This 2025 NFL season is a pivotal season for quite a few NFL teams. There are a handful of teams that have fallen short of their expectations the last few years. This year, there’s no more excuses to put together a productive postseason. It’s one thing to have regular season success, but deep playoff runs are paramount to contending for a championship.
It’s never easy to go on a playoff run. Between injuries and simply running into hot teams, it isn’t easy. Ask the Dallas Cowboys, they’ve been pursuing playoff success since Jimmy Johnson was the coach. For the last 30 years, the Cowboys have been starving for a return to the Super Bowl, let alone the NFL championship game.
Here’s a handful of teams who can’t settle for anything less than a playoff run. It’s easier said than done, but these teams have to get it done, no questions asked.
Baltimore Ravens
The only team that has higher expectations than the Dallas Cowboys is the Baltimore Ravens. Lamar Jackson is a two-time MVP and hasn’t won an AFC conference championship and been to just one in his career. A Super Bowl appearance is the one thing holding him back from respect in the NFL. Not that he’s being disrespected, but it’s the one thing that could help solidify his legacy.
The Ravens have come up short in the playoffs every year since Jackson has helped turn them around. This year in particular because he has an offense and defense that should be one of the best in the NFL. They still have Derrick Henry and they added DeAndre Hopkins to the offense.
The defense is always going to be a problem and with Malaki Starks and Kyle Hamilton as the young, new faces of the defense, this is their year. The Kansas City Chiefs and the Buffalo Bills will certainly be contenders too, but the Ravens can no longer accept losses to either of them.
Pittsburgh Steelers
The Pittsburgh Steelers have gone all in this year, turning to Aaron Rodgers and T.J. Watt as the saviors of this team. This season, they can’t even afford to just reach the playoffs, if they aren’t playing in the AFC title game at worst, it was a wasted offseason. They have so much at stake this season. They haven’t won a playoff game in almost a decade and haven’t played in the Super Bowl since 2010.
Mike Tomlin has been under fire for not having a losing season yet now having success in the playoffs. Last year when they went after Russell Wilson, that was supposed to end their playoff woes, and instead they ended the season with a five-game losing streak, including a first-round loss to Baltimore.
The Steelers added Rodgers to win now. They probably are in a tie for first place with the Cowboys and Ravens for championship-starved organizations.
San Francisco 49ers
Kyle Shanahan has avoided serious heat but has run out of excuses going into 2025. He’s got his quarterback in Brock Purdy, so winning is the only option. The San Francisco 49ers have met the Kansas City Chiefs in the Super Bowl twice since 2019 and came up short both times. They can’t do that again this year.
The NFC is wide open. While the Philadelphia Eagles are favorites to return, Shanahan and the 49ers are a team that can’t afford to come up short again. This team might not be the most talented, but it’s certainly expected to make noise in the postseason.
If Shanahan doesn’t string together a couple of playoff wins this year, it could get him canned as the 49ers coach. He’s had a long leash and a lot of chances to win a championship. San Francisco missed the playoffs last year, only a deep playoff run will avenge last year’s shortcomings.
Green Bay Packers
On Wednesday, the Green Bay Packers probably could have gotten away with winning one playoff game. Now that they have Micah Parsons and addressed a massive need on the defense, anything less than a Super Bowl appearance and they’ll probably be criticized and considered overrated.
Jordan Love was already under massive pressure to lead Green Bay on a playoff run. They’ve made the playoffs each of the last two years since Love’s taken over as the starter. This year, this team is built for the postseason and postseason success. The Parsons trade just amplified all of that.
Buffalo Bills
Josh Allen is teetering into the same territory as Lamar Jackson. Allen secured his first MVP award last year. Winning league MVP is one thing, but it doesn’t mean anything if you don’t back it up with a Super Bowl appearance. The Buffalo Bills have come up short to the Kansas City Chiefs seemingly every season in the playoffs since Allen’s turned them around.
The Chiefs have been running the AFC each of the last three seasons and don’t look like they’ll be stopped. The Bills have to find a way to win, even better if they do it and take out Lamar Jackson in the process. Either way, Allen has reached the pinnacle of the NFL, but he still lacks a championship. The Bills haven’t won a championship since the merger and went through a four-year period of losing four-straight Super Bowls.
If there’s anybody that will end the streak, it’s Allen and if there’s any year to do it, it’s 2025. It won’t be easy. Last year, the Bills once again came up short; they won’t be able to get away with another close call in 2025.