As we approach the climax of the 2025 NFL regular season, it’s fair to say that it has been characterised by plenty of shocks, both in terms of overall team performances and individual games. The Playoff Picture is very different from what we expected at the start of the season, we have seen record-breaking comebacks in games, including one of the wildest 4th quarter comebacks in NFL history, and we have seen plenty of underdog victories.
Do all these point to a bigger draw for neutrals and casual fans? If we consider the NFL as a product, especially through the lens of its goal to grow its footprint in the UK and Europe, you can argue that this season is doing a great job of selling that product. Teams have been flawed, sure, but there has been a sense of jeopardy before, during, and after every game that bodes well for an exciting run through the Playoffs and Super Bowl.
So, why does this season feel unique? Let’s dive into some of the narratives so far:
The Surprise Packages
Did anyone have the Patriots and Broncos as the best records in the NFL after 14 weeks? The former, in particular, should be considered the story of the season. Yes, we expected improvement on the Pats’ 4-13 season, but they could literally end up reversing that by going 13-4. The Pats aren’t alone. Teams like the Seattle Seahawks suddenly find themselves among the favorites in the Super Bowl betting.
Anyone Can Beat Anyone
Several games this season have made a mockery of NFL spreads and moneyline betting favorites: The Bears downing the Eagles in Philly; the Panthers pulling off the upset of the season against the current Super Bowl favourites, the Rams; The Texans snapping an almost-decade-long losing streak against the Chiefs at Arrowhead; The Steelers dominating the Ravens in Baltimore. The list is endless.
The Struggling Preseason Favorites
Seeing preseason favourites struggle is not necessarily something that always appeals to neutrals, but it all adds up to that sense of chaos and jeopardy we mentioned earlier. The Chiefs and Ravens are the two teams that look most in danger of letting the season slip through their grasp.
They can still pull things together, and that in itself could be lead to some drama as we trundle toward the Playoffs. But as it stands, the struggles of the preseason favourites make things wide open as we head into January.
Teams Are Going For It
In Week 7, the Broncos trailed the Giants 26-8 with just over six minutes left on the clock. Before that, the NFL had a 1,606-game losing streak for teams trailing by 18+ minutes that late in the game. For Denver fans, it was a chance of witnessing history, and the Broncos duly obliged by storming back to win 33-32.
There were 46 points scored in the 4thquarter alone. Another all-timer was the Bears vs. Bengals, which was a head-spinning ding-dong as both teams went for it. The Bears eventually won out 47-42 with 17 seconds left. Not every game this season has been an instant classic, but this was just one of many thrilling slugfests that underscore our argument that this NFL season has been one of the best in recent memory.