10 NFL Teams with the Biggest Boom-or-Bust Potential in 2025

You know how the NFL works. Any given Sunday, any given year. It doesn't take much to go from boom to bust or vice versa.

Each year, several teams stand out as particularly obvious all-or-nothing squads that could either be damn good or astonishingly bad.

These are those teams for 2025, along with the extreme potential scenarios they may face.

10. Minnesota Vikings

AP Photo/Matt Krohn

J.J. McCarthy

Boom: J.J. McCarthy lives up to his draft hype and is boosted by a tremendous receiving corps and offensive line as the Vikings build on a 14-win 2024 campaign and win the NFC North. 

Bust: Essentially a rookie and coming off major knee surgery, McCarthy struggles in Year 1 and the Vikings get swallowed by the best division in the NFL. They fail to make the playoffs. 

Prediction: The sheer talent on both sides of the ball is enough to get Minnesota a wild-card spot but not enough to overtake the Lions. McCarthy's greenness catches up to the team in January and it goes one-and-down in the playoffs.

9. Cincinnati Bengals

AP Photo/Daniel Kucin Jr.

Joe Burrow

Boom: Led by one of the most dangerous offensive trios in the NFL, the Bengals finally get their act together and return to contender status as Joe Burrow wins his first MVP. 

Bust: The offensive line and the defense again let them down and/or they fail to stay healthy on offense as they again fall short of double-digit wins despite Super Bowl-level top-end talent. 

Prediction: The Bengals are so much better than 9-8, and it might be Burrow's time with both Ja'Marr Chase and Tee Higgins locked in. They will battle the Ravens hard for the AFC North crown.

8. Pittsburgh Steelers

AP Photo/Gary McCullough

Aaron Rodgers

Boom: An inspired Aaron Rodgers finds some of his old magic in his swan song, developing a rapport with DK Metcalf while a defense with plenty of top-end talent holds things down for a surprise AFC North champion. 

Bust: A 41-year-old Rodgers confirms he lost it several years ago, establishes no chemistry with Metcalf (who is also adjusting to a whole new scene), and a roster low on depth talent produces a losing record for the first time in the Mike Tomlin era. 

Prediction: There's still enough talent and experience here for the Steelers to post a winning record, but 9-8 is their ceiling. And for a ninth consecutive year, they fail to win a playoff game.

7. New York Jets

AP Photo/Matt Ludtke

Justin Fields

Boom: Justin Fields finally finds a groove and produces consistently with Garrett Wilson and Co. behind a promising offensive line, while a defense with several standout playmakers takes a big step forward in Aaron Glenn's first year. The Jets land a wild-card spot for the first time since 2010. 

Bust: Fields again fails to deliver consistently with his arm, they experience growing pains under a new regime, and the blossoming Patriots send them back into the AFC East basement. 

Prediction: Fields has some moments, as does this talented defense. None of it happens enough, and the Jets win seven or eight games before going back to the drawing board at quarterback. 

6. Houston Texans

AP Photo/Maria Lysaker

C.J. Stroud

Boom: Proving 2024 to be an aberration, C.J. Stroud and Co. pick up where they left off when the quarterback dazzled as a rookie in 2023. Braced with more experience and bolstered by changes to a previously problematic offensive line, the Texans make a Super Bowl run in the AFC.

Bust: Proving 2023 to be an aberration, a team that traded away its stalwart left tackle has even more offensive-line trouble and continues a downward spiral in a division that could be stronger than expected. Stroud again struggles with a receiving corps riddled with question marks, and the Jaguars and/or Colts leapfrog Houston in the AFC South. 

Prediction: I don't trust this team at all, but Stroud is still Stroud and the Texans do have the top-end talent on both sides of the ball. They will be in the wild-card mix, but I wouldn't be surprised if the Jags grabbed the division crown from them.

5. Jacksonville Jaguars

AP Photo/John Raoux

Trevor Lawrence

Boom: Trevor Lawrence finally comes through thanks in part to the tutelage of a new regime and the emergence of young talents Travis Hunter and Brian Thomas Jr. The Jags win the AFC South. 

Bust: Lawrence again struggles with consistency and/or durability, the defense remains a liability following a lack of improvements, and the team as a whole fails to adapt to considerable offseason changes. 

Prediction: They will be in the mix for a division title. The AFC South is wide open, and it's tough to imagine the Jaguars falling short with such a skilled roster.

4. Arizona Cardinals

AP Photo/Rick Scuteri

Kyler Murray, left, and Marvin Harrison Jr.

Boom: Kyler Murray and Marvin Harrison Jr. become an unstoppable battery in the latter's second season, and support from the likes of Trey McBride and James Conner and a rising defense helps them win the NFC West. 

Bust: Murray and Harrison again struggle to get on the same page consistently, even if the quarterback stays healthy, and the rebuild grinds to a halt in a division that could also bury them easily. 

Prediction: Murray scares me, but his ceiling is so high with Harrison, and the NFC West is increasingly wide open. The Cards secure their first division title since 2015. 

3. Denver Broncos

AP Photo/David Zalubowski

Bo Nix

Boom: Bo Nix builds on a promising rookie season and finds the next level with head coach Sean Payton behind one of the league's best offensive lines. With more stellar defensive play, the Broncos overthrow the Chiefs in the AFC West. 

Bust: Nix hits a sophomore slump, and the lack of an elite receiver factors in as Denver misses the playoffs in a tough division. 

Prediction: I love that the Broncos added to an already-strong defense and I'm buying into the Nix-Payton offense. They are simply better than the fading Chiefs, and they will prove it with their first division crown since 2015.

2. Atlanta Falcons

AP Photo/Brynn Anderson

Michael Penix Jr.

Boom: Michael Penix Jr. comes through in his first full season as the starting quarterback and an exceptional group of young skill-position players grows with him, as the Falcons win a conquerable division. 

Bust: Penix suffers from growing pains out of the gate and the Falcons defense remains the liability it was in 2024. The team posts a losing record for the eighth year in a row. 

Prediction: The jury is still out on Penix, but he has enough support to excel in a soft division for most of 2025. Throw in that the defense is better on paper, and the Falcons should battle Tampa Bay for the NFC South title.

1. Chicago Bears

AP Photo/Kamil Krzaczynski

Ben Johnson

Boom: Sophomore No. 1 overall pick Caleb Williams takes a big step forward under new head coach Ben Johnson while the defense keeps climbing to elite status. The Bears shock the Lions, Vikings and Packers in the NFC North and go on a playoff run. 

Bust: Williams slumps in Year 2 while trying to adjust to a new offense and a retooled offensive line, and a challenging division overwhelms the rebuilding team as it loses double-digit games. 

Prediction: The Bears are not ready to slay the rest of the division, but the trajectory is awesome and I believe in Johnson. They will improve on a 5-12 campaign last year with at least seven or eight wins in 2025.