The New Look Jets

 

This past Sunday, the New York Jets kicked off their 2025 NFL season at home against the Pittsburgh Steelers. The game ended in a loss for New York, but there were a ton of positive takeaways from this showdown. 

In years past, the usual highlights for the Jets have been on the defensive side of the ball, but that couldn't be further from the truth on Sunday. Gang Green's offense showed out in Justin Fields' debut in East Rutherford. 

Justin Fields accounted for over 260 scrimmage yards and 3 touchdowns as well. For a quarterback that was wrote off by a lot of people throughout the NFL, that is a pretty good debut with his new team. 

Fields was able to get his two top weapons heavily involved as Breece Hall went for over 100 rushing yards and Garrett Wilson got in the end zone and nearly hit the century mark as well. 

The offensive line played great and the debut of Armand Membou could not have gone any better. In a tough task against the league's best, TJ Watt, Membou absolutely dominated and lived up to the first round selection the Jets thought they were getting. 

Tbe offense accounted for 32 points which is the most points the Steelers defense has let up since 2022. In addition, it is also the most points the Jets have ever scored in their matchup history with the Pittsburgh Steelers. 

While the offense showed out, the defense unfortunately did not do its job. The main weak point in the defense was the secondary. Cornerback Brandon Stephens and safety Andre Cisco were the main targets for Aaron Rodgers and he succeeded almost every time. 

Rodgers threw for four touchdowns in his first game against his former team. While the secondary didn't do its job, the interior of the defense did almost all they could. The Williams brothers and Will McDonald especially all balled out. 

But the question is can the Jets put it all together? In a huge upcoming matchup against the Buffalo Bills, the Jets will once again face another future hall of fame quarterback in Josh Allen. If the secondary is unable to perform, it is going to be a long day for Gang Green this upcoming Sunday. 

Team Preview: Dallas Cowboys

 

After an extremely underwhelming 7-10 season for the Cowboys in 2024, Dallas looks to make a statement to kick off the 2025 season against the defending Super Bowl champion Philadelphia Eagles. 

Recently, Dallas was involved in a blockbuster trade that sent their superstar, Micah Parsons, to the Green Bay Packers. The Cowboys and Parsons had not been on good terms for some time now and the final straw fell once Jerry Jones decided to deal him to Green Bay. 

Parsons, one of the best if not the best, defensive player in the game will now receive $47 million per year from the Green Bay Packers after Dallas refused to negotiate that high with him. Parsons is now the highest paid non-quarterback in the NFL. 

Many people around the league question the Cowboys decision to not give Parsons what he wanted. Was it stubbornness on Jerry Jones' end, or was there more to it behind the scenes? I suppose only time will tell and the truth will come out eventually. 

After five years and three playoff appearances with head coach Mike McCarthy, Dallas decided to look a different way this offseason. The Cowboys decided to remain in house and promoted their offensive coordinator to the head coaching position.

Brian Schottenheimer is the guy that is taking over for Mike McCarthy. Under Schottenheimer, the Cowboys have had a pretty efficient offense and for Jerry Jones, it was good enough to promote him to become the next head coach of the Dallas Cowboys. 

After finishing third in the NFC East in 2024, the Cowboys will have to trek their way up the division once again in 2025. Being in a division with the two teams that were in the NFC Championship a year ago will be no cakewalk for Dallas. 

Dallas did bring in star wide receiver George Pickens to pair with CeeDee Lamb. Pickens' time in Pittsburgh was all but up until the Cowboys traded for him this offseason. Lamb and Pickens will come into the new season as one of the best wide receiver duos in the NFL. 

The Cowboys are hoping and praying for a healthy season for their quarterback Dak Prescott. It sounds cliche as a quarterback, but Dak really is the glue that keeps this team together. In the seasons in which Prescott sustained bad injuries, the Cowboys season went the same way. 

After the reunion with Ezekiel Elliott went not so well, Dallas decided to revamp their running back room. For the time being it seems that Javonte Williams will be the RB1 in Dallas followed by Miles Sanders and Jaydon Blue. Since Tony Pollard's departure, the rushing production has not been anywhere near good for Dallas. 

Dallas ranked as one of the worst teams in defensive production back in 2024. And to make matters worse, they lost their best defensive player in Micah Parsons. So where to go now? I don't really see the plan for this Cowboys defense. 

In years past, their high scoring offense has outweighed their lackluster defense but is that really sustainable in today's NFL? Dallas hasn't made the NFC Championship in almost 30 years. Maybe it's time for a new mindset and face in the front office. I know Cowboys fans will agree with me on that one. 

Team Preview: Philadelphia Eagles

 

The defending Super Bowl champion Philadelphia Eagles will officially kick off the 2025 NFL season on Thursday night against the Dallas Cowboys. Jalen Hurts and Saquon Barkley will look to continue the Eagles prowess in 2025. 

After capturing a Super Bowl title, it's pretty hard for a team to get better. The best the Eagles could do this offseason was maintaining the core that they have had so much success with. 

In fact, most of the Eagles offense remained intact over the 2025 offseason. The dynamic duo of AJ Brown and Devonta Smith will enter yet another year together in Philadelphia. 

No one is happier than Jalen Hurts and the Eagles that the tush push is back for another season. There was a vote to take the overpowering play out of the game itself, yet it was not passed by the number of teams necessary. 

After racking up over 2000 rushing yards and having one of the best rushing seasons ever, Saquon Barkley earned himself a two year contract extension with the Eagles on top of his remaining two years on his current contract. 

As the Eagles decided to extend the anchor of their offense, they did the same for their defense when they extended Zack Baun. Baun's contract was extended another three years just a day after the Eagles spent another $40 million on Saquon Barkley. 

Baun had a career season in 2024 after racking up the third most tackles in the NFL and forcing five fumbles as well. Surrounded by such a young linebacker core, Baun is the perfect guy to have in the middle of that group. 

Philadelphia put it all together last season after ranking #1 in total defense throughout the league. The Eagles defense let up an average of 278 yards per game. To put this in perspective, the next closest team allowed over 311 yards per game.

This type of production will most certainly get the Eagles back to the promise land which they were in not too long ago. The quest for a back to back will kick off on Thursday Night at Lincoln Financial Field against the Dallas Cowboys. 

Team Preview: Denver Broncos

 

The surprise team from a year ago, the Denver Broncos come into the 2025 season looking to make a statement in the AFC. The Broncos look to improve after making their first postseason appearance since 2015 a season ago. 

Denver finished 3rd in the AFC West in 2024, good enough for the last wild card spot in the AFC Playoffs. However, it was a quick playoff stint for them as they got routed by the Buffalo Bills in the 1st round. 

Now entering his second NFL season, Bo Nix turned a lot of heads across the National Football League after capturing 10 wins in his rookie season. If it weren't for a masterclass of a season from Jayden Daniels, Nix would have easily been claimed the NFL Offensive Rookie of the Year. 

Nix will have a new running back corps to work with in JK Dobbins and RJ Harvey. Harvey, rookie out of UCF, and Dobbins, an experienced back, could prove to be a deadly duo up in the Mile High city. 

The Broncos also acquired another buddy for Bo Nix after signing tight end Evan Engram. In his recent years in Jacksonville, Engram proved to be one of the more consistent pass catching tight ends in the NFL. 

Engram, Harvey, and Dobbins will look to improve the Broncos' overall offensive rankings after Denver ranked towards the bottom of the NFL in this category a season ago. 

On the other hand, Denver thrived on the defensive side of the ball. The defense, lead by Pat Surtain II, ranked 7th in total defense in the entire league in 2024. Additionally, the Broncos added some highly talented players to headline the defensive corps. 

Denver signed two key veterans in Talanoa Hufanga and Dre Greenlaw. The two former 49ers come over to an already stacked Denver defense looking to give opposing offenses nightmares. 

Will the Broncos regress or improve after a surprising season in 2024? Will the AFC West finally crown another champion not named the Kansas City Chiefs? Bo Nix and Sean Payton are all eyes ahead on the prosperous future for the Denver Broncos. 

Team Preview: Miami Dolphins

 

As the season approaches, the Miami Dolphins look to get back to the playoffs and win their first playoff game since 2000. For a team that thrives on speed, let's see who the Dolphins swim past this upcoming season. 

Miami had a relatively quiet offseason after failing to make the postseason a year ago. The speedy corps of Tyreek Hill, Jaylen Waddle, and De'Von Achane will headline this Dolphins offseason once again despite finishing last season with a record of 8-9. 

There has always been critics of the quarterback situation down in Miami with Tua Tagovailoa leading the squad. Tua now enters his sixth season as the quarterback of the Dolphins and is in the second season of his $212 million contract.

Tagovailoa's career in Miami has been decimated by brutal injuries and horrible mistakes to count for. As he comes into his sixth season with the Dolphins, he has yet to bring the team past the 1st round of the playoffs. Many believe that this could finally be the make or break year for Tua in Miami. 

The biggest transaction the Dolphins made this offseason was a rare player for player swap with the Pittsburgh Steelers. Miami moved on from All-Pro cornerback Jalen Ramsey, and brought back Minkah Fitzpatrick for a reunion with the team that originally drafted him.

With both players on the outskirts of their primes, this deal is not as significant as it would've been just a couple seasons ago. Fitzpatrick will join a totally revamped secondary after the departure of many key veterans. 

A couple of seasons ago, it looked like the AFC East was up for grabs for Miami, but their time has certainly ran out. I believe Miami could be a fringe playoff team, possibly grabbing a wild card spot, but that is only if Tua is able to lead them in the right direction. 

Team Preview: Chicago Bears

 

Year 2 of Caleb Williams and the Chicago Bears is soon to be underway as the NFL season nears. After a 1st season that ended very underwhelming, the Bears are looking to bounce back and climb their way up the tough NFC North. 

One of the most hyped up quarterback prospects ever, Caleb Williams will look to turn the tides in 2025. There were a lot of big expectations for Williams that he did not meet in 2024, but there is still plenty of time for him to turn it around. 

Williams will be surrounded by an entirely different system this year after the Bears hired Ben Johnson to take over as head coach. Chicago saw Johnson's ultimate success in Detroit as the Lions' offensive coordinator and decided to steal him from their inner division rivals. 

The first thing Chicago did this offseason was revamp their offensive line. Their first three orders of business were trading for guards Joe Thuney and Jonah Jackson, and signing Drew Dalman as well to take over center. Thuney, Dalman, and Jackson will fill the large gaps on this Bears new offensive line. 

Last year the Bears ranked 26th in rushing offense, one of their glaring struggles to complete their 5-12 season in 2024. D'Andre Swift will look for a bounce back year in Chicago behind his new body guards. 

Chicago used the draft to their advantage after drafting two key offensive weapons. With their first pick, the Bears selected Colston Loveland, a tight end out of Michigan. Loveland was highly regarded as one of the most talented tight ends in this year's class, so the Bears were not willing to pass up talent like that. 

In the 2nd round, Luther Burden was taken off the board, one of the fastest and shiftiest receivers in this past year's draft class. Burden will add to an already stacked receiving corps consisting of DJ Moore and Rome Odunze. 

Contributing to the woes of the Bears 5-12 season in 2024 was their defense as well. Luckily for Chicago, they improved a whole lot. Signing Grady Jarrett to man the defensive line alongside Montez Sweat was just the start. 

Chicago also signed Dayo Odeyingbo and extended Kyler Gordon to keep their secondary intact for years to come. On paper, the Bears are looking like a team that most will not have a fun time running into. At the same time, a lot of us were saying the same thing just a year ago. 

Nothing is going to come easy this season to Chicago, especially when 6 of their 17 games will come against NFC North foes. Will this be the year that the Bears break their playoff drought and make it back to the NFC Playoffs?

Team Preview: Arizona Cardinals

After an 8-9 campaign for the Cardinals in 2024, Arizona looks to climb up the NFC West in 2025. With a third place finish last season in the NFC West, the Cardinals forecasted some promising stars for the future. 

It's hard to believe but Kyler Murray is entering his seventh year in Arizona as the Cardinals starting quarterback. Murray has stuck with the Cardinals through the thick and thin as he enters his third season with Jonathan Gannon calling the plays for Arizona. 

The Cardinals have done a great job surrounding their franchise quarterback with talent all around him. It seems like year after year James Conner just continues to get better, despite entering his ninth NFL season.  During his 5 seasons as a Cardinal, Conner has provided consistent success on the ground game. 

Through the air, Kyler Murray will have Trey McBride and Marvin Harrison Jr. by his side. After an underwhelming first season for Harrison, many expect the young wide receiver to break out in 2025. 

This is especially due to the fact that this offense also contains Trey McBride as he constantly is known as a huge threat in the passing game. McBride is coming off his first 1000 yard season and got rewarded with a four-year contract extension this offseason. 

Arizona ranked 11th in the NFL in total offense in 2024. After retaining their top weapons, the Cardinals will look to put up similar numbers to a year ago. What unfortunately did not rank as high was the defensive corps for the Cardinals. 

Arizona addressed this problem and bulked up on defense this offseason. The first five draft picks the Cardinals had in the 2025 NFL Draft were made up of defensive players. Arizona took arguably one of the best cornerback prospects in this previous draft in Will Johnson.

Johnson will be inserted as a potential starting cornerback for the Cardinals in 2025. They also selected Walter Nolen, a defensive tackle out of Ole Miss. Along with Nolen, Arizona added Josh Sweat and Dalvin Tomlinson to bolster their front seven even further. 

Most of the glaring gaps on the defensive side of the football were filled with lots of talent and promise for 2025. On paper, Arizona looks much improved from a year ago, but will it be enough to get out of the tough NFC West and clinch a top 7 seed in the NFC?