Three Biggest Surprise Packages in the NFL in 2025
The 2025 NFL season will go down in history as one of the most unpredictable ever. The Kansas City Chiefs, the team that had reached each of the last three Super Bowls, winning two of…
The 2025 NFL season will go down in history as one of the most unpredictable ever. The Kansas City Chiefs, the team that had reached each of the last three Super Bowls, winning two of them, were dumped out of playoff contention after slumping to a disastrous 6-11, their worst finish of the Patrick Mahomes era. The Detroit Lions also had a miserable time, missing the postseason, despite finishing as the NFC’s top seed 12 months ago.
But perhaps it was the Baltimore Ravens who endured the worst heartache. They headed into Pittsburgh on the final day of the season with the week 18 NFL betting odds making them a 3.5-point favorite to defeat the Steelers and secure their spot in the postseason. Instead, rookie kicker Tyler Loop missed a walk-off game-winning field goal attempt to consign his side to a season of purgatory as the black-and-gold progressed at the Ravens’ expense.
Throughout all the unpredictability, some sides have shone more than others during the 2025 season. Here are our three biggest surprise packages of the campaign.
Seattle Seahawks
Fourteen and three. NFC West champs. Most competitive division in league history, and they walked through it like they owned the place. Who saw that coming when Seattle were signing Sam Darnold in preseason?
Let us take you back to August for a second. Vegas had the Seahawks at 7.5 wins. Seven and a half! The consensus around the league was that San Francisco and the Rams were the division’s heavyweights and that Seattle would be playing spoiler… at best. Then Mike Macdonald’s defense happened.
Just 292 points allowed all season—best in the league—and suddenly, they’re not rebuilding anything. They’re wrecking shop. That plus-191 point differential led the entire NFL. Jaxon Smith-Njigba turned into a legitimate All-Pro overnight, becoming the guy Seattle’s been desperate for since Doug Baldwin hung it up. And the run game? 2,096 yards, good for third in the league. They weren’t cute or gimmicky. They just punched you in the mouth for sixty minutes.
Here’s the part that is arguably the most impressive: Both the Niners and the Rams went 12-5, and still they finished two wins shy of Seattle. This wasn’t some garbage division where the Seahawks stumbled toward a title. They went out and took it while two playoff-caliber teams watched on, powerless to resist. That end-of-season victory against Los Angeles will stand the test of time, and if Seattle does go on to claim the Lombardi, they will look back on the 38-37 stunner at Lumen Field as the defining moment.
SEAHAWKS GO FOR 2 AND WIN IN OT!
WHAT. A. GAME. 🔥
— Bovada (@BovadaOfficial) December 19, 2025
Chicago Bears
Last season, the Chicago Bears picked up just four wins all year. Fast forward 12 months, and they are the newly minted NFC North champions, claiming the divisional title for the first time since 2018. Could a maiden Super Bowl triumph now be in the offing? We’re about to find out.
Caleb Williams in Year Two wasn’t just good—he was phenomenal. Nearly four thousand yards, 27 touchdowns against seven picks, and the kind of composure that makes you forget he’s basically a toddler in NFL years. Remember all the hand-wringing after his disastrous rookie season? All the “maybe he needs more time” takes? Those whispers are now long gone.
Christmas week, they beat Green Bay in overtime. Williams hit D.J. Moore, Jordan Love went down, and suddenly the whole North cracked open. Detroit inexplicably lost to Pittsburgh the next day, and just like that, Chicago’s running the table. That’s the moment. That’s when you could feel the narrative shift from “cute story” to legitimate contenders.
The preseason predictions had the Lions and Packers carving up the division while the Bears fought Minnesota for third place. ESPN’s talking heads spent August debating whether Williams could even make the leap. Well, he made it. Then he did a backflip for good measure. Chicago is already through to the Divisional Round of the playoffs for the first time since 2010. That already should be considered a success, but Chi-Town’s dreams are now far loftier.
New England Patriots
Fourteen wins. From five wins to fourteen. Ten-game win streak. First AFC East title in six years. What else is there to say?
Mike Vrabel walked into Foxborough and apparently decided the entire concept of a rebuild was for other franchises. He’s the first and only coach since the AFL-NFL merger to win ten straight in his debut season with a team that won five or fewer games the previous year. That’s not a stat. That’s a godsend.
Drake Maye’s development was the engine. He threw for 4,394 yards—fourth in the league—with 31 touchdowns and eight interceptions. The sophomore added four rushing scores because why not, catapulting himself into the MVP conversation in the process. Vrabel brought in Stefon Diggs, rebuilt both lines, and by Week 11, they were 9-2 with more wins than the previous two seasons combined.
Every major outlet spent the offseason writing thinkpieces about New England’s lost decade. The Athletic had them pegged as a bottom-five team that might compete in 2027 if everything broke right. Spoiler alert—everything broke right in 2025 instead, and all those projections are now pinned to bulletin boards in Foxborough like hunting trophies.
Can Maye lead the Pats back to the Brady-Belichick dynasty days? What seemed like an absurd shout 12 months ago suddenly looks like a very realistic possibility indeed.