NEWS

Mid Season NFL Thoughts

by: James Mello

date: December 4, 2025

Better than Expected

Some teams in the NFL that have been better than expected are the New England Patriots (10-2), Denver Broncos (9-2), Indianapolis Colts (8-3), Chicago Bears (8-3), and the Los Angeles Rams (9-2). The Patriots are having an amazing start to the season, after going 4-13 last season. Even though the Patriots have a very easy schedule, with only one game remaining against a team over .500, the team has gotten better this season, and the addition of Treveon Henderson and Stephon Diggs has helped the team improve on offense. The Broncos were expected to be good, but a 9-2 start was better than anticipated. Second year quarterback Bo Nix has improved this season, leading the Broncos to big wins. The Indianapolis Colts are having an amazing season also, recording impressive numbers on both sides of the ball. The Chicago Bears are on an impressive 8-3 start this season after a rough season last year, finishing 5-12 and the bottom of the NFC North. It looks like the Bears have solved their coaching and offensive line issues, and are ready to contend with other teams in the playoffs if they have a good second half of the season. The Los Angeles Rams were expected to do pretty well also, but 9-2 came as a surprise to most, because of injuries last season that might affect this season and their 37 year old quarterback, but the Rams are playing well, at the top of the NFC West division. It will be interesting to see how these top teams finish out the second half of the season and the playoffs.

Worse Than Expected

Some NFL teams that have been worse than expected are the Kansas City Chiefs (6-6), Baltimore Ravens (6-6), Cincinnati Bengals (4-8), and the Washington Commanders (3-8). The defending AFC champions, Kansas City Chiefs are now 6-6 after a 31-28 loss against the Dallas Cowboys on Thanksgiving Day. Led by their quarterback Patrick Mahomes, crazy things can happen, but they are running out of time to get more wins to be able to make the playoffs. The also 6-6 Baltimore Ravens have been worse than expected after a 1-4 start, but the Ravens have been able to turn it around, and may still have a chance to make the playoffs. The 3-8 Washington Commanders are pretty much out of the playoffs at this point, after a disappointing season, after making the NFC Championship game last year.

Keep an Eye on These Teams

Some NFL teams that are sneaky contenders to keep an eye on are the Carolina Panthers (6-6), Jacksonville Jaguars (6-4), Los Angeles Chargers (7-4), Seattle Seahawks (8-3) and the San Francisco 49er’s (8-4). The Carolina Panthers are a team to keep an eye on for the rest of the season, due to their bad division. Led by quarterback Bryce Young, the Panthers have a good chance to make the playoffs, when at the start of the year nobody predicted them to do well. The Jacksonville Jaguars are also having a good season, but at this point, it will be hard to win the division, because the 8-3 Indianapolis Colts are also in their division. The Los Angeles Chargers were expected to do well, but with the winning Denver Broncos, and the struggling Kansas City Chiefs in their division, the Chargers have not been talked about as much. Finally, the Seattle Seahawks and the San Francisco 49er’s, from the NFC West division have both been doing very well. With the Los Angeles Rams also in the division, this makes the NFC West arguably the best division in football this year, so that should be interesting to watch.