Winners and Losers From An Incredibly Entertaining 2025 Regular Season

Well that went fast.

It feels like yesterday I was maniacally writing division previews, gushing with excitement and anticipation for the upcoming season while firing takes like a t-shirt cannon at an NBA game. Like opening weekend was just the other day, innocently turning on my newly purchased Sunday Ticket quad box that's changed the way I watch football forever.

Time flies when you're entertained, and that's why this season went so fast. It was the season from the Upside Down, with two teams who won four games last year winning 13 and 14 games this season. The two 15-win teams from last year won a combined 15 this year, and only one division had a repeat winner, the one division that hadn't had a repeat winner in 20 years.

There are plenty of obvious winners and losers from this season. Generally, teams that have a game scheduled next week would be winners, while teams on the clock for the draft (Raiders) or ones that became the first team in the history of the sport to not record an interception (Jets, lol) are losers.

But we like to think more critically here, more outside the box. So let's peel a couple layers of pigskin and find some other winners and losers from an incredible regular season.

Winner No. 1: Trevor Lawrence

My feelings toward Trevor Lawrence are well documented. While I've long been the conductor of the hater train, I've rarely if ever denied his talent. He's the QB that would be built in a laboratory, has a cannon arm and the athletic ability to run if/when he needs to. Which is exactly why I've been hating; he should be better than he is, and I've been sick of waiting.

Although it took about half the season, Liam Coen finally unlocked Trevor Lawrence. Since the Cardinals game which epitomized Trevor's first half-decade career in the NFL, he's averaged 267 YPG, 8.3 yards per attempt, 19 total TDs and 1 INT. I don't have the resources of Next Gen Stats to know how that compares to the rest of the league in the last six weeks, but those yardage numbers would be good for 3rd and 4th in the league on the season, respectively, and those 19 TDs would tie for 20th among QBs for the entire season.

Liam Coen has come a long way from his intro "Duval". The guy has turned the Jags from a 4-win team and perennial laughing stock of the league to a 13-win club that's one of the hottest/scariest teams heading into the playoffs. He's proved to be the guiding light that opened the doors to a whole new world for one of the more talented QBs in the league that has struggled to find consistency. And in maybe his most telling achievement, left the Bucs in shambles.

These are the Bucs offensive rankings the last three years with Baker under center:

• 2023: 23rd

• 2024: 3rd*

• 2025: 21st

*Liam Coen was OC

The mark of a great coach, or specifically play caller, is not just what you do in your new destination, but how your old destination reacts when you depart. In Coen's case, the drop off from Tampa, as much as Trevor's growth in Jax, proves his worth. And it's expensive.

Trevor won this season not just because he got to shut up haters like myself, but because he hit the lottery. He has an offensive mastermind whispering in his ear every day. He has a GM that's committed to giving him adequate weapons by trading for both Travis Hunter and Jacobi Meyers in his first year. And he still has a set of hair I envy, which looks a lot cooler when you're winning double digit games.

Loser No. 1: Indianapolis Colts

This isn't just because they lost seven straight games after starting 8-2, although that made them a strong candidate on its own. It's what transpired in the midst of that plummet that gives them the biggest losers of the season honor.

Three years ago the Colts hired an interim head coach that had never coached a millisecond of his life in Jeff Saturday, fresh out the ESPN make up chair and onto the sideline. Naturally that decision didn't pan out, but Indy was fortunate enough to find a great coach in Shane Steichen to make a lot of people forget that whole experiment.

This year was equally as crazy. Instead of opting to play Riley Leonard, who looked pretty damn good against the league's top defense on Sunday, or literally any other QB on an active roster/practice squad, they decided to bring back Phillip Rivers, who was weeks away from his Hall of Fame vote after not playing for five seasons.

The relationship with Steichen and Philly sperm bank are well known, but familiarity with the play sheet and running the same/similar offense with your high school team isn't and shouldn't be enough to supersede dozens of QBs who are currently devoting their life to playing the position.

As an outsider I loved the move because it was entertaining. I never loved Phil Rivers, but I was pulling for him these last few weeks as much as anyone. I was dialed into that Monday Night game vs. SF cause I wanted to see what the old man could do. I love rooting for old guys.

But it was clear he couldn't do much. His head was still there, but his t-rex throwing motion somehow seemed to shorten, and pushing the ball 20+ yards down the field looked like a shot-putter going for a PR.

Maybe the Colts were just trying to provide a bit more entertainment value to the league's (and in turn their) bottom line. Maybe they knew that no matter who was behind center, there was no hope for a meaningful playoff run.

Or maybe, which is why they landed on the loser list, they're a joke of an organization. Twice in the last three years the Colts have made a personnel move that was laughed at in real time, fell flat on its face, and laughed at after the fact. Twice they've made moves I genuinely don't think any other franchise would make, because how could you take yourself seriously if you did?

And twice they've made themselves look like fools. While I appreciate the Colts for treating the NFL like the WWE, as the Undertaker meme was definitely used in group chats around the world when the Rivers news broke, they've proved themselves yet again as idiots. And until they stop making boneheaded decisions, I can't take them seriously.

Winner No. 2: Special Teams

We've officially come out the other side of the dark days for special teams. For years it seemed like the NFL was doing its best to slowly eliminate the need for special teams with the kickoff changes.

2011 - Move kickoffs up from the 30 yard line to the 35 (reducing returns)

2018 - Eliminate a running head start for the coverage team (advantage for return team, even less returns)

2023 - Fair catch inside the 25 yard line brought the ball to the 25 (all-time low returns)

It seemed like kickoffs were soon to be extinct. Until the XFL saved the day. The "dynamic kickoff" rule allowed for less severe collisions and more returns. But it looks stupid, so someone besides the NFL would have to try it before they presented it to the world.

Luckily it was a massive success, so the NFL adopted it themselves. They moved the touchback up to the 30, which was slightly less incentive to call for a touchback, but not enough. With coaches struggling to defend the new kickoff, the risk of allowing a big return didn't outweigh the five additional yards given to a touchback (touchbacks had been moved to the 25 yard-line in 2016).

So the NFL did what I hoped it would, which was to move touchbacks far enough up where the analytics would say you're giving up too much field position. Now at the 35, teams lose on average 6+ yards if they kick a touchback instead of allowing a return.

The results of the move to dynamic kickoffs are insane. Below are the kickoff return % by year:

2000-2010: 85%

2022: 27%

2023: 22%

2024: 33%

2025: 79%*

*through week 7, which is the last time I could find an article with these stats

Not only are the kickoffs being returned more often, but there are more game-changing returns (again through week 7 but still).

One last shocking stat (that I was able to find on a full year basis) was the team breakdown of touchback %. In 2025, the Jaguars had the second most touchbacks at 38%. In 2024, 38% would've ranked 30th in the league. That's as 180 as it gets.

Special teams is a major part of football, with many guys making their entire careers off it. Eliminating the kickoff return would mean eliminating a significant chunk of NFL careers, and take out a part of the game that, as shown this season, can massively impact outcomes.

I hope this version of the kickoff is here to stay, cause it clearly works. And it's saved special teams. Remember, this is a three-phase game.

Loser No. 2: Home Field Advantage

This isn't a new trend for just this year, but an interesting trend over the last few years that added another data point in 2025.

Historically (dating back to the 1970s), home teams in the NFL won an average of 57-60% of the time. But for the five seasons coming into this year, that number dropped to 52-53%.

53.7% is where it finished this year per my calculations. While technically ahead of trend, it's still well below historical average.

There's likely a myriad of reasons why home field advantage isn't as strong as it used to be. One could simply be matchups. If the Jets have a more difficult home schedule than road schedule, that could skew the data (although it's the Jets so it might not matter).

Another could be that international games, which are the farthest thing from a home game as can be, and are occurring more often each year, technically count as home games for one of the teams playing. I didn't dig in to the stats at what the win % are for "home" teams in overseas games, but it certainty could be a factor.

What I'd love to see is how win % changes as the season progresses, and how much of an impact fans play. How many home vs. away fans are in the stadiums for each game, and how the win % changes when less home fans are in the building.

My theory is if a team starts 1-6, say the Panthers for example, and the Steelers come to town and the stadium is 70% Yinzers, that's not really a home game, and that game is lost more than usual. If the Panthers were 6-1 in that same scenario, Steelers fans may only make up 30-40% of the crowd. What would be cool to know is how many home games are won with x% of home fans vs. y% of fans.

Hopefully someone who gets paid to do stuff like that does it, cause I don't have the time. Regardless, home field advantage isn't what it used to be. And it's more and more evident every year.

Winner No. 3: Parity

Any given Sunday. Any given year. Parity is what makes the NFL the best league in the world. And this season had plenty of it.

I already mentioned 7 of 8 division winners being new vs. last year, with the Eagles being the lone repeat champ who broke the curse of the NFC East merry-go-round. I already mentioned that the one seeds in each conference last year missed the playoffs, and that two of the bottom five teams in the NFL last year finished in the top five in wins this year.

But there's more. Instead of rambling, here are some quick hitters:

• Five teams that won six games or less last year won 11+ this year or made the playoffs

• Over a quarter of the NFL (28%, or 9 teams) had at least a 5-game swing in record vs. last season

• Nearly 50/50 split of above and below .500 teams (15 above, 17 below)

• 53.3% of all games this season were one-score games (above the post-2000 average of 50.9%)

• Underdogs covered the spread at a 50.2% clip (depending on your source)

Honorable mention to the fact that three of the pre-season consensus four best QBs in the sport (Mahomes, Burrow, Jackson) missed the playoffs.

However you cut it, this season rocked. I can't remember a postseason where I felt less confident about who will win than I do right now. This league never lets you down. Just when you think you know something, it humbles you.

Loser No. 3: Kyler Murray

Remember Kyler Murray? The little jumping bean that lit up your TV with legs that moved faster than the roadrunner when gearing up to leave Wile E. in the dust.

That feels like ages ago. Kyler played just five games this year, and has played in just 60% of Cardinals games since the start of 2022 (when he signed his contract extension).

His career has been filled with more headlines that highlights. The infamous Call of Duty storyline will never not make me laugh. There've been a plethora of injuries, and several reports of him deliberating quitting the sport altogether to play baseball again.

Keep in mind that 2022 contract guaranteed him $160M, so regardless of my opinion he's not that much of a loser. But from a football standpoint his career has gone south quick.

Many people believe this season's foot injury wasn't severe enough to be season ending. While almost none of those people, me included, are likely close enough to the situation to know that to be or true or not, for the sake of this blog let's go with it.

Benching a "franchise" QB two years after signing one of the biggest QB contracts in NFL history is hard to do. Ask Tua, he knows. But it happened, and the reasons why remain unclear.

What does seem clear is that Arizona will try to move on from Kyler this offseason. That may be a tall task due to said contract, but I'm confident they'll give it the old college try. And that sucks.

I really liked watching Kyler play football. He was always among the most entertaining players in the league, and this 2-point conversion in particular will always hold space in my brain.

But it seems like a 50/50 shot he ever starts again. Maybe that's pessimistic, but I don't see another team trading for him with the salary that comes with it. I don't see the Cardinals, who hold the #3 pick in this year's draft, passing on a QB in favor of Kyler. And I wouldn't be surprised if after all the injuries, rehab, and media scrutiny he's had to deal with the last few years, he doesn't say "Fuck it. I'll take my nine-figure bank account and try baseball again."

It's hard to think of a player who had a shittier season than Kyler. Franchise QB to potentially out of the league. Life comes at you fast, and especially life in the NFL. If you don't stop and look around once in a while, you'll find yourself being a twitch streamer for Call of Duty: Black Ops 8.