The latest<\/p>\n
2025 NFL season sim: Predictions, surprises, playoff teams | ESPN<\/a><\/p>\n Both Super Bowl LIX teams miss playoffs Each NFL team\u2019s ceiling and floor for 2025: Who can knock off Eagles, Chiefs? Teams with no shot at winning? | CBS Sports<\/a><\/p>\n Ceiling:\u00a015-2, win Super Bowl<\/p>\n The expectation in Kansas City is a world championship. The Chiefs have won three Super Bowls in the past six years and have been to five of them in that span. They have the best head coach-quarterback duo in Andy Reid and\u00a0Patrick Mahomes<\/a>, never missing a conference championship game since Mahomes became the starting quarterback.\u00a0Josh Simmons<\/a>\u00a0should solve the left tackle problem and Mahomes looks primed to have another MVP-caliber season. Let\u2019s not forget the offense has more downfield playmakers and\u00a0Travis Kelce<\/a>\u00a0appears ready for a bounce-back year. The Chiefs are going to be very good again.<\/p>\n Floor:\u00a012-5, lose in conference championship game<\/p>\n A down year for the Chiefs is a conference championship game loss. That\u2019s the standard Kansas City has set for itself in the Reid-Mahomes era. There are some cracks in the pipe for the Chiefs, as the left side of the offensive line has its flaws (even with Simmons) and the depth of this team will be tested. They also have won a lot of one-score games (11-0 last year), so a reversal of fortune may be in order. Regardless, the Chiefs are still one of the best teams in football. If Mahomes is on the field, they have an excellent shot at making a deep playoff run.<\/p>\n NFL Schedule 2025: Ranking Every Week 18 Option for \u2018Sunday Night Football\u2019 Flex | SI<\/a><\/p>\n It seems fitting to have the Chiefs one spot ahead of the Cowboys, given the conversation in recent years about whether Kansas City has overtaken Dallas as the new king of television ratings. NBC similarly would be thrilled to have a bonus Chiefs game on the schedule in January. However, the schedule makers didn\u2019t pair up K.C. with either of the AFC West teams that earned wild-card spots last season and are expected to contend. If Pete Carroll and Chip Kelly have the Raiders in the mix, this would be a great rivalry game to finish out the season. But in a world where the league really does prioritize playoff stakes over ratings for this time slot, this game has a ceiling.<\/p>\n Kansas City Chiefs Announce Partnership with Cheez-It as They Launch in Germany | The Mothership<\/a><\/p>\n Cheez-It, a fan favorite in the United States for more than a century, officially launched in Germany in August 2025 and is now available in more than 40,000 locations nationwide, including supermarkets, gas stations, and vending machines. Like the Chiefs, Cheez-It stands for excitement, entertainment, and loyal fans \u2013 making the two a natural fit.<\/p>\n \u201cCheez-It is one of America\u2019s most beloved snack brands, and this partnership is a great way to share that tradition with fans in Germany,\u201d said Kellen Begnoche, Chiefs Vice President of Partnership Strategy. \u201cWith Cheez-It making its debut, we\u2019re thrilled to give fans another way to experience the thrill and flavor of NFL game day.\u201d<\/p>\n Andreas Billker, Senior Marketing Activation Manager Salty Snacks for Kellanova adds: \u201cCheez-It is more than just a snack \u2013 it\u2019s a cultural icon with deep roots in American fandom. Partnering with the Kansas City Chiefs, one of the most iconic franchises in American sports, is a natural fit for us. As we expand into Germany, we\u2019re excited to bring the energy, passion and game-day spirit of both our brands to a whole new fanbase.\u201d<\/p>\n 2025 NFL projected win totals: Floor & ceiling for each AFC team | NFL.com<\/a><\/p>\n 11.2 wins<\/p>\n Kansas City Chiefs<\/a><\/p>\n AFC WEST CHAMPIONS<\/p>\n Ceiling:\u00a013.4<\/p>\n Floor:\u00a09.5<\/p>\n Even with\u00a0 Rashee Rice<\/a> \u00a0suspended to\u00a0start the season<\/a>, I think we\u2019ll see\u00a0 Patrick Mahomes<\/a> \u00a0bounce back near the top five of the passing leaderboards; he ranks in the top five in passing TDs in just over 35 percent of simulations. (For context,\u00a0 Joe Burrow<\/a> \u00a0has the highest odds to be in the top five, doing so in 57 percent of simulations.) Mahomes is my QB6 in fantasy (and\u00a0 Travis Kelce<\/a> \u00a0is my TE6).<\/p>\n Advertisement<\/p>\n Around the NFL<\/p>\n Rams\u2019 Matthew Stafford expected to start opener against Texans | ESPN<\/a><\/p>\n Stafford missed nearly the first month of training camp while dealing with the injury but has been a full participant in practice since his Aug. 18 return. McVay said Monday that Stafford will participate in the full week of practice leading up to the Rams\u2019 Week 1 game against the Texans.<\/p>\n McVay also said left tackle\u00a0Alaric Jackson<\/a>, who is dealing with lower leg blood clots, participated in Monday\u2019s practice. McVay said that although the blood clots will \u201calways [be] something that you have to manage,\u201d the plan is for Jackson to play against Houston.<\/p>\n \u201cI do believe that we\u2019ll be at our best with him out there,\u201d McVay said.<\/p>\n Steelers starting RB Jaylen Warren signs 2-year extension | ESPN<\/a><\/p>\n The deal includes $12 million guaranteed, a source told ESPN\u2019s Adam Schefter.<\/p>\n The deal also includes a $5.95M signing bonus, upping Warren\u2019s pay to $7-plus-million in 2025 (he was due $5.346M on a restricted tender), a source told ESPN\u2019s Jeremy Fowler. Warren gets $5.05M in 2026 and $5.15M in 2027 for a total of $17.25M over three years, a source told Fowler.<\/p>\n Warren, who initially made the Steelers\u2019 roster as a rookie undrafted free agent in 2022 after turning heads in his first training camp, enters the 2025 season as the team\u2019s starting running back after three seasons as a complementary player to former first-round pick\u00a0Najee Harris<\/a>. The Steelers declined Harris\u2019 fifth-year option and let him walk in free agency earlier this year, leaving Warren leading a position group that also includes rookie third-round pick\u00a0Kaleb Johnson<\/a>\u00a0and former Eagles running back\u00a0Kenneth Gainwell<\/a>.<\/p>\n In case you missed it on Arrowhead Pride<\/p>\n Chiefs Roster: GM Brett Veach gives clarity wideouts, Mike Pennel cut<\/a><\/p>\n Without Rice \u2014 who is clearly the team\u2019s top wideout \u2014 there will be more pressure on other wide receivers to produce during the opening weeks of the season. Veach believes rookie wideout Jalen Royals has a similar skill set, but he\u2019s presently battling tendonitis. Still, Veach thinks there\u2019s another wideout who can pitch in \u2014 and as long as veteran JuJu Smith-Schuster is on the team, Veach isn\u2019t worried.<\/p>\n
Eleven months after the Chiefs and Eagles squared off in\u00a0Super Bowl LIX<\/a>, both teams cleaned out their lockers following Week 18. Neither managed to make it back to the playoffs, easily the shocker of the 2025 campaign in this simulation.
The Eagles were actually done before the final week. Thought to be infallible heading into the season, the Eagles were 5-4 after Week 10 \u2014 a game behind the Cowboys but still seemingly in control of their postseason destiny. But that turned into a 6-8 record, leaving Philadelphia in pure panic mode. In the end, the Eagles couldn\u2019t make up the gap, falling short in the NFC East and wild-card battle.
The Chiefs\u2019 collapse was much more startling. Kansas City controlled its destiny in the AFC West after beating the Broncos on Christmas Day to improve to 9-7. It needed to only to beat the Raiders to secure its 11th straight playoff spot. But\u00a0Patrick Mahomes<\/a>\u2018 clutch gene was nowhere to be found as the Chiefs fell 28-19, allowing the Broncos \u2014 who won their Week 18 game \u2014 to win the division on a tiebreaker. No wild-card bid for the Chiefs either.
The two defending conference champions weren\u2019t the only surprising teams to miss the playoffs in 2025. The Commanders, 49ers and Packers\u00a0all\u00a0missed the postseason, too.<\/p>\n