For those of you who followed fansfirstsports.com for the majority of the season, you know I had been taking a weekly look at the Power Rankings throughout the year. As the Postseason marches on, and an early offseason is upon others, I wanted to take a deeper dive into all 32 squads.

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 checked in on the 8 teams I believe have a chance to turn things around quickly and be an exciting story in 2025. For this final installment, let’s take a look at the remaining 8 teams we haven’t yet discussed and how they can excite their fanbases again moving forward after poor results in 2024.

Let’s dive in!

1. New England Patriots

Why It Didn’t Work in 2024: Not Enough Talent on Roster
Outlook: On the Rise

Rookie passer Drake Maye showed a ton of grit in 2024 behind one of the league’s worst O-lines and throwing to it’s most talent-poor pass catching group. He has legit elite QB1 upside. With Mike Vrabel now at HC, you can all but bank on a return to a winning culture. Pats fans should be beside themselves at this team’s potential, although I still think they have too many holes to fix in one offseason. (This is my “Washington Commanders watch” team of 2025)

2. New Orleans Saints

Why It Didn’t Work in 2024: Coaching Got Stale
Outlook: TBD

Dennis Allen’s squad just couldn’t put it together in 2024 between an aging roster and maybe the most vanilla coaching staff in football. With Allen out and the next HC still undecided, the Saints have a lot to figure out. The good news is they have a solid foundation of talent in the building, plenty of draft capital, and a GM who will let whoever comes in at HC build the roster he wants. If NO gets innovative with their hires this offseason, they have a chance to rebound quickly.

3. Carolina Panthers

Why It Didn’t Work in 2024: Uncertainty at QB Early and Bad Defense
Outlook: On the Rise

Things changed abruptly for Carolina when Bryce Young was reinserted into the lineup post his benching and Andy Dalton’s subsequent injury a couple weeks later. Something clicked for the 2nd year passer, and he was legitimately one of the league’s most efficient and fun QBs in the 2nd half of the season. They need to add a ton of talent on D and give Young more weapons, but things look a lot more promising now than they did 2 months ago.

4. Cleveland Browns

Why It Didn’t Work in 2024: Deshaun Watson, Jameis Winston, etc.
Outlook: Find a QB

The Browns always feel like they have a roster on the brink of real contention, but something always goes awry when the games actually start. This year was more drastic than ever with the immense struggles of literally every single signal caller that got a nod in 2024. The Deshaun Watson experiment should have ended way before it was forced to with his Achilles tear (which he re-tore just a month ago while in Miami rehabbing). Jameis Winston provided a small spark but in the end, he was, well, Jameis Winston. Until Kevin Stefanski’s group figures out the QB, I just don’t see it for Cleveland.

5. Indianapolis Colts

Why It Didn’t Work in 2024: Failed to Build Sufficiently around Anthony Richardson
Outlook: On the Fence

The Colts have some pieces that excite you, but they feel disorganized and stubborn to changing their approach, and it starts up top with Owner Jim Irsay, who is as volatile a figure as any in the league at this point. Roster building philosophies need a revamp, and HC Shane Steichen must learn to adapt as a game-planner and strategist if the Colts want to break out of their disappointing streak.

6. Las Vegas Raiders

Why It Didn’t Work in 2024: No NFL Caliber QBs on Roster
Outlook: Find a QB

I mean, come on. Gardner Minshew? Aiden O’Connell? Let’s get serious, Raiders, at the game’s most important position before you ask us to give you a second look. Landing a legendary HC in Pete Carrol feels like a great step in building a culture of stability for a highly-regarded franchise that has been anything but stable over the last 2 decades. Now to have an actual plan at QB.

7. Tennessee Titans

Why It Didn’t Work in 2024: Bad Plan
Outlook: Find a QB

The Levis experiment should be over for the team who owns the top pick in the upcoming 2025 NFL Draft. I know this QB class is less than stellar, but it will be hard for the Raiders to come out of the first round of the Draft without a top QB prospect, even if they trade down a few spots to make themselves feel better about it. Keep taking big swings at the position. It’s the only way to win in today’s NFL.

8. New York Giants

Why It Didn’t Work in 2024: Still Don’t Have a QB
Outlook: Find a QB

Daniel Jones is long gone. There’s an exciting corps of players on both sides of the ball, and I still believe in the vision of this coaching staff and front office, but they need to finally get QB right. They tried to build around Jones, but his low floor and inconsistent play made keeping him moving forward untenable, so, much like the Titans, it’s QB or bust in 2025.