by Anthony Fernandez
March 10th, 2025
The 2025 GGL Season Kickoff is HERE. Two teams will be vying for the 60th Lombardi Trophy at the conclusion of this season, and as one of the teams that choked that opportunity away last year, I'd like to think we're a team in discussion. That said, these (and all the other predictions posted by others) are just
opinions. They hold no real weight, outside of perhaps a little added motivation. So hopefully everyone keeps that in mind and doesn't take any offense. I had hoped to make this a little more involved with some fun rivalry AI pictures, but I just ran out of time. I've been quiet around the league, and will continue to for personal reasons, but if I'm going to continue to build my team to the most competitive level possible... we will need to accumulate AP. It's just the reality of the situation. And having finally got my computer setup to broadcast only to be removed from the broadcaster team without notice - that only leaves articles. Thankfully, I'm pretty good at writing articles. And my buddy Tim Miller was able to find me some formatting from my old SFL articles... so expect some content this season. It's likely the only way you'll hear from me, so it's also a great opportunity for my detractors... because if you don't like me, just avoid the League Articles forum and you won't even know I exist. Enjoy!
AFC East
1.
Miami Dolphins
2.
Buffalo Bills
3.
New York Jets
4.
New England Patriots
We begin in the AFC with the
Miami Dolphins, where SFL Super Bowl Champion Scott Gardiner quietly was a field goal away from beating the eventual Super Bowl Champion Chargers and potentially becoming a Champion in GGL as well. After a busy offseason where they made many solid moves, I think they'll for sure be in the conversation this year as well. On paper my only concern being an NFL fan was the health of Tua... but he's surprisingly an 83 INJ rating here, which makes him more sturdy than many from the highly sought after rookie class. With that in place, having a 99 AWR QB with 96 THA that is only 27 years old means that the Miami Dolphins WILL be Super Bowl Champions in GGL at some point in the immediate future. The question is not if, just when. Unfortunately for them, I do think the
Buffalo Bills will be much improved this year. That might not be saying much, as they were awful last year and eventually crashed out and traded one of the best QBs in the league to the Falcons. Penix Jr. is a stud, for reasons we do not mention. Was he worth giving up Josh Allen and a stud WR? Time will tell. Ironically with Penix only being 2 years younger than Tua (who feels like he's been in the league forever), I think that GGL Tua could haunt GGL Penix that same way that Mahomes and Brady did for NFL Josh Allen. That said, the Bills should make the playoffs. I do not think the
New York Jets or
New England Patriots will put up much resistance this year, but that's not because they don't have fantastic GMs in Peter Fenger and Bill Ryan. I think both of those are stand up guys who are in the midst of rebuilds. The Patriots are going to be REALLY good with Drake Maye eventually, but I'll say that this year the Jets might have a slight advantage in knowing that they have nothing at QB so perhaps they lean into the other aspects of their team that aren't as bad... like the run game and defense. Rookie QB Baldridge should be protected at all costs with his 57 AWR, or he's going to shatter records for INT. I wouldn't be surprised to see this team HEAVILY lean on running and be perfectly content if Baldridge is only getting ~500 pass yards a progression cycle. The Patriots, on the other hand, have Maye who IS much further along.. but is still pretty far away from the big lights with only 79AWR and 82THA. They showed last year (545 pass attempts) that they're going to try and sling that thing around, and I wouldn't be surprised if Maye comes close to 30 INT again. That said, at just 23 years old... this team is going to have a killer window of 5-8 years to win a Championship. That year just isn't 2025.
AFC North
1.
Cincinnati Bengals
2.
Baltimore Ravens
3.
Pittsburgh Steelers
4.
Cleveland Browns
I'm not going to lie, the narrative around the
Cincinnati Bengals and the apparent disdain for Joe Burrow at the conclusion of last year had me worried. That temper tantrum was short lived, however, and cooler heads prevailed. GM Tinnin instead went to work with building the team up in the offseason. Perhaps most notably was the extensive work done on the OL, where the Bengals drafted every high profile OL in the draft, lol. For that there is some initial concern about all those youngsters growing together and keeping Burrow upright - but frankly I'm not too worried about it. I think the OL rookie/sophomore progression boosts are so OP that those guys are going to get a LOT better each of the next few years, and really capitalize on a small window with a 29 year old QB with 88 THP. In a league where most teams have garbage OLs, the Bengals will have one of the best in 2-3 short seasons. Honestly, it was impressive GM work to watch. Next up is the
Baltimore Ravens, who I think will be much better in year 2 of Lamar Jackson. Ironically, the team also aggressively added Sam Darnold and Kyler Murray, but I think that's more of a formality than anything else. It's puzzling how a 99 AWR/99 THA QB throws 19 INT and is sacked 23 times, but GM Wade Pearce is one of the best and took measures to improve the team over the offseason. The secondary here is among the best in the league, and that should get them close to a playoff berth. Ironically, I'd circle week 14 on their schedule, as I think a head to head tilt in Denver will decide the six seed. Next up are the
Pittsburgh Steelers. The Steelers did a thing I personally hate - reaching for a QB in the 1st round that they're now required to build around. Kofi Odenigbo has some potential, being 60 AWR and 79 THA already... but he's also already 23 years old. By the time this guy gets up to playing speed, he's going to have a pretty small window to be a force. Does that mean don't draft him? Of course not. That just means that it's a tough pill to swallow at 1.10, where you could get a building block for your franchise for years to come. All that said, I like GM Ole and think he's very smart. I loved how he built his SFL teams, and I think they're going to be a little better this year than people expect. Do I think Kofi will every hoist a Lombardi trophy? I do not. But I think he's a guy that should get Brad on that same SFL arc where he comes painfully close multiple times ala-Chad Henne. Finally, the
Cleveland Browns round us out at last place in the AFC North. This might come as a surprise after a solid (10-6) season last year and a playoff berth, but I'm just not enamored with what this team has going on at any offensive skill position. I do like the secondary and pass rushers here, which will get you far, but many of these guys are in the 28-30 range, so the window is just so incredibly tight with Desmond Ridder still a ways off. Chubb was fantastic last year, but he should regress on the field this year, and I just don't think Ridder has the weapons. In a division with some heavy hitters, I think the Browns might get the TKO punch early and be in contention for rookie QB watch NEXT offseason. I also think having one of the best GMs our community has ever known means that Garth will be smart enough to pull the plug and prepare for next year if the season starts rough... like one that begins with Cincy, Green Bay, Chicago, and Baltimore in the first month and a half.
AFC South
1.
Jacksonville Jaguars
2.
Tennessee Titans
3.
Indianapolis Colts
4.
Houston Texans
We move now to the AFC South, where the
Jacksonville Jaguars put on an absolute clinic last year, going (12-4), including crushing those inside the division to the tune of a (5-1) record. Future Hall of Fame GM Nate Jones, who oversaw a fantastic SFL Super Bowl Champion team, could soon find that same success in GGL. This team choked in the playoffs to the eventual Super Bowl Champion Chargers, but Trevor Lawrence looks good, and the team is so solid everywhere else that they were (12-4) even with their star QB missing a month of the season. The team has studs everywhere you look on the defense, huge pass catchers, a flashy running game... and a passable OL. If there is a way to get to this team, it will be by rushing the QB. That said, Nate the mac has 30 million in cap space, and I wouldn't be surprised to see them add a talented starting OT (or two) if a contender stumbles out the gate and decided to shuffle deck chairs on the Titanic. Speaking of the Titanic - I think this is the year we see the
Tennessee Titans avoid the iceberg known as their Houston history, and they emerge as a real threat in the AFC South. There is no sugar coating it - Will Levis was bad last year. He was a meme machine, both in real life and the GGL, but this year he's approaching the territory where you can potentially hide some of his warts. Will they? I think so. I think their secondary will keep them in games, their OL is better than the league average, they can rush the passer, and Tyreek will give them a new element on the edge to cheat some yards for Levis if the team finds themselves in close games. I think they'll fall short of playoff contention, but should be a respectable team floatin around .500 for the year. Next up, we head to the
Indianapolis Colts, where I think my good buddy and former GZL PTI co-host Ian Coyle has the Colts headed in the right direction. A (4-12) season last year isn't concerning for me, considering youngster Anthony Richardson barely played. I think this year the addition of Marshon Lattimore will do wonders for their secondary in a division where QBs are going to throw INTs. They have one of the best OL in football, and a RB that can take over games. I think the Colts are a strong bet to approach .500 this year and put a good year of development on Anthony Richardson, who could be breaking out in the next couple years. For the
Houston Texans, I think we're headed to another year of no playoffs. But maybe I'll be wrong. There is undoubtedly a lot of talent on the roster, I just don't know if the team can compete with Nate Jones and everything he's building in Jacksonville.
AFC West
1.
Kansas City Chiefs
2.
Denver Broncos
3.
Vegas Raiders
4.
Los Angeles Chargers
Everyone loves the
Kansas City Chiefs, and knowing how much AC hates being criticized in these season predictions (right, Will?), I'm tempted to avoid being too critical. But I'll say the gap between this team and the
Denver Broncos is not TOO big. The Chiefs got noticeably worse this offseason. They lost a stud MLB, a stud RG, and various other players to Free Agency, saw Travis Kelce retire, and they traded away their best WR. That said, they DID draft pretty good with all their picks, and I think it was an offseason that though making them weaker NOW, will ultimately set them for success moving forward. After all, they still have Patrick Mahomes and one of the best HBs in the league. That said, Bo Nix is looking a little more studely after that rookie progression. I love the young talent on their defense. They also have a talented OL at most spots... which is tough in this league. I think that, coupled with a GM who will be freed up to focus on building his team for the first time in forever, the Broncos will turn some heads and make the playoffs. That's me banking on them beating the Ravens in Denver in Week 14, as I think that'll decide who gets into the tournament at #6... and while it's dead even with those two teams for me, I'll give the Broncos the -3 home field advantage. That leaves the
Vegas Raiders, who might be the team I'm rooting for the most this year (pirates got to stick together). I loved their Free Agency additions. Anytime you can make your team incrementally better with just some financial contributions, I think you do it. I do worry about the lack of a QB - but let's be real... they play in a league where half the teams don't have a QB. So I think this team will be VERY feisty, even if they might get blown out a few times with a 3 INT game. But Brock Bowers could be a real problem for teams in the WR3 spot this year, and I think they're going to turn some heads and progress this roster. The
Los Angeles Chargers are the defending Super Bowl Champions, having pulled off (in my opinion) four pretty big upsets in the playoffs. While I do think Norb is a fantastic GM, I do wonder if they decided to blow the team up a little too early. An offseason of seeing guys like Justin Herbert get traded, as well as guys like Derwin James and Alohi Gilman seemingly on their way out to develop young draft picks would certainly be pause in real life for a team owner... but in a fantasy league like this with just numbers and luck, one perk of winning a Super Bowl is being able to deflect the pressure of staying on top away from yourself by launching a full rebuild. And having heard Norb say multiple times how that is among his favorite things about these leagues (building and developing), it's hard to blame him for the move. I just think 2025 is going to be rough on the field. That said, Castille already being at 80 OVR as a rookie was surprising. I would NOT be surprised to be very wrong about this Chargers team.
NFC East
1.
Dallas Cowboys
2.
Philadelphia Eagles
3.
New York Giants
4.
Washington Commanders
We're in the NFC now, and I'm running out of gas. You know who isn't running out of gas? The
Dallas Cowboys and GM Darryl Breckheimer. I'm so excited to see how the Micah Parsons to CB experiment goes, because it is the kind of unprecedented move that could literally prove to be league-breaking. With his size, yet still being faster than 95% of the players at the position, AND still being 99 AWR (taking no hit for the move), and also still having decent hands and being an all-word tackler? Yikes. Good luck passing against this team. I also wonder if Parsons is about to set franchise records in forced fumbles? It will be a fun thing to track this season. The defense looks stacked at every other position as well, so this will be a very tough team to move the ball against. On offense, they're in a similar position as we are with Baker. Dak is regressing, and while 88 AWR and 90 THA will not hold up for long, in THIS league, with all these young QBs, Dak should be a Pro Bowler. Dallas was aggressive in acquiring stud OL, WRs, and HBs around Dak. This should easily be a favorite to win the Super Bowl, after just narrowly missing out last year. Close behind them should be the
Philadelphia Eagles, who have one of the greatest GMs our community has ever known. At times last year it looked like the Eagles hadn't quite figured out what to do with Jalen Hurts at QB, but like their NFL counterpart... they're only a few clicks of the Rubik's cube from unlocking his full potential. I think they had a wonderful draft, adding some real studs. That is to be expected with a Wintermute-led team, but it was a good reminder of how competitive this team can be - and perhaps a word of caution for Breck and his Cowboys to not underestimate this squad. The
New York Giants are rebuilding and a year behind the
Washington Commanders in the process, but I think both teams will hover around 6-8 wins. Romeo is a veteran GM who makes great moves, and WILL have this Giants team competitive before long in one of the most competitive divisions in the league. I have no doubt about that. That said, Rookie QBs are tough. I was excited to see GM Rob Stanley show up for Washington - a guy I remember back in GZL. He's super competent, and I think once he gets his feet under him in the new division you'll see that this could easily become the toughest division in the league.
NFC North
1.
Green Bay Packers
2.
Minnesota Vikings
3.
Chicago Bears
4.
Detroit Lions
The
Green Bay Packers were one of the standout teams last year, but lost some momentum in the playoffs, barely beating up on a banged up 49ers team, and then falling behind the Cowboys in the NFC Championship 17-6 at halftime and never truly recovering. That said, this is a team with ambitions much higher than the NFC North. The Packers will be in play for the Super Bowl, but this offseason
Detroit Lions GM Rodany Mendez has been passionate about getting under the skin of GM Gary Hickman. Ultimately, I don't think the Lions have the horses (primarily at QB) and will be the odd team out in an uber-competitive division. That said, Rodany is an amazing GM and that was proven by some STUD picks in the draft. I'll be curious to watch those players progress, and I think the Lions will be competing with the Packers as soon as they find a QB in the near future. Speaking of the Packers, they only got better this offseason and I think march out to a strong start and secure the NFC North with a month left in the season. This might come as a surprise to some, as many teams are high on the
Chicago Bears. I am not. Caleb Williams will be very good in this league. I won't be surprised to see him win multiple Super Bowls. I just don't think it will be this year. A dark horse in the division are the
Minnesota Vikings, who I actually have coming in JUST out of reach of a Wild Card spot. McCarthy has amazing weapons in Minnesota, and one of the stronger OLs in the league. Gary Cohen is an underrated GM that will be turning some heads this year in Minny.
NFC South
1.
Tampa Bay Buccaneers
2.
Atlanta Falcons
3.
Carolina Panthers
4.
New Orleans Saints
The
Tampa Bay Buccaneers went (6-0) in this division last year, and while every team clearly got better in the South this offseason, I think the Buccaneers should still be considered the favorites. I'm sure there were a few GMs grinning and smiling that the Buccaneers started out the 2025 season with a choke job in Minnesota, but we're not overly concerned. The strength of our team is our emerging, young defense, and they DID show up and make splash plays. Did I overlook the Vikings a little bit, who really struggled last year? Yes, clearly I did. I tried to cheat some playing time for young guys that I wouldn't play against the
Atlanta Falcons, and we got shot in the foot. That said, we were a 4th and Goal with under 2 minutes away from tying it anyway, and we'll re-adjust and get ready for our home opener against Michael Penix next week, who we swept last year. Now in Atlanta is Josh Allen - who despite his advanced age is still very talented. The Falcons will easily win double digit games this year and very much be a threat to win the NFC South. This is a division that is likely going to come down to the two H2H games between Tampa and Atlanta. Ultimately, that is unlikely to be a sweep again this year, but if they split, perhaps the division is instead decided by strength of schedule. The Falcons play the Seahawks and Eagles, while the Bucs play the 49ers and Redskins. I'd give the slight edge in those matchups to the Bucs... but perhaps I'm just leaning on the talent of GMs Rock Hewko and Neal Wintermute? The Falcons are also pretty thin at LB, OT, and backup WR. Pitts is surely going to be a problem at WR3 for most teams, but DaRon Bland is up for the challenge for us. The
Carolina Panthers and
New Orleans Saints both made splashy, solid moves all offseason. They for sure got better and put themselves on a trajectory to compete in this division. I give the slight edge to the Panthers, who are a little further along at QB. I don't think it's a controversial comment to say, however, that (on paper) the Bucs and Falcons look to be in a different league for the 2025 season. Injuries could change that quick, however. Just don't look at the Week 1 standings, but check back here later in the season.
NFC West
1.
Los Angeles Rams
2.
San Francisco 49ers
3.
Arizona Cardinals
4.
Seattle Seahawks
Last but not least, the NFC West. I think the majority of the league have penciled in the
Los Angeles Rams as the favorite after they passed up the painful rookie QB experience for a Super Bowl winner in Justin Herbert. It was an outstanding move that might mirror their outstanding decision last year to trade WR Puka Nakua for what would become the #1 overall pick (which ultimately helped them secure a Top 5 QB in the league for the next 5 years.) The Rams also built up some amazing weapons for Herbert, and quietly have one of the more athletic defenses in the league. They will be a real threat, but I do think their secondary and OL remain a little bit beatable. I expect a huge leap from this team from 9 wins to closer to 12... but those aforementioned holes they still have might present some problems in the playoffs. That said, GM Herr will get those fixed soon, and we'll be talking about Super Bowl parades in LA. The
San Francisco 49ers have all the tools to be successful, but ironically this is one of the rosters that I think was nerfed the most with the conversion from NFL to GGL. A guy like CMC, who dominates NFL games, just doesn't have the same appeal in a league like this at 210lbs. I do think he has one more REALLY good year in him, but after that the team will have questions to solve at the position. Purdy also is a question mark with his 86 THP, but everything else is so nice that you probably HAVE to restructure the 26 year old and just hope he can overcome it before 30 when his arm turns into a noodle quick. If he hits Free Agency, the team WILL be matching a max+ contract, so it would be wise to trade him for maximum assets, or to restructure him to a 7 year deal now. The
Arizona Cardinals drafted the QB I liked the most in the draft, almost pulling the trigger at 2.2 before deciding I just don't have the patience to build another QB from scratch. I think Patino will be very good when all is said and done, but there will be some growing pains this year, especially with an OL that a good DL can push the interior pocket on. I love the smart veteran additions the team made in Free Agency, and I do think this team will hover around .500 off the strength of their great GM, despite the pain they'll experience at QB this year. The
Seattle Seahawks won 6 games last year, and despite having a great GM and some playmakers, that still felt like an overachievement. I think they'll struggle this year, and they're my early favorite to draft a QB at 1.1 next year. I'd watch Geno Smith on the trade front if a QB goes down with an injury early... unless the Seahawks start red hot.
AFC Playoff Seedings
1.
Miami Dolphins
2.
Jacksonville Jaguars
3.
Kansas City Chiefs
4.
Cincinnati Bengals
5.
Buffalo Bills
6.
Denver Broncos
Florida. We know what we're doing. Really not a lot of surprises in this field of teams, except maybe Denver... who started red hot last year and could again this year. I don't think there's any doubt Will is a talented GM, who will now have more time to focus on building his team. I think we're going to get closer to the GM who had three consecutive GM of the Year worthy years in SFL San Diego, than the GM who left me with scraps in SFL Dallas. And bad news for the Chiefs? In another year or two, I think they'll be at the top of this list competing with the Drake Mayes and Penix Jr's of the world.
NFC Playoff Seedings
1.
Tampa Bay Buccaneers
2.
Green Bay Packers
3.
Dallas Cowboys
4.
Los Angeles Rams
5.
Philadelphia Eagles
6.
Atlanta Falcons
Oooo, a target on my back. Big deal. We were the #1 seed last year, and the expectation is to do it again. I think our team got better this year, but I'll confess I did feel like we were overachieving last year. I still think we'll be in contention for 11 or 12 wins, if we stay healthy. These projections are assuming the NFC East will be super competitive, which might slow the Cowboys down a bit... who I think are still the most talented team on paper.
Wild Card Round
over
over
over
over
Broncos get the upset over the division rival Chiefs. And so it begins. Bengals stamp out the upstart Bills and the young Peni
sx. The Rams narrowly eliminate a Hall of Fame GM, and the Cowboys defend homefield and send Josh Allen fishing.
Divisional Round
over
over
over
over
Nate and Will in the playoffs will be must-see TV, and while I think the Broncos are headed in the right direction, I think the Jaguars handedly win this one after roughing up everyone in the AFC South. The Dolphins also stand tall for Florida and send GM Tinnin into trade talks for QB Joe Burrow. I'm rooting for Brady to win one of these things. Maybe the last MOST deserving guy who doesn't have one. But that OL is young. He'll be back. In the NFC, I think we narrowly beat out Herbert (who TORCHED us last year in the regular season, btw). And I think the Cowboys irritate the Packers by being just too good yet again.
Championship Round
over
over
3/4 of the Championship games represent Florida Men, with only Breck as the knight in shining armor to stop us. Ultimately I have future Hall of Fame GM Nate Jones, the winningest GM in GGL AFC South history, as not only the class of the AFC South, but the class of the AFC in general. It's a close game though, and I think the Dolphins are poised to win it all next year. And then in what will surprise many, the Bucs get revenge for their blown 17-0 home lead in the playoffs last year to the eventual NFC Champion Cowboys, in what could be the last-best-chance for Baker Mayfield. While some critics might point to us starting the year (0-1), I'd remind them that Super Bowls aren't won in Week 1. Need proof? Last year the eventual-Super Bowl Champion Chargers started the year out with a loss Week 1 to the lowly Carolina Panthers. In fact, the Chargers started last year off by going (1-4)... and even (2-5). But they got hot at the right time. I'd argue that our schedule starts off very tough with the Bills and Packers up next, and I won't be surprised to see us start (0-3), or (1-2). But the reality of the situation is that eventually we're going to play the Panthers and Saints of the world... plus young QBs like Drake Maye, Jayden Daniels, Caleb Williams, and eventually rookie QBs and Jared Goff. We'll be ok. But make no mistake... there is NO roster more scary than the Dallas Cowboys roster. I'm just hoping that in a rematch of two equally talented GMs that over time it will average out. He got me the last two times we played. Would be crushing to lose another high profile game to the same squad... even if it's against one of my favorite people in the community.
Super Bowl 60
over
