5 NFL teams with something to Prove in the Playoffs
We are entering the most-hyped part of the 2025 NFL season, with the Playoffs about to begin. You would argue that this season, more than most, still has more questions hanging over the contenders. It feels wide open, particularly because every team has flaws. Those flaws will likely be exposed over the coming weeks.
Of course, you can argue that all teams have something to prove in the Playoffs. In fact, you can say that’s the raison d’être for the Playoffs. But we think there are questions swirling around these five more than most for a variety of reasons:
1. LA Rams
The Rams have been in a curious position for much of the season. They have rarely been perfect, looking quite vulnerable at times, but there was a stretch of victories across the fall, beating the Ravens, Jags, Saints, 49ers, Buccaneers, and Seahawks in succession that put them on the map, and helped several sportsbooks decide they should be favorites in the betting for this season’s Super Bowl. And yet, you get the sense that they spent so much time at the top of the betting markets because sportsbooks were unsure of who else to put there. Don’t get us wrong, they are contenders, but they still have a lot to prove to show us they merit the favorite tag.
2. New England Patriots
Whatever happens from this point, this has been a turnaround season for the ages. Mike Vrabel has turned the Patriots from a 4-13 team to an AFC East-winning one, and one that seems highly comfortable on the road. The only criticism is that the Patriots had one of the easiest schedules in the league, and their much-vaunted 10-game winning streak only featured a couple of Playoff-caliber teams. What’s more, they certainly have not made Gillette Stadium a fortress. Fans may also be haunted by that second-half collapse against the Bills in mid-December. It will be interesting to see what they are made of.
3. Buffalo Bills
Speaking of the Bills, this might be the most difficult team to predict going into the Playoffs. The opening weekend victory against the Ravens was spectacular, with many thinking it would be a showdown against the AFC’s two best teams. But some of the sparkle wore off in hindsight as the Ravens spluttered all season. Nevertheless, the Bills huffed and puffed and made it to the Wild Card game, never really bothering the Patriots for supremacy in the AFC East. Josh Allen may get hot in the playoffs, and experience could count in the coming weeks, but the Bills feel unreliable and certainly not as cohesive as last season.
4. Philadelphia Eagles
You can maybe look at this in two ways: either pundits and fans are sleeping on the Eagles, or the champions have not looked anywhere near the unit that swept to glory at the Super Bowl last season. That said, they seem to have recovered from a sticky patch in November, and the defense looks like the NFC’s best on its day. Fans will hope that they have not been firing on all cylinders because they have rarely had to, striding through a weak NFC East, secure in the knowledge that they did not need to get out of second gear to win it.
5. Chicago Bears
We feel a bit reluctant to put the Bears on this list, as, like the Patriots, it’s been a great season regardless of what happens now. Indeed, you can argue that the Bears have been the best entertainers in the league this season, putting on a show with late comebacks amidst tremendous action for the neutrals. There are huge questions about the defense, though, and whether their frivolousness will cost them in the Playoffs.
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