Electric NFL season opens horizon for new super bowl contenders: Midseason report

Owen Gouthro and Jacob Barnett

October 29, 2025

The contending Tampa Bay Buccaneers face off against the Carolina Panthers at Bank of America stadium. Photo used with permission from Tom Gouthro.

Unpredictable is a word that describes this NFL season to a tee, with upsets and underdogs shaping the season so far. What’s left to see in this second stretch of the season? What teams are most likely to take it all the way? The GH Falcon kept a bird’s eye view on the action this season, finding who’s ready to soar into Superbowl LX.

Colts

The Indianapolis Colts, a team that was predicted to be a wildcard team at best, has proven to defeat all odds. The team came into this season with little hype, a new quarterback fresh from NY, and ranked in the lower half of the league. However, stats aren’t always indicative in this league. This is seen by the Colts coming out with a 7-1 record, up over 10000 in odds from the start of the season. This is heavily due to the teams QB Daniel Jones, accumulating 2062 passing Yards and 71% completion percentage. Another major player on the team is Jonathan Taylor, a running back with 10 touchdowns and upwards of 700 yards. Offense is not the only thing that the Colts have. The team has a 75% turnover rate, ranking 8th in the league for defense. With this, the Colts are carving a path to the Superbowl.

Lions

The Detroit Lions are a team going into the season with something to prove. Last season, the team showed much promise with a 15-2 record and a dominant offense. However, come playoff time, the Lions fell to the pressure and suffered a major upset loss dealt by the Washington Commanders and rookie QB Jayden Daniels. This season, the Lions currently hold a 5-2 record with Super Bowl odds ranging from +600 to +700. The Lions two losses for this season so far were suffered at the hands of the Green Bay Packers and Kansas City Chiefs, both contenders of their own, showcasing how the Lions could need some more preparation for real challengers this season. However, in their most recent game against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, another top contender, the Lions beat them down with a final score of 24-9. In the team’s most dominant win against the Chicago Bears, QB Jared Goff threw for five touchdowns and 334 passing yards, coming out to a final score of 52-21. The Lions still look dominant this season, but will need to show up when it matters and beat some real contenders to prove their ability to lead the pack.

Buccaneers

The Tampa Bay Buccaneers have consistently destroyed their division, with four consecutive seasons of winning the NFC South. In the current 2025 season, the Bucs appear geared up for the five-peat, with a 6-2 record and odds ranging from +1800 to +2500. This is heavily due to the team’s outstanding offense, with a lights-out QB Baker Mayfield having his best season yet. The player’s stats currently reflect over 1900 passing yards and 13 touchdowns. Another hard hitter for this electric offense has been rookie wide receiver Emeka Egbuka, with 562 yards and 34 receptions for five touchdowns. Egbuka’s best performance for the season was against the Seattle Seahawks, catching seven balls for 163 yards, a touchdown, and a two point conversion. Tampa Bay’s offense isn’t the only place the Bucs are thriving though. Defensively, the Bucs rushing defense is ranked within the top five of the entire league. The team has a top 10 ranking, only giving up a maximum of 99 rushing yards per game throughout the first half of the season. This season the young Buccaneers team shows more promise to go for a deeper playoff run.

Eagles

The defending super bowl champs arguably go into this season with the most to prove, as doubt for Jalen Hurts, the Philadelphia Eagles QB, runs high. This season, the team started out with a 4-0 undefeated record, but weren’t putting up the stats to prove their success. In one of these wins against the Kansas City Chiefs, Hurts only passed for 101 yards, which is considered very low in the NFL. Following the undefeated spree, the team took two back-to-back losses to the Denver Broncos and New York Giants, both previously considered underwhelming teams. In the last two weeks, the birds have looked better, showcasing their passing offense against the Minnesota Vikings and dominating on the ground against the New York Giants. Both wide receivers, AJ Brown and Devonta Smith, caught at least one touchdown and had over 120 receiving yards against the Vikings. Against the Giants, running back Saquon Barkley ran for 150 yards and scored 2 touchdowns. Amidst the close wins and the concerning losses, doubt for the team’s playcalling and defensive abilities remains prevalent. The Eagles have a high ranking, currently due to their super bowl LIX champion status, with +950 to +1100 odds to take home the Lombardi and a 6-2 record. Despite this, if the team is unable to patch up their issues, they look to fall in this season’s ranking.

Patriots

The New England Patriots were the team on top of the league for 20 years, with six super bowls and countless league records. After the departure of many household names such as Rob Gronkowski, Randy Moss and Tom Brady, the team was labeled “dead” and “a shell of its former self”. This was highlighted by the 2024 season after a franchise low season of 4-13 record. The Patriots needed to change with not only players, but also coaches, starting from the ground up. This season, the Patriots are currently leading the division with a 5-2 record and have +3500 odds to take home the trophy. This change was sparked by a standout offense, with QB Drake Maye having a MVP candidate season so far. The athlete currently sits at 1744 yards and a 75% completion rate. Maye also set a franchise record with a 91.4% single game completion rate. Additionally, Kayshon Boutte, a wide receiver that has gone through many hardships in the last few years, is also having a career high season with 431 receiving yards and five touchdowns. If this Patriots streak continues, a playoff spot seems all but guaranteed, with the team becoming serious contenders for the trophy.

Unpredictable season rewrites the script

From a football fan’s perspective, the 2025 NFL season looks to be one of the most electric seasons in recent times. Redemption arcs, underdogs and shocking upsets have completely flipped the perception of many fan favorite teams in the league. Conclusively, this season’s playoffs will be entertaining for the fans to say the least.

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About the Contributors

Owen Gouthro, Staff Writer

Aspiring Green Hope baseball player Owen Gouthro is one of the latest additions to the GH Falcon’s staff. In his free time, Owen enjoys calm hobbies such as golfing, video gaming and reading. Some of his favorite book series include Scythe and The Fifth Wave. Owen is a big fan of taking things slow, or in his words, “going with the flow.” Some of Owen’s “going with the flow” activities include his long power naps after school on days when he doesn’t have baseball practice. One other example of Owen’s lifestyle is his “wide outlet” of media consumption that bleeds into his music taste and interest in books, giving him a wide variety of tastes. However, Owen’s biggest passion in life is his hobby of golfing. His dad introduced him to golf at a young age and he fell in love with the sport and adopted the same passion for it as his dad. As for his school life, Owen likes to stick to his routine and maintain a relaxed schedule. As a writer, Owen hopes to channel his wide outlet, relaxed personality and his passions from his hobbies into his articles.

Jacob Barnett, Staff Writer

Jacob Barnett is a junior at Green Hope and an aspiring musician, playing guitar for his band “By the Flag.” Jacob, known as Jake by friends, is a hardworking new addition to the GH Falcon’s staff. Jake has played for multiple Green Hope sports teams such as wrestling and cross country, but strayed away to focus on the guitar. Jake tries to practice the guitar daily to keep consistency, even if it’s only for 10 minutes. Jake often finds himself with a lack of personal time outside of extracurriculars such as guitar lessons and his job at Jet’s pizza. Although he now doesn’t play any, he still has a long time love for sports stemming from his grandfather and his strong ties to Philadelphia that have inspired the teams he watches. Jake has a strong interest in not just music but also music media, having a strong understanding of what’s popular in many different areas of music. Overall, Jake is a strong new part of the GH Falcon and is excited to write this year.