Last season, the NFC was not as dominant as the AFC as 9 teams won at least 8 games,
compared to 12 teams in the AFC. Despite not winning the Super Bowl, the 49ers remain
one of the favorites to make amends for their heartbreaking loss. But there may be some
other candidates seeking a trip to New Orleans for Super Bowl 59.
San Francisco 49ers to win NFC (+260)
While they didn’t win Super Bowl 58 the 49’ers are still one of the early favorites to win it all
in 2025. The main reason? Most of the roster is expected to return including all the key
weapons like, Christian McCaffrey, Deebo Samuel, and George Kittle and Brndon Aiyuk.
And if Brock Purdy continues to perform on his cheap rookie deal, it’ll add major value for
San Francisco. The 49ers signed defensive end Leonard Floyd and linebacker De’Vondre
Campbell adding some more experience to the defense. While they are getting longer in the
tooth, they should add depth to a defense that did struggle in the playoffs. Not much change is
expected in the Bay, meaning the 49ers remain the class of the NFC in 2025.
Detroit Lions to win NFC (+550)
Did Dan Campbell’s ego cost the Lions a trip to the Super Bowl? Maybe. But the Lions lived up
to the pre-season hype as they found their way to the conference title game. But expectations
will be even greater in 2025, especially after the way the Lions blew a game they should have
won. The biggest contributions came from a superb rookie class that featured budding stars in
Jahmyr Gibbs, Sam LaPorta and defensive back, Brian Branch. The offense was fifth overall
average 27 points and with much of the big guns returning, scoring won’t be an issue.
Defensively, they’ll need some help as they ranked in the bottom 6 in passing yards allowed.
The Lions biggest need was adding to the defense and they addressed that by signing four
players including DJ Reader. The defensive tackle comes from the Bengals where he was a big
part of the run defense. The Lions had 41 sacks last season, ninth fewest in the NFL. With the
upgrades, Dan Campbell’s squad will remain a tough foe in the NFC.
Green Bay Packers to win NFC (+700)
After the departure of Aaron Rodgers, 2024 was supposed to be a rebuilding season in Green
Bay but instead, it was ‘retool on the fly.’ The Pack had a second half season surge and we saw
the emergence of Jordan Love, who was one of the best quarterbacks in the second of the
season. Love finished with 32 touchdowns, second most in the league. He signed a massive
deal worth $220 million over four years making him the highest paid quarterback. There were
other major changes during free agency as the Packers signed running back Josh Jacobs but
released fan favorite, Aaron Jones. And what is intriguing about the rest of the offense, all their
young players are on cheap deals. Christian Watson, Jayden Reed, Romeo Doubs, Dontayvion
Wicks, Bo Melton, Malik Heath, Luke Musgrave and Tucker Craft will be in their second or third
NFL season, still on low salary deals. This offense was likely a year or two ahead of schedule
and will only get better under Love’s maturation. With new defensive coordinator Jeff Hafley,
the Pack have a tremendous front seven with Rashan Gary and Kenny Clark leading the way.
Devonte Wyatt and Quay Walker have shown first round flashes, and will only be better in 2025.
And don't be surprised to see edge rusher Lukas Van Ness take on a bigger role. Some free
agent additions could take the Packers from a playoff team to a Super Bowl contender.
Dallas Cowboys to win NFC (+1000)
After crashing out in Super Wild Card Weekend to the Packers, team owner Jerry Jones
decided to bring back Mike McCarthy for another crack at the Lombardi trophy. This could be
the final attempt for Dak Prescott for a Super Bowl push. Unless he signs an extension he’ll
become a free agent after next season. And the same goes with McCarthy. The Cowboys
released LB Leighton Vander Esch and WR Michael Gallup and could ask others to restructure
their current deals. Three straight 12 and 5 seasons, and this team hasn’t been able to reach
the conference championship game. It appears it may be this group's last kick as the can,
before we see a complete makeover. But keep this scenario in mind, if the Cowboys are off to a
poor start, replacing McCarthy, who’s in the final year of a 5 year deal, wouldn’t be a stretch,
especially if someone like Bill Bellichek is lurking in the wings.
Odds to win NFC Championship
San Francisco 49ers +260
Detroit Lions +550
Philadelphia Eagles +600
Green Bay Packers +700
Dallas Cowboys +1000
Atlanta Falcons +1200
LA Rams +1600
Chicago Bears +1600
Seattle Seahawks +3300
Minnesota Vikings +3500
Tampa Bay Buccaneers +3500
New Orleans Saints +4000
Arizona Cardinals +5000
Washington Commanders +6600
Carolina Panthers +12500