At this time of year, the 2024-25 NFL season has kicked off and is in full swing. The NFL season has gone by very quickly and fans are now staring at the second half of the season already. Let’s break down the first half of the season and predict the outlook for the rest of the year.
Through the first half of the year, there are a few teams that are looking like serious contenders; the Kansas City Chiefs, Detroit Lions, Baltimore Ravens, and Philadelphia Eagles. The Kansas City Chiefs had the rest of the NFl cornered with their undefeated 9-0 record before losing their first game to the Buffalo Bills. The Detroit Lions have caught fire and are now 11-1 and are looking unstoppable as teams are unable to find a single weak point on their team. The Philadelphia Eagles looked wobbly to start their season but eventually found the tracks and are heating up at the right time and are extending their lead from the Commanders for the NFC East title. Lastly, the Baltimore Ravens have been very solid throughout the whole season but have been unable to finish out a few close games.
Let’s dive into the breakout players who can’t seem to be stopped right now. Saquon Barkley has been untouchable the past few games. He leads the NFL in rushing yards and just broke his own personal single game rushing record with 255 yards in a single game! Derrick Henry has surprised a lot of people with more gas in the tank than people thought he had left. A lot of analysts predicted Henry to step back with age becoming an issue but Henry has done nothing but prove them wrong being the NFLs second leading rusher and leading the NFL in rushing touchdowns. The top 3 quarterbacks this season look to be: Lamar Jackson, Josh Allen, and Joe Burrow. Patrick Mahomes has not looked as dominant as these other quarterbacks but is still doing enough to lead his team to victory. Jamarr Chase is another player who has been hard to contain. He leads the league in receiving yards and is a 1 on 1 matchup nightmare for cornerbacks.
Some teams who have failed their own expectations are the New York Jets, Cincinnati Bengals, Dallas Cowboys, and the San Francisco 49ers. These teams have all the pieces to be either contenders or at least playoff teams but all find themselves below a .500 record and disappointed with their season’s outcome so far.
My prediction for this year’s playoffs is that the Chiefs will face off against the Buffalo Bills in the AFC championship and The Buffalo Bills will finally defeat Mahomes in the playoffs advancing to the superbowl. Then the Philadelphia Eagles will head to Detriot to face the Lions in the NFC conference championship and the Eagles will advance to the superbowl. In Superbowl 59, the Buffalo Bills will defeat the Philadelphia Eagles and win their first Lombardi trophy.
