First Place: Philadelphia Eagles Win Super Bowl LIX
The Philadelphia Eagles not only won the championship, but they completely dominated the two-time defending champion Kansas City Chiefs with a score of 40-22, shattering their dream of a Super Bowl three-peat. This victory sent Philadelphia into a frenzy. However, unexpectedly, the Chiefs fell from their pedestal this year, marking the beginning of an era of fierce competition among multiple teams.
Second Place: Dallas, the most outrageous trade in the world?
This year, in their pursuit of a championship, the Colts went all out, trading for cornerback Sauce Gardner mid-season, mortgaging their future, only to unfortunately miss the playoffs. But what's truly outrageous is that the Cowboys were unwilling to offer their star player, Micah Parsons, the contract extension he wanted, ultimately sending this top defensive player to the Packers. The Packers, in turn, immediately offered him a record-breaking contract with an average annual salary of $46.5 million.
Third Place: Josh Allen – The Ultimate Winner
After years of being overshadowed by Patrick Mahomes and Lamar Jackson, Allen won the MVP award. The Bills' star quarterback earned the "Best Player" title for his outstanding performance. He threw for over 4,500 yards and 15 touchdowns, and even managed to overpower opposing defensive players. The Bills then rewarded Allen with a massive $330 million contract extension. Now, only the Super Bowl stage remains for him to conquer.
Fourth place: Is this the end of the Chiefs' dynasty?
The adage "what goes up must come down" is perhaps the best description of competitive sports; no team can stay at the top forever. Even though the Chiefs have dominated the AFC West for nearly 10 years, even though Mahomes has become the best quarterback of the new era, and even though they've reached the AFC Championship game every year and won multiple Super Bowls, this year the Chiefs learned weeks in advance that they wouldn't make the playoffs. Furthermore, Mahomes himself suffered a serious knee injury, and the dynasty is shaking for the first time in years. Whether Kelce's career can continue is also unknown. Will this be the end of this dynasty?
Fifth place: The resurgence of a traditional powerhouse – what year is it again?
Midway through the season, when everyone looked at the AFC playoff picture, the names that jumped out were: the Broncos, Colts, Patriots, and Chargers—traditional powerhouses… It was as if time had rewound to the era before 2015. The Patriots and Broncos were competing for the top seed in the AFC, only this time Derek Maye and Bo Nix had replaced Brady and Manning, Herbert had replaced Rivers, and Rivers had reappeared with the Colts. In the NFC, the Bears, after years of dormancy, finally returned to the top of their division thanks to new head coach Ben Johnson and last year's first overall draft pick, quarterback Williams. The league's landscape was completely rewritten this year.
Sixth Place: Record-Breaking Contracts and Collective Breakthroughs
With the salary cap rising, the league's money-making machine is running at full throttle this year, especially with salary records being broken frequently for non-quarterback positions. The average annual salary for pass rushers has been steadily increasing, with the Raiders' Crosby earning $35.5 million, the Browns' Garrett breaking the $40 million mark, and the Lions giving Hutchinson a massive contract worth approximately $45 million.
It's not just pass rushers; wide receiver prices have also increased significantly. The Bengals simultaneously extended contracts for two star players, with Higgins earning nearly $30 million annually, while Ja'Marr Chase broke the record at the time, securing an average annual salary of $40.25 million.
Seventh place: Who should be selected in the 2025 NFL Draft?
Many teams needed a new quarterback this year, but choosing the right one proved difficult. The Titans, holding the first overall pick, didn't select the highly touted Sanders, a player from a prestigious football family. In fact, Sanders, who was even projected to be the first overall pick, wasn't selected by any team in the first four rounds, finally being picked by the Browns in the fifth round. However, neither the Browns nor the Titans, who selected Cam Ward, were able to escape their struggling fates this season.
The real protagonist is Travis Hunter, the history-making two-way player drafted high by the Jacksonville Jaguars, becoming the first player to extensively play both offense and defense in professional football. Unfortunately, he hasn't yet made a name for himself as either a wide receiver or a cornerback. This year's rookies still have a long way to go to prove themselves...
