What materialized in the NFC North in 2025 is a perfect example of why the NFL is rarely predictable.
Twelve months ago, the Lions and Vikings each had at least 14 wins and were preparing to meet in a winner-take-all Sunday Night Football matchup to conclude the 2024 regular season. Now these two teams are starting the offseason early this year after both endured disappointing seasons.
The Vikings struggled with second-year quarterback J.J. McCarthy, who was tabbed the new starter, even though Sam Darnold helped Minnesota reach the postseason. Ironically, Darnold won another 14 games for his new team in Seattle, and this time, his team captured the No. 1 seed after defeating the 49ers in a winner-take-all matchup on Saturday.
As for Detroit, the offense drastically regressed after the departure of former offensive coordinator Ben Johnson, who helped the Bears go from last to first in the NFC North. Again, the NFL is full of surprises.
Let’s take a closer look at what went wrong for the teams that won’t be participating in the playoffs this weekend. Here are the final grades for the nonplayoff teams in the NFC.
Minnesota Vikings: C
Record: 9–8
Team MVP: Justin Jefferson, WR
It was a challenging season for everyone involved in the Vikings’ offense due to McCarthy’s growing pains and lack of availability. Still, Jefferson was the team’s best player and found ways to impact the game in spite of the low statistical output for his lofty standards. Jefferson joined Randy Moss and Mike Evans as the only players to start a career with at least 1,000 receiving yards in their first six seasons. Jefferson finished with 84 catches for 1,048 yards and two touchdowns.
Best moment: The Vikings saw the best and worst from their inexperienced second-year quarterback in the come-from-behind 27–24 victory over the Bears in Week 1. McCarthy struggled with accuracy as the team fell behind 11 points in the third quarter. But McCarthy managed to keep plays alive with his legs and didn’t lose confidence in his arm to orchestrate the second-half rally in the Monday Night Football matchup. It was somewhat of a preview of what the Vikings were about to receive from McCarthy’s first season as the starter. McCarthy often battled in games, which should give the team optimism about his development moving forward. However, his extensive injury history is concerning.
Worst moment: It didn’t get much worse for the Vikings after a 26–0 loss against the Seahawks in Week 12 to extend their losing streak to four games. With McCarthy and Carson Wentz sidelined, undrafted rookie quarterback Max Brosmer was thrown to the wolves against one of the best defenses in the league, throwing four interceptions during a dreadful starting debut. But the Vikings regrouped and ended the season with a five-game winning streak.
Offseason outlook: The Vikings will probably search for viable competition for McCarthy after Darnold and Daniel Jones left in free agency. McCarthy didn’t gain enough trust to be handed the starting job again in large part because the 2024 first-round pick couldn’t stay healthy, missing eight games in ’25 after missing all of his rookie year. As for another looming decision, Minnesota could have stiff competition for the services of defensive coordinator Brian Flores, who has had plenty of success since joining the team in ’23. While the offense had ebbs and flows, coach Kevin O’Connell could at least count on Flores’s defense on a weekly basis.
Detroit Lions: C-
Record: 9–8
Team MVP: Jahmyr Gibbs, RB
The Lions were too reliant at times on Gibbs’s elite skill set, leading to David Montgomery being phased out of the offense during the second half of the season. But Gibbs proved in his third season that he’s capable of being a bell-cow back despite his 5' 9", 202-pound frame. He was arguably the best playmaker in the NFL this season, recording 1,233 rushing yards, 616 receiving yards and 18 total touchdowns.
Best moment: We have to go back to Week 2 in a season filled with disappointment. It appeared the Lions were going to be fine without Johnson, who took a humbling 52–21 defeat against his former team in his second game as the Bears’ head coach.
But the NFC North teams went in opposite directions, as the Lions’ offense stalled throughout the season, forcing coach Dan Campbell to take play-calling duties from offensive coordinator John Morton. Detroit quickly bounced back from an ugly season-opening loss to Green Bay, but that was the first sign that this team wasn’t going to be as mighty as the one that had Johnson and Aaron Glenn as coordinators.
Worst moment: Despite the setbacks, the Lions received plenty of help from other teams down the stretch, receiving one last opportunity to steal a playoff spot heading into a Christmas matchup against the Vikings, who started Brosmer. Instead of seizing the moment, the Lions’ offense hit rock bottom with six turnovers, including five from quarterback Jared Goff, in an embarrassing 23–10 defeat. Ironically, the subpar defense did everything it could to keep the team in the game.
Offseason outlook: Campbell could go into a second consecutive offseason with vacancies at offensive and defensive coordinator. It’s going to be vital for Campbell to nail these decisions after what transpired in 2025. Defensive coordinator Kelvin Sheppard, Glenn’s successor, rarely saw positive results from his unit. On the bright side, there’s still plenty of youth and talent throughout this roster to possibly deliver a quick fix and return to Super Bowl contender status next season.
New Orleans Saints: C-
Record: 6–11
Team MVP: Chris Olave, WR
In his fourth season, Olave delivered a career year and is now in position to see a lucrative contract extension in the offseason. The team decided not to move Olave at the trade deadline partly because of his connection with the inexperienced quarterbacks, especially rookie Tyler Shough. Olave recorded 100 catches for 1,163 yards and nine touchdowns—all career highs—in 16 games this season.
Best moment: Shough, the 2025 second-round pick, was sensational down the stretch, showing his high upside in a 34–26 win against the Titans in Week 17. Shough outplayed No. 1 pick Cam Ward, completing 22-of-27 passes for 333 yards and two touchdowns and guiding his team to a fourth consecutive victory. In 11 game appearances, Shough recorded 2,384 yards, 10 touchdowns, six interceptions and completed 67.6% of his passes. The Saints might have found their quarterback of the future.
Worst moment: Not much was going right for the struggling Saints after being crushed 34–10 by the Rams and dropping to 1–8 on the season. But Shough had a promising starting debut in Los Angeles, going 15-of-24 for 176 yards, one touchdown and one interception. New Orleans went from being the frontrunner for the No. 1 pick in the 2026 draft to having a bright future with a rookie signal-caller, who impressed often in the final two months of the season.
Offseason outlook: Now that it appears that the Saints have found the right coach and quarterback, it’s on the front office to round out the roster by adding more young talent and repairing the messy salary cap that has hampered this team for years. The Saints likely won’t be looking to draft a quarterback early in the draft, but they’re going to need to find replacements for many older veterans on this roster, including Alvin Kamara and Cameron Jordan.
Atlanta Falcons: D
Record: 8–9
Team MVP: Bijan Robinson, RB
The third-year running back produced a prolific season, providing at least one positive during a disappointing year in Atlanta. Robinson, who rushed for 1,478 yards and seven touchdowns, carried the offense the entire season, even in games that didn’t include quarterback Michael Penix Jr. and star receiver Drake London. He was the one constant during a season filled with notable injuries and questionable play-calling from offensive coordinator Zac Robinson.
Best moment: Coach Raheem Morris might have believed he saved his job after ending the season on a four-game winning streak. Atlanta stuck it to Tampa Bay after defeating New Orleans in the regular-season finale, preventing the Buccaneers from winning the NFC South. The Panthers took the division due to a tiebreaker over the Falcons and Buccaneers. Also, the Falcons had an impressive come-from-behind 29–28 victory over the Buccaneers on Thursday Night Football in Week 15. Tampa Bay has plenty of reasons to hate Atlanta this season, but that wasn’t enough to save Morris’s job, who was fired hours after the Week 18 victory against New Orleans.
Worst moment: Atlanta was losing games, but it at least had the excuse of saying the games were close, falling by one score to the Patriots, Colts, Panthers and Jets. However, that excuse went out the window after the team was steamrolled 37–9 by the Seahawks in Week 14. Instead of focusing on the string of one-score games, it was difficult to overlook the seven losses in eight games. Team owner Arthur Blank may have made up his mind about firing Morris long before the four-game winning streak to end the year. If the Falcons had beaten the lowly Jets in Week 13, they would have won the NFC South.
Offseason outlook: Blank quickly cleaned house after firing Morris and GM Terry Fontenot, who never got the team to the postseason in five seasons. It’s going to be vital for the next regime to get more from all of the young talent on this roster, especially from Penix, who had a rocky Year 2 before sustaining a season-ending knee injury in November. To make matters worse, Atlanta doesn’t have a first-round pick because it sent it to Los Angeles in a trade to select edge rusher James Pearce Jr., a promising rookie with 10.5 sacks this season. The roster won’t be changing much next season, but it’s going to be on the many new faces to lead them in the right direction in 2026.
Tampa Bay Buccaneers: D
Record: 8–9
Team MVP: Baker Mayfield, QB
Mayfield was a frontrunner for MVP before the wheels came off in Tampa Bay. The team started 5–1 thanks to Mayfield’s heroics. But this is not to say he was a bad quarterback during the losing skids in the final two months of the season. Mayfield kept the team afloat amid several injuries to key players, recording 3,693 passing yards, 26 touchdowns and 11 interceptions.
Best moment: It’s shocking that Tampa Bay didn’t find a way into the postseason because of what it did in the first five weeks. This team beat the Texans, Seahawks and 49ers in that span—all teams that could win the Super Bowl. Mayfield’s best game of the year was carving up the Seahawks’ dominant defense with a 379-yard, two-touchdown performance. There was no stopping Mayfield and his surplus of receivers, including rookie sensation Emeka Egbuka, before the injuries became too daunting to overcome.
Worst moment: Tampa Bay endured its fair share of heartbreakers, including the blown 14-point fourth-quarter lead to Atlanta in Week 15. But the Buccaneers were embarrassed 34–7 by the Rams in Week 12, a reminder that they didn’t belong with Super Bowl contenders. Tampa Bay was only in the postseason mix until the end because it resided in the subpar NFC South. If they were in any other division, the Buccaneers would not have survived losing seven out of eight games before the regular-season finale against the Panthers.
Offseason outlook: The Buccaneers find themselves in a tricky situation because they might be thinking they retained the wrong coach after letting former offensive coordinators Liam Coen and Dave Canales go for head-coaching opportunities. Coach Todd Bowles struggled to get more from his defense and even threw them under the bus after their Week 15 loss to the Falcons. It also doesn’t help that Coen and Canales guided the Jaguars and Panthers, respectively, to the playoffs. Expect changes on the defensive side and maybe even on the coaching side after a 2025 letdown.
Dallas Cowboys: D
Record: 7-9-1
Team MVP: Dak Prescott, QB
It wouldn’t be a stretch to say the Cowboys are wasting Prescott’s remaining prime years. Then again, he might not be slowing down any time soon after having one of his better seasons in Year 10. Prescott had a strong connection with George Pickens and managed to get others involved in the four games CeeDee Lamb missed due to injury. He finished with 4,552 yards, 30 touchdowns and 10 interceptions.
Best moment: It seemed Dallas was going to overcome a disastrous first two months of the season after defeating the Eagles and Chiefs, last year’s Super Bowl representatives, in a four-day span. Suddenly, the Cowboys were thinking playoffs again with the defensive reinforcements they added at the trade deadline, including the arrivals of Quinnen Williams and Logan Wilson. Dallas stopped thinking about Micah Parsons before reality set in the following week during a 44–30 loss to the Lions in Week 14.
Worst moment: The course of the Cowboys’ 2025 season was drastically altered after Jerry Jones made the head-scratching decision to trade Parsons to Green Bay one week before the season opener against Philadelphia. To no surprise, the Cowboys went on to trot out one of the worst defenses in the league. They temporarily improved after the trades for Williams and Wilson, but ended up losing four of their final five games. Dallas allowed a league-worst 30.1 points per game.
Offseason outlook: Plain and simple, Jones threw away the season after trading Parsons to the Packers. Maybe the blockbuster move helps the team’s future, but the Cowboys are going to need to hit on their draft picks in 2026 to quickly repair an atrocious defense. Defensive coordinator Matt Eberflus might get the blame for the disastrous results on that side of the ball, even though Jones took away his best player before the season. On the other side, first-year coach Brian Schottenheimer got positive results from the offense, quickly incorporating Pickens into the scheme and getting Javonte Williams to rush for more than 1,000 yards. Dallas desperately needs defensive improvements to get back into the mix, which is a lot easier said than done.
New York Giants: D-
Record: 4–13
Team MVP: Brian Burns, edge
Collectively, the defensive front was supposed to be a team strength, but Burns emerged as a one-man show most of the season. Dexter Lawrence II had a disappointing season, Kayvon Thibodeaux was the subject of trade speculation and rookie Abdul Carter endured growing pains on and off the field. Burns, however, earned his paycheck in 2025, validating the team’s decision to trade for him ahead of the ’24 season. He recorded 16.5 sacks.
Best moment: All was well for the Giants after rookies Jaxson Dart and Cameron Skattebo guided the team to a 34–17 upset over the Eagles during Thursday Night Football in Week 6. Dart provided the swagger, and Skattebo added the toughness for a feisty young team, but the black cloud quickly returned to the Meadowlands after Skattebo sustained a season-ending ankle injury and coach Brian Daboll was fired a few weeks later. To make matters worse, Dart was sidelined for two games due to a concussion and continued taking hits at an alarming rate after being cleared to return.
Worst moment: The Giants should have had an upset win against the Bears in Week 10, but Daboll decided to call a designed run for Dart, leading to him being knocked out of the game and placed in the concussion protocol. This changed the momentum of the game, causing another fourth-quarter collapse and the last strike for Daboll, who was fired following the loss in Chicago. Dart wasn’t the same quarterback under interim coach Mike Kafka.
Offseason outlook: It’s going to be vital for the next head coach to protect Dart from substantial hits without fully taking away his playmaking ability from the pocket. Also, Dart won’t last long as a starter if he doesn’t show improvements as a pocket quarterback. Still, there’s plenty to like about what he displayed on the field before Daboll was fired. The hard part is over for the Giants after GM Joe Schoen delivered a promising rookie class, which likely helped him keep his job. Now it’s up to Schoen to find quality coaching to bring out the best of a talented defensive front and a promising young quarterback.
Washington Commanders: F
Record: 5–12
Team MVP: Bobby Wagner, LB
The options were limited with the Commanders playing without Jayden Daniels for the bulk of the season and the defense being among the worst units in the league. With that said, let’s use this section to admire Wagner’s longevity. The future Hall of Famer has reached at least 100 total tackles in all 14 of his seasons and joined Ray Lewis and London Fletcher as the only players in NFL history to record 2,000 career tackles.
Best moment: Washington went from being the most surprising team in the NFL to the most disappointing in a one-year span. But for one game, the Commanders played like the team that made the NFC championship game last January during an impressive 27–10 road victory against the Chargers in Week 5. Daniels made plays with his arm and legs and rookie running back Jacory Croskey-Merritt had a dominant performance. But, from there, the injuries began to pile up and the offense couldn’t overcome the sluggish defensive performances.
Worst moment: All hope was lost after Daniels injured his left elbow in garbage time during a 38–14 loss to the Seahawks in Week 9. Daniels missed the next three games before injuring his elbow again in a 31–0 blowout to Minnesota—another low moment for this franchise. Daniels was then shut down for the season, playing in only seven games after winning Offensive Rookie of the Year in 2024.
Offseason outlook: If Daniels stays healthy next year, this team will have a chance to at least remain competitive. But the patchwork roster this organization put together in coach Dan Quinn’s first season came crashing down in 2025, exposing the lack of young talent in Washington. It also doesn’t help that the team is short on draft picks after the trades for Deebo Samuel and Laremy Tunsil. It would be surprising if Samuel is back for another season. Washington needs to prioritize adding youth and searching for ways to acquire draft picks. Expect a fire sale in the offseason.
Arizona Cardinals: F
Record: 3–14
Team MVP: Trey McBride, TE
The stud playmaker established himself as the best tight end in the game during a dominant fourth NFL season. He set an NFL record for most catches in a season for a tight end, and his 126 receptions are also the most in team history. Opposing defenses knew exactly where the ball was going most of the time and there wasn’t much they could do to contain McBride, who finished with 1,239 receiving yards and 11 touchdowns.
Best moment: Woof. It’s hard to find a good moment for this team, but the Cardinals started 2–0 after defeating the Panthers in a game where they almost blew a 24-point advantage before prevailing 27–22. At the time, this team was healthy on both sides of the ball and had the potential of making some noise in the competitive NFC West. But Arizona lost the following week on a walk-off field goal against San Francisco and showed it wasn’t ready to make a leap in coach Jonathan Gannon’s third season. This team was never the same after starting 2–0, losing 14 of its final 15 games.
Worst moment: It was the Week 5 meltdown against the Titans. The Cardinals blew an 18-point lead to one of the worst teams in the league, losing 22–21. But the story of the game was Gannon shoving running back Emari Demercado multiple times on the sideline after Demarcado dropped the ball before crossing the end zone to spark the Titans’ rally. Gannon might have lost the locker room after losing his cool on the sideline.
More NFL on Sports Illustrated
- NFL’s 2025 Stat Leaders: Matthew Stafford’s Numbers Don’t Lie
- 2025 Final Grades for AFC Teams: Ravens and Chiefs Fall From Grace
- Commanders Part Ways With Kliff Kingsbury, DC After Disappointing 2025 Season
- Maxx Crosby Sent Classy Message to Pete Carroll After Raiders Fire HC
This article was originally published on www.si.com as 2025 Final Grades for NFC Teams: Lions, Vikings Tumble Down the Standings .
