NFL to rave about Baltimore Ravens

By David Mullen

As the 2025 National Football League season draws near, the most noticeable difference between AFC and NFC teams has got to be the men wearing the small numbers and making the big bucks. Quarterbacks reign supreme in the AFC and must manage their teams and stock portfolios with equal aplomb. 

Three-time Super Bowl champion Kansas City’s Patrick Mahomes, 2024 NFL MVP Buffalo’s Josh Allen, two-time MVP Lamar Jackson of Baltimore and 2024 NFL passing leader Cincinnati’s Joe Burrow are all hoping to lead their teams to Super Bowl LX at Levi’s Stadium in Santa Clara, Calif., on Sunday, Feb. 8, 2026. All of the QBs are under 30 years old. All make a minimum of $50 million per season. We may be watching a future Hall of Fame class.

Add established AFC quarterbacks like Justin Herbert of the Chargers ($60 million), Miami’s Tua Tagovailoa ($51 million), Jacksonville‘s Trevor Lawrence ($55 million) and Houston’s  C.J. Stroud, youngsters like Denver’s Bo Nix, New England’s Drake Maye and Tennessee’s Cam Ward and grizzled veterans like Aaron Rodgers of Pittsburgh, Cleveland’s Joe Flacco and the Raiders’ Geno Smith to the mix and the AFC is loaded with passers that can play and get paid at the highest level.

In the AFC East, Buffalo remains the team to beat. 

The Bills are hotter than a plate of Buffalo wings at the Anchor Bar. They are the stars of HBO’s “Hard Knocks” series, playing in their final season at Highmark Stadium before moving across the street and have a lot of pressure to win. Buffalo has an irrefutable hunger to return to the Super Bowl. 

The Bills were 0-4 in Super Bowls from 1991 to 1995 under HOF QB Jim Kelly. With Allen, Buffalo is 0-4 in the postseason against the Chiefs and QB Mahomes. They are a running back away from hoisting the Vince Lombardi Trophy this season. 

The Miami Dolphins, under the most non-coach-like head coach Mike McDaniel, seem to be regressing although an improved defense and the league’s second-easiest schedule will keep them competitive. The Patriots are a team on the rise, led by Maye and an improved wide receiver corp. The New York Jets will be last in the division and first in headlines on the back pages of the New York tabloids. 

Baltimore rules the AFC North, but they will have three interdivision teams looking to knock the Ravens off of their perch. The Steelers vs. Ravens games are street fights on the gridiron. But Pittsburgh, in a desperate move, look to 41-year-old Rodgers to lead the offense. 

Cincinnati has suffered through bad starts in previous seasons and serious injuries. If the injury bug misses them and their defense can stop anyone, Burrow (pictured at right), WR Ja’Marr Chase and the Bengals will go far. Cleveland has an outstanding defense and anemic offense with an unsettled QB situation caused by the Browns management’s decision to bet the franchise on QB and massage therapist expert Deshaun Watson. 

The AFC South is a really bad division with one good team, meaning that the upstart Houston Texans could rack up wins and gain important home field advantages for the AFC playoffs. Stroud’s stats must look more like his 2023 rookie season and not his dismal second year campaign. If the Texans can’t run the ball, Houston will have a problem.

The Indianapolis Colts are a mess with an unsettled quarterback position and lousy linebackers.  Jacksonville was 4-13 last season and should be better than their record. Lawrence has talent and drive and hopes to steer the Jags back to respectability. The Tennessee Titans were 3-14 last season and are worse than their record. Their defense is a disaster, and they have no real game-changing players.

In Las Vegas, you don’t split face cards, and you don’t bet against the Chiefs. In 2024, Kansas City won their ninth consecutive AFC West crown and appeared in their third consecutive Super Bowl. But the bubble must burst at some point. KC’s 2025 squad is not as fortified as recent championship teams. 

Always noted for offense, the AFC West — in the Chiefs, Denver Broncos and Los Angeles Chargers — had three of the top five NFL defenses last year. Denver could be the surprise team in the AFC if they can get some semblance of a running game to offset Nix’ passing ability. He will be improved with the year of experience gained last season. 

Football fans are waiting for head coach Jim Harbaugh to build a consistent team that knows how to win. At present, Herbert and the Chargers know how to keep a game close. 

In Las Vegas, you also don’t bet on the Raiders. New coach Pete Carroll and new offensive coordinator Chip Kelly have been coaching football for more than a combined 85 years. Despite the coaching experience, nothing short of a reincarnation of QB “Snake “ Stabler can make this team competitive.  

At least rookie RB Ashton Jeanty will make the Raiders watchable.

This is the year that the elite will compete. Mahomes, Allen, Jackson and Burrow are all capable of Super Bowl runs. But the Chiefs are aging and complacency has to set in at some point. Jackson and the Baltimore Ravens defense will lead the Back Bay team to the South Bay party next February in Santa Clara.  

Whether the Mahomes, Allen, Jackson, Burrow, Herbert, Stroud or another quarterback leads their team to the Super Bowl, fans will not want to pass on enjoying the remarkable collection of AFC passing talent in 2025.