NFL predictions for longest field goal, fumbling leader, and more obscure stats |

03/09/2025 17:44 -

The 2025 NFL season is almost here.

By now you have probably read countless prediction stories, covering everything from MVP winners to division champions and yes, what team takes home the Lombardi Trophy after Super Bowl LX.

But this predictions story is something different. Today we are diving into obscure NFL predictions. Things we think will happen, but might now be expected or frankly, part of the normal course of league business.

Jalen Hurts scores the first touchdown of the 2025 NFL season

With the Philadelphia Eagles hosting the Dallas Cowboys in the traditional NFL season opener, odds are one of the players from those two teams is going to score the first touchdown of the NFL season.

A Jalen Hurts "tush push" TD feels like the perfect way to open the campaign.

There will be a new NFL record for longest field goal made

The disgraced Justin Tucker has the current NFL record in a regular season game at 66 yards. Cam Little of the Jacksonville Jaguars just banged one through from 70 yards in preseason, but preseason stats don't count. I believe Little or Brandon Aubrey of the Dallas Cowboys are best poised to give us at least a 67-yard field goal this year and displace Tucker from the record books.

The New York Jets lead the league in rushing attempts

Rather than ease into training camp, the New York Jets went in a different direction.

The pads came on, and the focus was on physicality.

For a reason, according to their new head coach.

"This game is about running, blocking, and tackling, and if you don't practice that, me as a head coach, how am I giving my guys a chance to win," said Aaron Glenn back in July. 

The Jets are built to run the football, starting with Justin Fields at quarterback and continuing with a running back room that has talented options such as in Breece Hall, Braelon Allen, and Isaiah Davis. 

“That’s gonna be our identity,” said Allen during training camp. “That starts up front and with the run game, so he’s relying on us to kinda set that tone.”

This Jets team is going to run the football. A lot. 

Every NFC South team finishes under .500

The NFC South has had a stranglehold on the worst division in football for like five years at this point. Back in 2022, the Tampa Bay Bucs won the division at 8-9 overall in Tom Brady's last season before retirement. I say we're in for a sequel. The Bucs lost their brilliant young offensive coordinator when the Jaguars hired Liam Coen as head coach. It's Tampa's third straight year with a new OC (their previous playcaller Dave Canales got the Panthers' head job), and eventually that can take a toll on the Baker Mayfield-led offense. I don't see another team in this division capable of finishing above .500: the Panthers don't have the weapons around Bryce Young or an EDGE rusher who can consistently win, the Falcons' defensive line and cornerbacks are a major question mark in addition to new QB Michael Penix Jr., and the Saints feel primed to be the worst team in the league. Maybe two easy wins against New Orleans saves Tampa or another divisional foe from the indignity of winning the division under .500, but it could be on the table once again.

Patrick Mahomes throws the first interception of the 2025 NFL season

While the Cowboys and the Eagles kick things off on Thursday night of Week 1, the NFL heads back to Brazil on Friday night, with the Los Angeles Chargers squaring off with their AFC West rivals, the Kansas City Chiefs.

That is where Patrick Mahomes will throw the first interception of the NFL campaign, kicking off a flurry of blogs from around the sports media world that jam Taylor Swift's name into the headline. Those will be obsolete by the fourth quarter as the Chiefs roll on to victory. 

The Bears finally have a 4,000 yard passer in Caleb Williams

The Bears are the only team in NFL history to never have a 4,000 yard passer. Chicago's QB history is absolutely pathetic — since 2000, Chicago has the fewest total passing yards in the league. Ben Johnson and Caleb Williams are going to change all that. The Bears finally get a 4,000 yard passer this year with William throwing to six intriguing weapons. Chicago doesn't have a great situation at running back, so the offense will be dependent on the connection between Johnson and Williams, and there's plenty of reason to be optimistic that this can be the Bears' best passing offense ever.

The New York Giants quarterbacks lead the league in fumbling

The triumvirate of Russell Wilson, Jameis Winston and Jaxson Dart could lead to a very interesting season for the G-Men with all three likely to get a start or two, at least. Wilson has taken 33 or more sacks every year of his career and his dwindling athletic ability could lead him to getting hit more. In 15 games in 2023, he had 10 fumbles. In 11 games last year, he had five. He's averaged nine a season in his career.

Winston is a turnover machine and holds on to the ball to try to make things happen. In seven starts last year, he was sacked 24 times and has had double-digit fumbles in three different seasons.

As a rookie, Dart could find himself in a position to fumble more often as he gets familiar with the speed of the game, rushers coming from his backside and more swipes at the football. He fumbled in the final preseason game.

Brock Bowers has another 120-plus reception season

The Raiders might have the worst wide receiver core in the league. Bowers caught 112 passes as a rookie, and he should only see more targets with Pete Carroll and Geno Smith taking over the franchise. Bowers will be a unanimous pick for the league's best tight end by season's end — if he's not already.

Alvin Kamara will run for more touchdowns than a Saints QB throws for

Have you seen the Saints' quarterback situation? It's Spencer Rattler, then Tyler Shough and literally nobody else. It's not just the worst QB situation of the year, it's one of the worst in the modern era. Do you trust either of those guys to throw for many TDs? We sure don't.

Kamara is far from perfect at this point in his career, as the Saints have more or less run his legs off. We still trust those legs more than any arm on the roster.

Colston Loveland becomes the rookie everyone WISHES was on their fantasy team

The reasoning here is fairly simple: 

1. Ben Johnson loves tight ends
2. Colston Loveland is a tight end
3. Colston Loveland is Ben Johnson's tight end

Here's a guy who was the inaugural first round pick of the Johnson era in Chicago, and he's already No. 1 on the depth chart. There are going to be big plans for him as both a designed receiver, and an outlet pass catcher when Caleb Williams is under pressure. The Bears' offensive line is better, but not enough to imagine Williams will have a clean pocket all season. Loveland is going to eat.

2025 will mark the return of the fullback

The NFL is both a copycat league, and one where trends move cyclically. To this end there's a very real chance we see the return of the fullback as a thing this season, and a trend to watch in 2025. The team that will lead the way: Washington.

A sneaky part of the Kliff Kingsbury offense has been fullback utilization. The team had a dedicated fullback in on 12.2% of plays last season, and that is set to rise in 2025. When you're one of the hottest offenses in the NFL everyone takes notice, and if the Commander use a fullback on the reg, so will everyone else.

With the NFL moving to a more run-first structure around the league it's only natural to revisit to fullback position and move away from two-TE and three-WR sets. At first these will be converted blocking tight ends, then we'll see it grow from there.

Someone other than a QB will win MVP

Just kidding. It'll be a QB.