Patriots, Cardinals, Raiders Voted Top 3 Teams to Exceed Expectations by NFL Execs

The 2025 NFL season is sure to be full of surprises, and three teams are expected to outperform their projections.

In a poll conducted by The Athletic's Jeff Howe, the New England Patriots, Arizona Cardinals and Las Vegas Raiders were voted as the three teams likely to exceed expectations this year. All of them received seven votes apiece from 25 NFL coaches and executives who were allowed to submit three votes each.

"(The Patriots) will be super well-coached, and the division is wide open," an executive said.

Per DraftKings Sportsbook, the Raiders have +1,400 odds to finish with the fewest wins during the 2025 season. The Patriots and Cardinals both have +6,500 odds, respectively.

New England will have head coach Mike Vrabel leading the way this year, so the team should be able to improve following three straight losing seasons with back-to-back 4-13 finishes in 2023 and 2024.

Las Vegas also hired a veteran coach in Pete Carroll, and it acquired veteran quarterback Geno Smith from the Seattle Seahawks to lead a young group.

Howe noted that Arizona was also voted first in this category in the 2024 poll, so it's clear that opposing teams are "fully believing in general manager Monti Ossenfort's methodical approach and coach Jonathan Gannon's system — along with his talented staff."

The 2025 campaign is set to kickoff this week, so it will be fun to watch which teams rise to the top of the pack throughout the year.