatched Ben Johnson out of “the Motor City” and hired him as the head coach. They added strong and experienced offensive linemen with Drew Dalman, Jonah Jackson, and Joe Thuney to help further develop Caleb Williams, and drafted impact playmakers in Colston Loveland and Luther Burden III in the 2025 NFL Draft.
The Bears’ defense also got a bit of a boost with the additions of Grady Jarrett and Dayo Odeyingbo to further strengthen the unit, coached by defensive coordinator Dennis Allen. It won’t be easy for the Bears, in an ultra-competitive NFC North, but where there’s a will, there’s a way, and the Bears have the potential to be a dark-horse playoff contender, thanks to their transactions and hires during the 2025 offseason.
The odds may be against the Bears, but we have seen some unexpected NFL teams make a serious run towards the NFL playoffs, like the 2017 Jacksonville Jaguars. The ball is in the Bears’ field.
