HERE WE GO

The 2025 season is about redemption. It's about exciting new talent. It's about real supermen. It's about putting schemes into action. And it's all about to happen, so you BETTER GET READY

- by CONOR ORREVERY

All 32 NFL teams start the season with high hopes, but a much smaller group actually has a REALISTIC CHANCE TO WIN IT ALL, including the defending champs, some up-and-comers and a team whose window of contention is not as closed as some pundits think it is

EVERY SUMMER, I write a story listing the 12 teams that can actually win the Super Bowl in the coming season. ..and then I typically proceed to chicken out by adding one or two more teams in a classic case of C.Y.A. I usually end up naming nearly half the NFL, which makes it less a list of teams that could claim the Lombardi Trophy in February and more a collection of, say, eight strong candidates plus another half dozen or so that you could talk yourself into believing in. However, this is 2025, a year in which I'm trying to limit the more people-pleasing aspects of my personality. With that in mind, I am cutting off the list at 12, with no exceptions. For those who find my choices ridiculous, I don't care. (I secretly really, really do, but I'm trying not to.)

An important note before we get rolling: This list is in alphabetical order by city name. It is not a ranking.

Baltimore Ravens

I fully expect either the Ravens or the Commanders to finish the season ranked No. 1 in total offense. From what I have heard this offseason about quarterback Lamar Jackson and his continued ascent into a leadership role within Baltimore's offense and organization, my optimism regarding this team's possibilities has ballooned. The offense was ranked No. 1 last year, and yet I think there's still another level it can reach. Add in the fact that the depth on this roster is incredible, including in the defensive backfield, where attrition can often sink teams, and you have a tried-and-true recipe for a Super Bowl champion.

Buffalo Bills