For those of you who have followed fansfirstsports.com for the majority of the season, you know I’ve been keeping a weekly look at the Power Rankings throughout the year. As the Postseason approaches for some, and an early offseason draws near for others, I wanted to take a deeper dive into each squad.

In this 4-part series entitled “How Did We Get Here?” I’ll break down all 32 teams into four 8-team tiers, starting with my list of “Super Bowl Contenders”, then “Playoff Contenders” before diving into the more offseason-centric groups titled “A Year Away” and “Reset and Rebuild”.

In Part One, I ranked the 8 teams I believe have a legitimate case to make for getting to Super Bowl LIX in New Orleans. In Part 2, we looked into the teams gunning for a playoff spot. In Part 3, we’ll check in on the 8 teams I believe have a chance to turn things around quickly and be an exciting story in 2025.

Let’s dive in!

1. CINCINNATI BENGALS

Why It Didn’t Work in 2024: Atrocious Defense
2025 Potential: Super Bowl Contender

The Bengals have maybe the best QB and WR in the entire NFL, and with some better coaching and personnel on Defense, they could easily return to the among the league’s best teams and get back into Championship contention.

2. DALLAS COWBOYS

Why It Didn’t Work in 2024: Bad Team Building Plan
2025 Potential: Super Bowl Contender

Jerry Jones’ Boys had a major down year, despite spending big bucks on their star QB and WR this offseason. The problem was the rest of the roster building. The Cowboys were bottom of the league in cash spending in 2024, and it showed in the margins of the roster. Whether it was at RB or ILB, OL or in the secondary, the Cowboys did very little to keep up with the rest of an improving NFC, and the results were not favorable for Dallas fans.

3. SAN FRANCISCO 49ERS

Why It Didn’t Work in 2024: Injuries to Stars
2025 Potential: Super Bowl Contender

This season was a War of Attrition early on for the snake-bit Niners, who lost the majority of their high-end players, especially on offense, for all or most of the season (Christian McCaffrey, Brandon Aiyuk, etc.) and were never able to recover. Expect San Fran to return to powerhouse status if they can get healthy this offseason.

4. CHICAGO BEARS

Why It Didn’t Work in 2024: Bad Coaching
2025 Potential: Playoff Contender

I truly believe the Bears have their QB. I believe they have a lot of good pieces, especially on defense, to build around. Rome Odunze and DJ Moore make a fun WR duo for the future. They need to find the coach to put it all together and build up front along the OL, and I could see them making a playoff push in 2025.

5. MIAMI DOLPHINS

Why It Didn’t Work in 2024: The Stars Didn’t Shine
2025 Potential: Playoff Contender

The Fins are an enigma. They have a lot of talent and a good Head Coach and offensive scheme. In ’24 though, the stars went missing for quarters at a time, whether due to injury or just plain ineffectiveness. Now several of those stars seemingly want out. Tyreek Hill and Jalen Ramsey have both voiced intentions to move on. If Mike McDaniel can replenish the fold a little and get a healthy season out of QB Tua Tagovailoa, this team who was a game out of the playoffs in 2024 could find themselves in the mix once again in 2025.

6. ARIZONA CARDINALS

Why It Didn’t Work in 2024: In Over Their Heads
2025 Potential: Playoff Contender

I really believe this team is well coached. Jonathan Gannon is a guy who gets his players to play hard for him, and they have a good stable of solid veteran guys and young playmakers. I wouldn’t be surprised with a few improvements up front on both sides of the ball and in the defensive secondary if this team is in the mix next season.

7. JACKSONVILLE JAGUARS

Why It Didn’t Work in 2024: Poor Coaching and Bad Defense
2025 Potential: Playoff Contender

The Jags have their QB. They have a stud WR1. They have a diverse backfield. They do not, however, have an OL, defense, or coach. Figuring it all out in 2025 might be too much to ask, but if they can land one of the big HC candidates this offseason, it would go a long way toward fixing the other issues on the roster. They could be exciting again very quickly.

8. NEW YORK JETS

Why It Didn’t Work in 2024: Organizational Disfunction
2025 Potential: Playoff Contender

The disfunction extends from ownership right on down to the active roster, where Aaron Rodgers was allowed total sovereignty in personnel and coaching decisions by an unserious ownership group that flipped a talented team on its head 6 games into the season by firing the hand-tied HC. I don’t have a lot of trust that Woody Johnson and co. will get it right at the top, but if they do, there’s a lot of talent on the roster. They could be in the mix as early as 2025.