2025/26 NFL Regular Season Thread
 

Guess its that time again. So how do you think YOUR team is going to do?


Hard to say with my beloved Cards coming off an 8 win season-they drafted almost all defense, so if they don't significantly improve there coaches will be fired. This has to be the season that Murray shines consistently or its the beginning of the end for him in Arizona I think. Harrison Jr too has to show he can be a #1 WR consistently too. I think they contend for the West but too much unknown to say how much. 9 wins I guess would be a good goal.


Call it karma or what but I think Aaron Rodgers gets hurt in his return to NY in Week 1

I see the Colts having a rough season. Key players on the defense are on the wrong side of 30 and I say either spend a large part of the season hurt or sharply decline. The secondary is already extremely hurt and if Charvarious Ward doesn't return to form they could be a complete disaster. Latu is trending towards a bust as a pass rusher and Kwity Paye on the other side isn't a threat to have a break out season.

On the other side of the ball they lost two very good offensive lineman and replaced them with guys they have drafted (our GM hasn't drafted well so I won't hold my breath). Addonai Mitchell doesn't appear to be that guy at WR either. The cherry on top is Danny Dimes at QB.

My prediction is that halfway through the season we see a QB change to....Riley Leonard. I predict they finish last in the division and honestly that may just be what upper management is hoping for as they want an excuse to clean house after the season and have a shot at one of the top tier QB prospects in the draft. Hope I'm wrong.

The Saints over/under wind total is 5.5

I would bet the under. Five wins feels about right.

They are the classic case of “if you have two quarterbacks that means you have no quarterbacks.” Neither Rattler nor Shough look like the answer. Even if one believes that there is potential there in the long-term, I do not think we are going to see much of anything in 2025. And it is a quarterback driven league.

The rookies have looked good in preseason and camp. And the offensive line has a lot invested in it. And the coaching will almost certainly have improved. So there are a few bright spots, but I do not see how you can predict a team with no viable quarterback over five wins in 2025.

I don't usually reasonably expect the Eagles to win the SB, let alone two seasons running. Will mostly be content with them staying mostly healthy and not regressing too horribly.

Yeah kinda glad Arizona starts the season there given the QB situation.,

The Falcons are where they always are. They give you reasons to think they could turn the corner, but also give reasons not to believe they will improve. Much like what Thomkal said about the Cards, they have put so much draft capital into the defense they better improve or there will be yet another house-cleaning. The season is going to be determined on how Penix progresses. He has the cast around him to allow the run game to shine, and let him pick his shots till he is comfortable. The biggest issue he faces is his blind side. It looks like RT Kaleb McGary is going to be out most if not all of the season. His back up just had ankle surgery and is likely out half the season as well. It is likely they sign a vet off the scrap heap before the season starts, but that is not the best position to be scrambling for with a left handed rookie quarterback.

The Bears have a tough schedule and it's going to take time to get the timing and everything down with Johnson's offense. Dennis Allen also doesn't have the type of guys he prefers on the defensive side. Given the circumstances, I'd say 8 wins would be a success but the talent is there for more.

If I was a betting man I'd feel quite comfortable taking under 9.5 on the Rams. There's talent there no doubt, but it feels like Stafford isn't going to be entirely healthy all season and is one hit away from being done.

Kenny Pickett to the Raiders for a 2026 5th round pick

fricking FINALLY, Cleveland!

Seems like I'm not the only one with questions about Kyler Murray:


In Arizona, the Kyler Murray question that never goes away inches closer to an answer - The Athletic

Corliss Waitman has won the Steelers punter job, and he had interest elsewhere. The Saints inquired about trading for him before the Steelers made the final decision to stick with him.

— Adam Schefter (@AdamSchefter) August 26, 2025

And somehow the Saints are out here trying to trade for punters.

I'm not saying that I want an intentional tank. But this front office has to realize that draft picks mean more to this team in 2025 than punters.

It's hard to actually articulate how I am feeling about the Lions this year. It's difficult to separate 45 years of of fandom that has largely, if not entirely, been defined by failure from objectively assessing this year's team.

On one hand, they are still an incredibly talented team. They have a ton of great, young players that make up their core - Hutchinson, Sewel, Gibbs, LaPorta, Branch, St. Brown - and then other really solid younger players like McNeil, JaMo, and Campbell. They have a great head coach and a GM who has done a pretty solid job of drafting. They won 15 games last year. It was an unprecedented level of success for the franchise.

On the other hand, they lost both of their top two coordinators. Their all-pro center retired making their o-line somewhat of a question mark as opposed to one of the team's strengths. Jared Goff is a good, but not great quarterback, who is terrible under pressure (see, supra, Ragnow's retirement). Their schedule is incredibly difficult this year. They got absolutely blown out in their last game.

As a result, I can't shake the feeling that last year was just one of those blips that happen every so often where the Lions are legitimately good for a year or so and then everything falls apart and it's back to business as usual. It shouldn't happen. They should still win 10 or 11 games and make the playoffs. It would be hard to be upset at that result.

Primary concerns:
1. Offensive line without Ragnow.
2 New coordinators.
3. Lack of depth along the defensive line, especially at edge.
4. Tough schedule.
5. Health

The Bengals haven't made the playoffs in two years and they had a ton of cap space, so it's frustrating that they made not be any better talent wise than they were two years ago.

But they should be fun to watch on offense. They can score 40 every game and I think Burrow could make a run at the passing yards record.

I'm impressed I can still get on the forum with the Taylor-Travis news.

Probably required a dedicated server given the earthshattering implications of it all.

I've received no less than 6 "breaking news" notifications about it. Fucking ridiculous. As if this wasn't choreographed perfectly to maximize revenue with an announcement a week before the NFL season starts. I wonder if they'll name their first kid Kelce Swift Inc. or LLC?

I'm still perplexed breaking news alerts are prevalent. I can't anything I need to know about as soon as possible. The only notifications I even have on for my phone are texts.

Former WVU quarterback Garrett Greene relased by the Bucs. He likely lands on their practice squad. He had a strong preseason and he's making the transition from QB to WR. With his athleticism and what he showed in the preseason a team going nowhere should take a shot at him developing into something. The Bucs WR room is loaded so he had uphill battle making it as an undrafted free agent.

Saints already in Manning tank mode.

A headline on ESPN

"Sources: Ex Chiefs star Hardman cut by Packers"

Mecole Hardman was a Chiefs' star?:confused:

3 rings, 1 SB game-winning catch, a pro bowl and an all-rookie. Yeah, that probably reaches the bar. More in the sense of "a star" rather than "THE star"

Most news services call anyone in the public eye a "star" or the like in order to generate clicks. It's pretty annoying.

"Star LB for the 49ers passes away" - turns out it's some 87 year old dude you've never heard of.

Re #3. After waiving Hassanein with an injury settlement (Can't re-sign for 6 weeks, could re-sign elsewhere after 3), the Lions currently have three (3) edge rushers.

What ever happened to Kyle Trask? Is he still a legit backup?

This would be my biggest concern for the Lions. Ragnow was really really good. Saw a breakdown of how he was one of the few centers in the league who never really needed help from the guards.

Lions would be my pick for highly regarded team most likely to miss the playoffs this year.

Cut by the Bucs today apparently.

It's funny, it almost seems like the Lions are in the same position the Rams were when they gave up Jared Goff. Without everything else in perfect place, I'm not sure he's good enough to win a Super Bowl. And it's hard to see how everything could be more in perfect place than last season. I don't see a Stafford coming free to push them over the top, and I suspect Campbell might be too loyal/locker room focused to do it anyway.

I don't think they will miss the playoffs, but I don't see a Super Bowl this year either.

Ksyrup, sadly, the Tim Patrick in Detroit experience has come to an end. He was traded to Jacksonville for a 6th round pick. Isaac TesLaa took his role as the the big-bodied receiver on offense.

It was a good run!

I saw. Hopefully he'll continue to produce - just not in any games that affect teams I want to see win!

So, Parsons to Green Bay?

https://www.espn.com/contributor/ada.../094c19ca0e1bc

That's giving up a lot but that might make them a contender.

Decent deal for Dallas. They aren't going to be good this year, so reset with 2 1st rd picks and not have to pay Parsons.

"The team owned by socialism has seized the means of the NFL's most valuable defender from Jerry Jones"

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I’m all for the Packers drafting a first round WR and mortgaging the future to bring in elite defenders just for the thought of how furious it’s going to make Aaron Rodgers.

I don’t think it makes them a contender unless Jordan Love takes a big step forward. Let’s see.

I like it for the Packers. You can win the NFC without the stud QB that you need in the AFC, so stack up as much as you can and make a run.

Title no.

SB appearance becomes at least an marginal/moderate shot probably.

Packers going all in on this season-have to think this makes them a playoff contender, and best yet Dallas plays Green Bay in week 4, so Parsons can flip off Jerry Jones every time he sacks a Dallas QB. :)

Maybe I'm overthinking this, but it's fascinating to me that Jerry has to have everything about the franchise be the biggest and best and no expense spared, and yet he gets a bonefide HOF level talent and will piss him off over what is essentially pocket change to him and what he's spent elsewhere.

Maybe there's an uncomfortable reality in there somewhere about what he really thinks about the players, but ultimately just like Al Davis it seems to come down to a stubborn old man who won't accept that the way the game works today has passed him by.

Taking everything that I have read at face value, I think stubborn fits here.

I think Jerry believes he negotiated Parsons into a team friendly deal without his agents' knowledge and got away with it. In his mind, you win some, you lose some in business but either way a deal is a deal is a deal no matter what. The idea of Parson going back on that "deal" just because his agents weren't involved and/or Parsons did not understand the "fine print" is just unethical according to Jones's way of thinking. Once the agents got involved and began to roll back some of the things that Parsons and Jones agreed upon during their leadership chat, Jerry dug his heels in rather than concede.

Package those picks to move up in one of the next two drafts and get Dak's successor if/when Dak shows signs of (serious) decline and reload for the next glorious era of Cowboys football. Jerry's thinking 4d chess here, folks.

I will admit I don't dive as deeply into sports as I did when I was younger. I still watch a lot of sports - maybe even more than I used to - but I don't have the depth of knowledge (or interest in acquiring it) that I used to.

Anyway, reading the Athletic this morning where the consensus was that Dallas got fleeced and comparing the Parsons trade to the Doncic trade felt like a tad bit of hyperbole. Am I that off-base? A potential HOF LB (just for sake of argument) wanting to break the bank in a salary cap league to stay on a team with an overpaid QB that the team will likely need to move on from in the next year or two? It certainly hurts to lose an anchor on your defense, but given Dallas' situation, I don't think this was a bad move at all.

The Doncic trade looks a little better today because the Mavs lucked into the first pick of the draft and got Cooper Flagg, although lucking into the first pick of the draft had little to nothing to do with the Doncic trade.

The Parsons trade looks really bad today because it just happened.

The Doncic trade is one of the worst in NBA history. The Parsons trade isn't even the worst in which Dallas has been involved (that would be the Walker trade, though they were on the right side of that one).

There’s a pretty convincing argument he’s the best defensive player in the league by some distance. 30% pass rush win rate vs 23% for Myles Garrett in second - in a league where getting to the QB and disrupting things keeps getting more and more important every year, I don’t see how you can spin it as anything other than a very poor trade.

It’s nowhere near as bad as the Doncic trade still, but it being totally self inflicted and trading him to a huge divisional rival who has beaten you three times in the playoffs recently is the cherry on top for me.

If Jerry has just purchased the team last week and had the Parsons contract situation dropped in his lap on day one, this would not be a bad move and would possibly be seen as the best of bad options. Kenny Clark is a good player and along with two first rounders, that is a good haul for this situation.

But...

Jerry has owned and run the team for thirty plus years. Beyond everything else involved in that, Jerry specifically knew that the potential HOF LB wanted to break the bank. That bank was smaller before let's say T.J. Watt signed his deal in July and may have been smaller earlier in the offseason. Jerry knew he was in a salary cap league. Jerry knew whether or not he had overpaid his QB, star WR, etc and how that affected his salary cap because he negotiated and signed those deals. Most importantly, Jerry knew or should have all of this back in March. Before free agency. Before the draft. I refuse to believe that the Cowboys are not better off asset wise if they do this trade back then or before the draft.

Moving on from Parsons can be defended even though it is not something I would have done. Moving on from him a week before the season can not be defended IMO. It is definitely not the Donic trade though I see where they are trying to go. Parsons is one of the best players in the league. But Parsons is a annual contender for DPOY. Donic should be an annual contender for MVP.

Jerry's cost his team tens of millions of dollars by waiting to re-sign Lamb and Dak (twice) until after other players re-set their respective markets. He's just not very good at his job.

Harsh reality of the recent rules changes on kickoff....if you can have a starter run 20 yards don't need special teams ace. Getting harder to make teams unless see you as a possible starter or have a role on O or D. Not lot of teams just keeping guys to cover punt and punt… https://t.co/FXIfnPc8wi

— Scott Shanle⁵⁸ (@scottshanle) September 2, 2025

That's an angle I had not considered with the new rules.

Lotsa people saying that the Bengals won't make the playoffs again.

I think it looks really bad because it actually is really bad. For Dallas, it's great for Green Bay. I'm flabbergasted by the reaction to it in this thread. Idiotic is not too strong a word for this trade.

Yeah 2 late firsts and an above average 29yo DT are nothing compared to one of the top 5 defenders in the NFL at a premium position. The cap may become a problem for the Packers at some point and the back is a concern, but you make this trade every single time.

The Khalil Mack trade is probably the closest thing to this trade and the Bears do that trade again without hesitation.

I'm not saying it isn't bad. It's really bad. I'm just saying the Doncic trade was even worse.

It's nowhere near as bad as the Deshaun Watson trade, for instance.

Reading some of the coverage since the trade, I don't get the feeling many players on the roster were sad to see him go.

They may be sad after they go 5-12

They were already 31st in TDs allowed, how much worse can they actually be?

If Parsons had lost the locker room -- and that seems to be the growing sentiment, with reports suggesting he was considered by teammates to be a selfish player before his contract foolishness this year -- then there could be some overall gains to help offset the individual stat loss.

yeah... I'm sure the Cowboys would rather have players win "Man of the Year awards" rather than actual football games.

As with everything in the NFL, performance is what matters. You have a 31% pass rush win rate?, you can be an asshole on my team any day.

Yea it was really rich that Dak of all people came out and implied that Micah's contract situation was becoming a distraction. How long did Dak's contract situation drag on?

Here is a really long article and history of Jerry being Jerry
From dynasty to soap opera: how Jerry Jones traded Dallas Cowboys glory for ‘365 days of sizzle’ | Dallas Cowboys | The Guardian

The talk wasn't about him being an asshole, it was about his tendency to freelance too much, exposing the defense by not playing in the system/coverage everyone else was in. I forget the precise wording of the report now, the gist was that their run defense might actually improve with his absence since a replacement presumably wouldn't be out of position so frequently.

Good luck to everyone's team this season, except for anyone playing my beloved Cardinals of course. :)

Dallas Cowboys 2024 defensive ranks:

PPG: 31st
YPG: 28th
Pass Yards: 17th
Pass Yards/attempt: 30th
Passing TDs: 24th
Interceptions: 12th
Rushing Yards: 29th
Rushing Yards/attempt: 28th
Rushing TDs: 30th

Cowboys' players are deluding themselves if they think Parsons was the problem last season.

Doesn't sound like he was the solution either.

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Is Jalen Carter a moron?

Yes

Probably at least another game suspension if he’s lucky. So yes.

Those pesky cameras

Hell, he did it right in front of a ref. Gotta be one of the stupidest things I've seen a player do.

I don't do this often but this is one time I would be okay with Jalen Carter being forced to have to deal with the discipline of the stereotypical pre-1980s HS football. Stadium stairs, gassers, etc for a an hour or two.

From Georgia Bulldogs Reddit: "Has Kirby lost control of the Philadelphia Eagles?"

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In non Jalen Carter news, bet the Cowboys wish they had an elite pass rusher right about now

I have to assume this is a rhetorical question

Wtf is this delay
How weak.

Play thru the weather!

Yeah no, I mean if a fan or player gets hit or killed by lightning that’s a billion dollar lawsuit.

I do think the length of the delay is absurd, if a player is hurt and we get a lengthy break for that they don’t allow them another warm up period, but nowhere in the world are they playing through a lightning storm, let alone the most litigious country on the planet.

Im a lightning rod!!!!!!!

Maybe the Cowboys should have spent the money on the elite pass rusher and not a receiver who can't catch.

Dallas should have won this game, just brutal offensive miscues.

Maybe an overreaction but it feels like the Eagles offense is hope Saquon or Hurts can make three guys miss on any given play. Maybe Dallas defense is better without Parsons, I tend to doubt it.

yeah that guy dropped two key passes

While the three drops weren't pretty and I'm not sure Lamb is quite worth what he's getting paid, probably fair to note that it's been 26 games (and counting) since any DAL receiver NOT named Lamb has even gotten 100 yards in a game.

And they held Philly to 302 yards offense.

Eh, it's the first game. A lot of people thought Dallas might be a surprise team (at least, compared to expectations based on the negativity surrounding the off-season). I know instant over-reactions are the way of the world now for damn near everything, but I didn't see much more than a couple of teams working out the kinks and trying to figure things out in real time.

Didn't the Saints look like SB challengers 3 games into last season? A couple huge wins and then they almost beat Philly, as I recall.

I totally agree. With the reduction in preseason games and practice times, the first month is basically the preseason. I wish the NFL would only schedule non-conference games during the first 3-4 weeks. But I get it it... money. Not sure much was learned about either team last night; other than Carter confirmed he is a moron, Eagles fans are still jerks, and Siriani follows suit. Kudos to the Eagles to find a way to win, thats all that matters in these early games.

Yes.

Relatedly, the Saints will be bad this year. But it would not shock me if Kellen Moore and Brandon Staley have some cool wrinkles saved up and they use those to beat the Cardinals and stay close to the 49ers and right when people wonder "are the Saints maybe not bad?" they have put out enough tape that teams figure them out and the lack of talent starts to really show on the way to a 4 or 5 win season.

On the Saints, and maybe this has been covered, Taysom Hill is no longer the Next Big Thing, right?

Huh. I knew there was a game tonight, but didn’t know there was one last night.

So like...does Philly's defense suck to let Dallas score as much as they did?

Granted the D DID hold them in the second half.

Are you a producer of the Barstool morning show on Fox Sports?

Because I laughed out loud while on the treadmill this morning and saw a question basically calling the NFL soft for delaying the game.

Reminds me of parents complaining about lightning delays during summer baseball tournaments but actually being willing to sign the waiver the tournament organizer produced relieving him and the tournament from any liability if lightning struck one of the kids. :lol:

I'm okay with them beating the 49ers at least...

EPL VAR would have fucked it up, tho.

The Falcons season starts hot. Three plays and a score with Bijan taking a pass in the flat to the house.

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Remember when we thought the problem with the Dolphins offense was that only Tua was able to run it? Thank god they don't have that particular problem any more.

I know McDaniel was the favorite to be the first coach fired this season, but does he make it to next week, now?

Daniel Jones looks like he can play quarterback in the NFL.

The Falcons have problems, but at least the quarterback isn't one now.

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Falcons lost but Penix looked good. Running game is lackluster though, hope it gets seriously better.

I watched the Steelers-Jets game. Hard fought game with a nice 60 yard FG.

Great halftime adjustment by the raiders after a slow start. Amazing what good coaching can do. From failed high school coach to one of the 10 best to ever do it. Age leaves the risk for decline but it hasn't happened yet.

It would be interesting to see what type of career numbers Geno would have if he had landed in better situations to start his career. He has some of the best arm talent I've ever seen from a QB.

Bengals had 7 yards in the second half and -18 in the 4th quarter.

And somehow won.

Greenbay gonna be big threat this year. Detroit less so

The Lions won the North the past two years because of line play. The problem is the IOL are a pair of rookie guards (ok, one guy who had 75 snaps ) and a replacement level center replacing an All-Pro and a solid guard, and a pair of defensive ends who hadn't played since weeks 5 and 1 2024, so "rusty" is an understatement. They're going to have to hope the rookies find their legs and the rust shakes off because there's no easy fix in season.