Another NFL season looms large, and the league’s landscape is brimming with intriguing narratives and plenty of unanswered questions. The new campaign will get underway on September 4th when the Philadelphia Eagles host the Dallas Cowboys at the Linc in the 2025 kickoff game. And online NFL betting sites make the Birds the team to beat once again next year.
Philly marched into last season’s Super Bowl LIX as narrow underdogs to beat the history-seeking Kansas City Chiefs. We all remember how that went, with a ruthless defense led by Cooper DeJean coupled with an MVP-winning performance from quarterback Jalen Hurts, handing the Eagles the Lombardi in dominant fashion. Now, they are heavily favoured for further glory.
The latest NFL betting at Bovada odds currently makes Nick Sirianni’s men a short-priced +600 betting favourite to reign supreme in San Francisco next February. While that is certainly a story to monitor as the campaign progresses, what are the biggest stories as we head into the new season? Let’s take a look.
Can the Kansas City Chiefs Bounce Back?
For the Kansas City Chiefs, last season was supposed to be historic. After back-to-back Super Bowl victories in the two prior seasons, the Arrowhead outfit appeared virtually unstoppable. They entered 2024 as the short-priced favorites to complete their hunt for an unprecedented three-peat, and, for much of the season, it looked as though destiny was indeed wearing red and gold.
KC stormed through the regular season with an impressive 15-2 record. In the playoffs, they managed to comfortably dispatch the Houston Texans before edging out the Buffalo Bills and punching their ticket to a third consecutive Big Game. However, their championship aspirations were about to hit a brick wall in the form of the Eagles.
Led by a dominant defensive front and Jalen Hurts at the peak of his powers, Philly humiliated the former champions in a shocking 40-22 rout, and even that scoreline flattened the AFC heavyweights somewhat. The mercurial Patrick Mahomes, normally so reliable under pressure, found himself battered and bruised behind a collapsing offensive line, simply powerless to resist as the Birds romped to the crown.
Heading into 2025, one question hovers like a storm cloud over Arrowhead: Can the Chiefs bounce back? The pieces are still in place, with Mahomes still without question the best quarterback in the league. He is bolstered by the retention of superstar tight end Travis Kelce and an emerging cast of younger talent led by Xavier Worthy.
Yet Super Bowl scars run deep. If Andy Reid’s men begin to doubt themselves after their mauling on the grandest stage, the conference heavyweights such as the Buffalo Bills and the Baltimore Ravens will be chomping at the bit to inflict more damage on the once unflappable kings.
Does Aaron Rodgers Have Anything Left in the Tank?
At 41 years old, Aaron Rodgers has ventured into uncharted waters, joining a Pittsburgh Steelers team in search of its first playoff win since 2016. But can the four-time MVP deliver a final masterpiece, or is this another chapter in a fading legend’s twilight?
A-Rod’s resume speaks for itself, especially his 17-year tenure with the Green Bay Packers. His precision passing, mobility, and leadership helped cement him as one of the all-time greats, securing him four MVP awards and a championship ring in 2010. But his recent years have been far more erratic. Two disastrous seasons with the Jets cast doubt on whether he still has the ability to lead a team to glory.
Pittsburgh, however, represents a completely different stage. The Black and Yellow have just signed Rodgers to a one-year deal, and there are certainly hopes that the veteran can thrive at Acrisure Stadium.
The Steelers boast one of the league’s premier defenses, with their 347 points allowed the eighth-best in the league last season. Powerhouse T.J. Watts is considered the anchor, but there is no guarantee he will remain in Pennsylvania next year after a long and arduous contract dispute.
Still, the incoming Rodgers will have a young core of offensive weapons in George Pickens and Najee Harris alongside him. Add to that the exciting additions of wideouts DK Metcalf and Mike Williams, and the pieces of the puzzle are certainly attractive. That said, time remains undefeated.
Few quarterbacks push past 40 with sustained success, and even Rodgers’ trademark cannon arm won’t undo the natural physical deterioration. Both Tom Brady and Peyton Manning did enjoy success following late career moves, but neither of them had a devastating injury to overcome in the twilight of their career. A-Rod did have that, famously going down seven minutes into his debut with the Jets and subsequently missing the entirety of the 2023 campaign.
Rodgers did return in 2024, but he looked a shadow of his former self. Now, the Steelers Nation waits, equally as optimistic as they are nervous. Will this be a return to the electric days that we witnessed in Green Bay, or are we about to watch the swansong of an icon stumbling toward the exit? Only time will tell what 2025 has in store.
