Changes welcomed in fluctuating NFL

By David Mullen

The 2025 NFL season will be remembered for the changing of the guard. And the quarterback. And the coach.

After seasons of relative predictability, at this point in the season, the NFL playoff picture has rarely been this erratic. Before the season, it was safe to assume that the usual suspects in the AFC — the Kansas City Chiefs, Baltimore Ravens and Buffalo Bills — and in the NFC — the Philadelphia Eagles, Detroit Lions and San Francisco 49ers — would be lining up for their annual playoff runs. But the season has seen a rise in upstart teams and a regression of the perennial powerhouses, creating a twisted picture puzzle where the pieces have yet to fall into place.

Gone from the playoff run is Kansas City — the NFL super team — for the first time since 2014. Thus far in the 2020s, six Super Bowls have been played. The Chiefs have appeared in five of them, winning three. On Sunday, Feb. 8, 2026, KC won’t be watching the Super Bowl from the sidelines at Levi’s Stadium in Santa Clara, Calif., but more likely from a beach bar in Cancun.   

Age and injuries caught up with the Chiefs. Three-time Super Bowl MVP, two-time NFL MVP and Tyler native QB Patrick Mahomes is out for the season with an ACL tear. All-Pro tight end Travis Kelce seems to have his mind elsewhere, like he is planning to marry a pop star. And the once invincible coach Andy Reid appears weary. Everything’s not up to date in Kansas City.    

As long as Lamar Jackson is at QB, the Ravens have been playoff locks in the AFC North. But Baltimore has been reeling. Their defense is suspect and their offense has been lethargic at best, as if Rip Van Winkle is the offensive coordinator. The Ravens are currently at .500 and ninth in the playoff picture spot where seven teams move into the postseason. Baltimore had better wake up before the alarm sounds. 

The Indianapolis Colts have turned to Philip Rivers to keep their fading AFC South playoff hopes alive, after losing QB Daniel Jones to a torn Achilles tendon. A father of 10 and a grandfather of one, the 44-year-old Rivers hadn’t played in five years and is the third oldest QB to start a game after George Blanda and Tom Brady.   

It didn’t take head coach Sean Payton long to help turn around the Denver Broncos, currently on an 11- game winning streak and atop the AFC West. Dallas Cowboys fans begged for the owner/GM Jerry Jones to hire Payton, who wanted to come to DFW. Jones knew better and Dallas’ loss has been Denver’s gain. The Los Angeles Chargers also appear to be playoff bound, meaning two AFC West teams will enter the playoffs not named Kansas City.

Buffalo is also fighting for their playoff lives, looking up at the upstart New England Patriots — another changing of the guard team — in the AFC East. And two teams in the AFC South, the Houston Texans and Jacksonville Jaguars, are playing to their potential after rocky starts. The Texans’ defense is the NFL’s best and future playoff opponents do not want to face them.

In the NFC East, the Eagles will represent the division after subpar seasons in Dallas, Washington and New York. The Giants fired head coach Brian Daboll after a 2-8 start. Washington has battled with injuries. And the Cowboys, led by rookie head coach Brian Schottenheimer and veteran QB Dak Prescott, have the best offense and worst defense in the NFL. On average, Dallas scores 29 points per game while giving up 30. No calculator is needed to figure out that equation.

The Detroit Lions have been a disappointment in the NFC North, allowing the newcomer Chicago Bears and Green Bay Packers to serge to the top. The NFC West is football’s best division, with Highland Park’s Matthew Stafford leading the Los Angeles Rams and emerging as a frontrunner for the league MVP. The Seahawks are eyeing the Rams for first place, while the San Francisco 49ers are still a playoff team despite physical injuries and mental cases.

Calling the NFC South mediocre is being too kind. The Tampa Bay Buccaneers and Carolina Panthers are playing with Nerf footballs, not pigskins, in a powerless struggle to the top. In a 17-game regular season, a losing record could win the division. The Atlanta Falcons and New Orleans Saints have already been eliminated and can join the Chiefs on their beach of choice in January.  

Has the current upheaval — the changing of the guard — made the NFL less popular? On Thanksgiving, a matchup of two teams now out of the playoffs — the Chiefs and the Cowboys — drew a regular season record 57.2 million viewers on CBS. It was the most watched regular season ever in the history of the league.

Change can be good.