The 2025 NFL season has unfolded in a manner that not even the minds of the sharpest analysts could predict. Take Buffalo’s capitulation in Miami, for instance: a 30-13 thumping that didn’t just humble the Bills, but sucker-punched the wider narrative of a maiden Lombardi Trophy, which was supposed to come in February. One week earlier, Carolina, a footnote on most betting slips, walked into Lambeau and left Green Bay in stunned silence, their Super Bowl dreams melting before Halloween.
But while those two are suffering, and indeed heavy hitters such as Patrick Mahomes’ Chiefs and Lamar Jackson’s Ravens, some are taking full advantage of the chaos, bulldozing dismissive expectations. The Indianapolis Colts, New England Patriots, and Seattle Seahawks were all considered afterthoughts in the preseason but have amassed a mighty 23 wins against just six losses combined. So, can any of them actually win the Super Bowl? Let’s take a look.
Indianapolis Colts
Every so often, a team grabs the NFL by the collar and refuses to let go. Welcome to the 2025 Colts—which, by the numbers and the sheer spectacle of their play, might be the season’s defining revelation. Written off by virtually every betting outlet in August, Indianapolis has since torn up its script. They’ve bludgeoned their way to 8-2, and now, online sports betting sites make them a +1100 contender, scarcely believable odds in preseason.
Shane Steichen’s offense leads the NFL at 32.1 points per game, a feat that becomes even more remarkable when you factor in the variety with which they carve up defenses. Jonathan Taylor has emerged into the league’s most dynamic running back—his 1,100+ yards and a jaw-dropping 244-yard, three-TD demolition of Atlanta stand as monuments to a man determined to prove he’s the league’s best. Yet if he is the hammer, Daniel Jones is the quietly unflappable hand guiding its swing.
Labeled a lost cause by many outside Indy, “Indiana Jones,” as he’s now known, has found sanctuary in Steichen’s quarterback-friendly scheme. The transformation is profound: Jones is calibrating the offense with a poise few envisioned, regularly hitting Alec Pierce for deep strikes while keeping turnovers manageable. The defense, anchored by Cam Bynum—whose read-react skills have become appointment viewing—keeps opponents at bay, surrendering just over 20 points per contest.
They’re by no means perfect. Gaps remain in the secondary, gaps which both Aaron Rodgers and Matthew Stafford managed to exploit as they led the Steelers and Rams, respectively, to victory. But focus on the facts: five wins in their last six, pivotal triumphs like the 29-28 escape against Denver and the 38-14 demolition of the Chargers, and a fanbase daring to dream. The Colts could bulldoze their way straight to San Francisco—unless those defensive fissures become Grand Canyons against the best the AFC has to offer.
Seattle Seahawks
Mike Macdonald’s debut campaign as head coach reads like a masterclass in modern NFL program-building. His Seattle Seahawks have defied expectations this term, rolling to 7-2 and claiming top spot in the cutthroat NFC West.
Their offense, averaging a crisp 30.6 PPG, is a medley of invention. Wideout Jaxon Smith-Njigba has blossomed into one of the league’s most dangerous weapons, with his 1,041 yards the most in the league, and by some distance. His rapport with Sam Darnold has been electric, with the reborn QB Darnold himself providing the season’s most surprising architectural project. Gone are the turnovers and skittish decision-making; guided by Macdonald’s sharp play-action attack, Darnold is connecting on 71% of passes, with 8 touchdowns in his last four games.
But it’s defense that truly distinguishes Seattle. Ranking first in points allowed (19.1) and boasting an NFL-best 18 takeaways, Macdonald’s group attacks every drive with calculated aggression. Rookie Nick Kallerup’s special teams dynamism and AJ Barner’s red-zone reliability round out a roster humming at the margins as much as it is at the nucleus.
Still, the Seahawks’ odyssey faces a gauntlet. The Rams (8-1, a Vegas darling at +850) loom as both rivals and roadblocks, possessing the firepower and postseason moxie to blunt any Cinderella surge. Seattle’s offensive line, vulnerable under blitz duress, remains the thin ice beneath their skates. Yet if playmakers stay healthy and Macdonald’s game scripts hold, Seattle at +1100 looks less like a long shot and more like a sleeping giant waiting for the right moment—or the right stage—to roar.
New England Patriots
Foxborough’s 2025 renaissance has unfolded with the drama of a Shakespearean reversal: a team presumed to be drifting through the darkness of the post-Belichick era now surges into December at 8-2, a force the league thought was long-gone now restored to its Tom Brady-infused glory.
Sophomore Drake Maye is the one who has ensured highlight reels keep spinning. His 71.7% completion rate, over 2,500 yards, and 19 touchdowns only scratch the surface of his actual impact. The analytics department ranks Maye’s blitz processing and late-game execution among the league’s best, elevating the play of a previously middling receiving group and fueling conversation about a late-career Brady reincarnation. The season pivoted in Week 5—a 23-20 ambush of the Bills, which not only triggered Buffalo’s unraveling but stamped New England as contenders again.
Yet skepticism, that most dogged New England companion, lingers. At +1800, bookmakers label them outsiders—a nod to the AFC’s brutality and the Patriots’ own injury risks and offensive line volatility. The acid tests—Buffalo, Baltimore—are yet to come. But the Patriots’ edge is their intangibles: belief, discipline, and a quarterback in scintillating form, which could lead him to the MVP award. And, who knows, maybe the Lombardi.
