NFL Thread: 2025-26 Season

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Before anyone says anything, yes, I know this is a U.S. presidential election map. The only reason I’m using it for this is because it was easy to use the red and blue colors for. Pretend while viewing this that the red states are on the AFC’s side and the blue states are on the NFC’s side. Now, with all that being said, what you are looking at here is a fun project I’ve been working on to try and figure out which team any randomly selected person from every U.S. state is more likely to be cheering for to win the Super Bowl. I’ve taken many factors into occasion, including division rivalries, common rivalries (Example: the Patriots and the Cowboys both have a rivalry with Pittsburgh, so Cowboys fans would benefit from Pittsburgh no longer being tied for the lead of most Super Bowl wins), places where people went to college, and much, much more. Some states, specifically the Upper Midwest and states without NFL teams I wasn’t able to find enough on so I left them blank (“Undecided”) in this version of the 2025-26 Super Bowl State Map. For my first version of this for the first season I’m trying this, how did I do?
 
Damn, the Patriots really did not beat the allegations, huh? The offense got smothered all game, and Sam Darnold definitely was not seeing ghosts. I usually don't put much stock in narratives about the schedule, but they sure looked like they had the easy path cleared for them before now.

Congratulations to the SEATTLE SEAHAWKS for winning Super Bowl 60! Righteousness triumphs!

Also, that was a pretty decent halftime show. I liked the sequence with the dancers on the power line poles.
 
…well, we did it. I knew we could, but we still went ahead and got it done.

14 regular season wins. Three playoff wins. Only three losses. The best scoring defense in the league. The best point differential in the league. A historically strong defensive core.

I’ve been around to watch both of our Super Bowl winning teams now. And I can’t help but wonder how the 2013-14 and 2025-26 teams compare. One thing is for sure. This has indeed been easily one of my favorite seasons in recent memory and this was one of our best years in franchise history. Congratulations to my Seattle Seahawks for reclaiming their spot at the top of the NFL world and introducing some of my favorite players of all time to the rest of the football community.

The moral of the story- the Seahawks have won the Super Bowl every season a new Kalos Pokémon game has been released. If I had a nickel for every time that’s happened, I’d have two nickels, which isn’t a lot, but it’s weird that it happened twice, right?
 
adjectivenoun said:
Damn, the Patriots really did not beat the allegations, huh? The offense got smothered all game, and Sam Darnold definitely was not seeing ghosts. I usually don't put much stock in narratives about the schedule, but they sure looked like they had the easy path cleared for them before now.

Congratulations to the SEATTLE SEAHAWKS for winning Super Bowl 60! Righteousness triumphs!

Also, that was a pretty decent halftime show. I liked the sequence with the dancers on the power line poles.
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bad bunny ran more yards with the ball during his halftime show than the pats did the whole first half
 
adjectivenoun said:
Brad Holmes needs to be more proactive. His great 2023 draft has been masking a lack of other quality acquisitions, and the team's lack of depth in the trenches has been brutally exposed this year. Go out and get reinforcements. No, Parsons getting injured does not validate the "sit on your hands and do nothing" philosophy of trades/free agency. The Packers are in the playoffs, and you aren't.
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Well, he got the Texans to significantly overpay (in my estimation) for David Montgomery, so that's a start. I'm gonna miss Monty, but this was probably the right move. He's in his late 20s, and Gibbs has asserted himself as a true RB1 over him in Detroit. Get value from him while you can and move on. Hopefully those picks turn into something!
 
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Taylor Decker is gone. Probably for the best, to be honest. His body has broken down, and he's not the player he was. However, the offensive line need is even more dire now.
 
It's weird for me to evaluate because the Ravens are in a very awkward spot. They've posed as a competitor for 10 years, and people and fans believe them, so shedding the short-term for the long-term feels impotent and cowardly. But the result sheet says they just aren't very good, so why are they acting like a win-now team, picking up an aging veteran with a relatively short window? 3 playoff wins in 10 years, all against pretenders in the cupcake conference, never against a competitor or even a semi-competitor.

The playoffs are a high-variance environment, but 10 years is a lot of time to show results. In this time, teams understood as very flawed have done better, like the Packers and Bengals. Even outright bad teams have managed to get pieces click in this timespan; this is like, Jaguars-tier. How are you worse when it matters than the Texans, who have even managed to beat a semi-competitor once, unlike the Ravens? In an "ideal environment," I think the Ravens should consider trading Lamar and rebuilding, but I know that will never happen for a billion reasons.

My thinking has to be, maybe they think the conference is open because the Chiefs fell off, and the seeming inheritors are very flawed? I wouldn't be so sure. The Broncos and Patriots still have room to improve, and the Chiefs had a combination of unluckily "could have gone either way" close losses against a tough schedule and injury snakebite. The Chiefs' point differential was actually better than the Ravens', and they played a harder schedule for it.

At any rate, it's hard for me to read any committal win-now move by the Ravens as anything other than a huge loss, let alone one saccing two FRPs.
 
I think I see the vision. In the recent past, the Ravens have had both strong defenses and bruising offenses; what they haven't had is good coaching. Under Harbaugh, they gradually morphed into some of the most brutal chokers in the league despite being flush with skilled players. The AFC is also a fairly open conference, even if the Chiefs revive this upcoming season, and the AFC North in particular looks like it'll be putrid ass and ripe for the seizing. If they can win the division, hey, anything can happen with a new coach in the playoffs, right? I'm not sure that I agree with their assessment of where their team is at, nor am I sure that Crosby is the piece to put them over, but I understand how this came to sound like a good idea to owner and GM.
 
I had honestly forgotten they got rid of him! Good point. And the North and conference may well be dire, at the least beyond 1 or 2 emerging conference leads.
 
I'm a Ravens fan, so I followed the Crosby drama pretty closely. The Raiders seem to be pretty damn upset that the Ravens backed out (not that it wasn't genuine, I am sure Crosby did fail the physical), but it did get me wondering on if this could actually be employed as a tactic to screw particular teams over during free agency. Say you have a team that has a pricy veteran they want to trade away in order to be active in free agency. Another team could, in theory, agree to the trade, let the other team spend big on free agents, then back out of the trade and force salary cap noncompliance on the other team. It'd be one of if not the shittiest things a team could do, but I don't see what is stopping teams from doing that. Not that that's what happened here because why would the Ravens care to do that to the Raiders, but it is a funny thought experiment.

As for how it all turned out, I think the Ravens came away even better. They got a cheaper player who is at least commensurate in impact (though he is older, so there's more risk of regression there) and they got to keep their picks, something that is particularly valuable for a team that is as good at drafting as the Ravens are (see their 2022 draft class this free agency cycle):
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The Hendrickson deal is front-loaded in the first 2 years, so there should be more minimal penalties if age becomes a factor later on.

On a super positive note, signs are pointing to Nnamdi Madubuike being cleared to play this upcoming season! I cannot express how much better the Ravens defense is with him on the field. I'm really excited to see how the Ravens draft in this upcoming one and for this season.
 
In hindsight it's really lucky JSN did jack shit in the super bowl since the nickname "Emerald City Route Artist" definitely would have stuck if his name was brought up more than like 3 times
 
RainWaiv said:
In hindsight it's really lucky JSN did jack shit in the super bowl since the nickname "Emerald City Route Artist" definitely would have stuck if his name was brought up more than like 3 times
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I had a whole comment typed up under the impression that "route artist" was meant to be a pejorative, and then I decided to look it up before hitting the post button. People really meant for that nickname to sound cool? Jesus Christ.
 
adjectivenoun said:
I had a whole comment typed up under the impression that "route artist" was meant to be a pejorative, and then I decided to look it up before hitting the post button. People really meant for that nickname to sound cool? Jesus Christ.
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one guy thought it was a cool nickname and put it on national television for no reason and a collective 70% of the seahawks fanbase thought it was the funniest shit ever. a single major play from JSN that makes it to twitter and it would have been WRAPS
 
my new girlfriend is a massive patriots fan from New England originally (shes wonderful) and she asked me "how come I only hear your family talk about the Jets, Bills, and Vikings?" (all fandoms in the house) and I went "we hate to love disappointment in this household" lol
 
yureion said:
my new girlfriend is a massive patriots fan from New England originally (shes wonderful) and she asked me "how come I only hear your family talk about the Jets, Bills, and Vikings?" (all fandoms in the house) and I went "we hate to love disappointment in this household" lol
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brutal
 
RainWaiv said:
one guy thought it was a cool nickname and put it on national television for no reason and a collective 70% of the seahawks fanbase thought it was the funniest shit ever. a single major play from JSN that makes it to twitter and it would have been WRAPS
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As a part of the Seahawks fanbase myself, I didn’t actually know this is how the nickname started. I’ve been a fan of JSN’s game for a long time but I still don’t really feel any particular way about that nickname. I guess we’ll just have to see who ends up on the Madden cover or something because you know da** well EA Sports would try and milk this Seahawks team dry. I can see it now- Madden 15 had #LOB plastered all over the place and Madden 27’s going to do the exact same thing for him and for our defense.
 
Where are the mock drafts, people?

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Mocking a trade where the Cowboys move up to 3 from 12. Apparently the boys love taking one of Arvell Reese or David Bailey and may pay quite a bit to move up for him. The Cardinals have a ton of needs, OT being a big one, so I could see them trading down.

Analysis:
  1. Easiest mocked pick of the decade, Fernando Mendoza is the cleanest cut QB prospect since Joe Burrow.
  2. The Jets have needs at almost every position, so I think they take Arvell Reese, who I seriously think is the best overall player in the draft.
  3. As I mentioned above, the Boys are desperate for pass rush (I wonder why), and may pay handsomely for it.
  4. The Titans already have Tony Pollard, but he is aging out, and apparently the Tennessee GM loves Love. I wouldn't agree with this pick, but I think it is likely.
  5. With Reese, Love, and Bailey off the board, the only last superstar caliber player left if Caleb Downs. Luckily, that fills a big need for New York.
  6. Reports say the Browns want a WR at #6, and I think Carnell Tate is probably the most likely to get the nod first, even if I think he is a riskier prospect than Tyson.
  7. Read a few reports that the Commanders want edge at #7 if Love doesn't drop to them. If Bain gets there, and it's looking like he will drop out of the top 5, then I think Washington rushes the ballot in.
  8. I think it's likely the Saints trade down with a team that wants to pick an OT before the Chiefs, but Mansoor Delane is a high quality pick in his own right.
  9. The Chiefs picked an OT in the opening frame last year, but it's still a need. Mauigoa is the odds-on favorite to go first in the OT class.
  10. This may seem low for Sonny Styles, but I think his explosive athleticism does mask some of his other flaws. That said, his potential is through the roof, and any defensive player would fill a need for Cinci.
  11. I've heard rumblings that Miami might pick a QB in the opening round, but #11 is way too early for Ty Simpson. OT is a huge need.
  12. I think Fano might get sniped by the Chiefs or the Dolphins, but I know the Cardinals love him so I wanted to put him here.
  13. I still think Tyson is the best WR in this class, but I've seen a couple mentions of the Rams liking Lemon a lot.
  14. Classic Ravens pick, best player available at great value.
  15. This might seem strange given that the Bucs just paid Cade Otten, but supposedly they are enamored with Kenyon Sadiq.
  16. Jets have been saying they are going to go best player available this draft, and Jermod McCoy has crazy upside as a replacement for Sauce Gardner.
  17. The Lions apparently love Faulk, and this is an appropriate range for him.
  18. I couldn't resist giving the Vikings another white safety, sorry.
  19. The Panthers are a weird team to mock for cause they don't really have that many holes, but OT is a need, and while this is probably the top of Lomu's range, it isn't a mega reach.
  20. Tyler Smith has been a bust, so I think the Boys reinvest at the Tackle position with yet another Bama lineman.
  21. As far as I am concerned, Rodgers is coming back. Guard is a big need for Pittsburgh, and Ioane is the only one with first round pedigree.
  22. The Chargers have made it known they want to improve the defensive interior. Woods is also good value at #22.
  23. A.J. Brown looks like he's on his way out. I think the Eagles will prefer Concepcion's speed to other receivers like Omar Cooper or Denzel Boston.
  24. Surely if you give Shedeur an amazing supporting cast he'll get even more Pro Bowls, right? Iheanachor is sneaky good and I think is more likely to get into the bottom of the first than Blake Miller.
  25. The Bears need to strengthen the middle of their defense. Kayden McDonald fits the range and need perfectly.
  26. I think, given where the Bills are picking, it's more likely they pick a receiver than any other position. I have been hearing that teams have been grading Omar Cooper as a second round guy, so Boston is the pick here.
  27. Psych! Omar Cooper being a second round prospect only makes the 49ers more likely to pick him in the opening round, though that may still be too high of a grade.
  28. The Texans probably wish they could pick an offensive player here. They are likely to trade down, maybe with a team that wants Ty Simpson, but here I have them staying put and picking up one of there very few defensive needs in Miller.
  29. Chris Jones looked done this past year. The Chiefs need to reload on the defensive line.
  30. Like I said before, reports are that the Dolphins see Malik Willis more as a bridge than an answer. If Simpson is still available at #30, don't be shocked if the Dolphins are the ones to pull the trigger.
  31. Zion Young has awesome upside, and I think he fits the mold of New England edge rushers of old like Jamie Collins.
  32. Brandon Cisse went to college with Nick Emmanwori, which is funny because he looks extremely similar as a big, physical, and athletic defensive back. Here he gets to pair back up with his college teammate on the newly-christened "Dark Side" defense. I've heard that the Seahawks want to prioritize RB in the draft, but John Schneider is as good as they come at GM and should know he can get good value in the second with someone like Jadarian Price.
 
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So I know I may be jumping the gun on this a little bit, but I just made the connection that the Chargers went 11-6, the Rams went 12-5, they’ve both got defensively minded head coaches (McVay I feel like can be argued for either side as his main specialty) paired with returning starting quarterbacks looking to prove something while they still can- for Justin Herbert, he would finally get to silence the doubters, and for Matthew Stafford, any remaining doubts about whether or not he deserves to enter into the Hall of Fame (spoiler alert: he does) would likely be answered right then and there.

Let’s just pretend for a second the Chargers and the Rams met in the Super Bowl for this upcoming season… in a season where the Super Bowl also happens to be going back to SoFi Stadium… and could always end up being Matthew Stafford’s final season, you never know. How long do we give Los Angeles before the entire city burns to the ground? As a Seahawks fan? I give them a couple hours.
 
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