As the NFL gears up for its 2025 season, the annual round of preseason predictions is sweeping across the sports world, with analysts and writers putting their reputations on the line to call out potential surprises and underdog triumphs. From the NFC East to the West, each team has been sized up for a potential twist that could redefine the expected narrative of the upcoming football calendar. A report by ABC's local affiliate 6abc.com has encapsulated these surprise factors, characterizing the exercise as one to "collect some of the information I've been gathering around the league throughout training camp and present a potential surprise."
In what could be seen as a brave move, analysts are not afraid to quickly latch onto longshots—hoping to see another Patrick Mahomes-esque leap from obscurity to MVP status, as happened back in 2018 with +5500 odds.
Meanwhile, CBS Sports has chimed in with their own set of longshot bets, labeling them as penny stocks of the gridiron world, where the high risk could yield a thrilling return. According to CBS Sports, the Arizona Cardinals are poised to surge past their 8-9 finish from last year, backed by improvements in their roster featuring Marvin Harrison Jr., Trey Benson, and a bolstered defense led by Calais Campbell and Budda Baker. "Last year, the Cardinals hung with the Bills on the road in Week 1 and then obliterated the Rams 41-10 in Week 2 en route to a 6-4 start," CBS Sports recalls, hinting at a potential to upset naysayers this year.
ESPN, not to be sidelined in this preseason speculation fest, offers their own league-wide forecast. Shrouded in the caveat that these aren't just insider tidbits but genuine surprises, ESPN's article looks to potential stat leaders, sleeper players, and teams that may perform against the grain. "We hit potential stat leaders, under-the-radar teams, award candidates, sleeper players to watch and position groups that might look better (or worse) than expected," they outline.
