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The NFL is about to enter the stretch run. Nine weeks of action and the trade deadline are in the books, and now it's a true mad dash to the playoffs and, eventually, Super Bowl LX. If we're being honest, we have no idea what's going to happen between now and kickoff in Santa Clara, California, in February. We may think we know who could be playing in that game or what twists might unfold before the end of the regular season, but nothing is guaranteed. Just look at what we've seen through the first half. How many of you predicted the Indianapolis Colts would emerge as the AFC's current top seed, led by Daniel Jones? Who had Kansas City sitting in third place in the AFC West and outside the playoff picture? Or the Washington Commanders owning the third-worst record in the NFC a year after reaching the conference championship? These are just a few reminders to expect the unexpected. With that in mind, we're looking into the crystal ball, projecting ahead, and revealing our five bold predictions for the second half of the season. New England Patriots earn No. 1 seed in the AFC At the moment, the Colts own the inside track to the AFC's top seed and the first-round bye that comes with it. But when the season actually comes to a close, it'll be Drake Maye and the Patriots shockingly standing above the rest. Entering the second half of 2025, the Patriots are the No. 2 seed in the conference and are riding a six-game winning streak. Despite that surge, they aren't even favored to win their own division, as Buffalo still sits at -170, per FanDuel Sportsbook. The Bills are also the betting favorite over both Indy and New England to land the No. 1 seed, even though they trail the Patriots by a game in the loss column and currently sit behind them in the head-to-head tiebreaker. Even if the Bills erase that tiebreaker by going into Foxborough and beating the Patriots in Week 15, there's little margin for error the rest of the way. New England has the easiest remaining strength of schedule in the NFL, giving it a clear path to keep stacking wins and possibly render the tiebreaker irrelevant. Buffalo, meanwhile, still has to face the Bucs, Texans (road), Steelers (road) and Eagles in addition to the Patriots at Gillette Stadium. That road is more daunting — and could result in them slipping further behind. As for the Colts, they have the sixth-toughest remaining schedule in the NFL. We also shouldn't ignore that Daniel Jones just had a five-turnover game against the Steelers in Week 9. Was that a one-off bad performance, or the start of him coming back down to earth? If it's the latter, that only sets New England up even better to snatch the top seed. Bet NFL division and conference futures at FanDuel Sportsbook, where new users get $300 in bonus bets with a winning $5 wager. Rookie Quinn Ewers replaces benched Tua Tagovailoa The Miami Dolphins are on the verge of a total rebuild. They just parted ways with general manager Chris Grier and, at 2-7, are likely headed for one of the worst records in the NFL by season's end. That'll likely result in the firing of head coach Mike McDaniel, and it could also mark the end for Tua Tagovailoa as well. In fact, the changing of the guard at quarterback could come sooner than you think. Entering the second half, Tagovailoa ranks 25th among 33 eligible quarterbacks in passer rating and EPA per dropback. Among the 25 quarterbacks with at least 200 pass attempts, he's 24th in turnover-worthy throw rate, 17th in off-target throw rate, and his 11 interceptions are tied for the league high. To put it simply, he's been bad. Once the Dolphins reach the point where they're mathematically eliminated from playoff contention, the objective across the organization will shift from competing in 2025 to preparing for 2026. That includes taking stock of what they have on the roster, especially at quarterback. They already know what they have in Tagovailoa, who has started 71 regular-season games for them. They don't know what they have in rookie seventh-round pick and former Texas quarterback Quinn Ewers. For a team on the doorstep of a teardown, it makes sense to give Ewers some run so it has a better understanding of its needs. If he lights the world on fire, maybe he's the answer. If he stinks up the joint, well, now you know. Christian McCaffrey runs past Jonathan Taylor for OPOY Jonathan Taylor is the overwhelming favorite to win Offensive Player of the Year at -135 on FanDuel Sportsbook. The Colts running back has been on a tear through the first nine weeks, leading the league in rushing yards (895) and rushing touchdowns (12). That's a stellar pace, but if it slows even a little -- as we saw in Week 9 vs. Pittsburgh -- it could open the door for someone like Christian McCaffrey to take over. McCaffrey is already putting together quite the OPOY résumé. He's been a key figure in keeping the 49ers afloat at 6-3 despite a slew of injuries, including to quarterback Brock Purdy. McCaffrey leads the NFL in scrimmage yards entering Week 10, with 596 rushing yards and 626 receiving yards. He's on pace for 1,125 rushing yards and 1,182 receiving yards. No player in NFL history has ever recorded at least 1,100 yards both rushing and receiving in a single season. Health permitting, there's no reason to think McCaffrey's pace will slow, especially with the 49ers' receiver room still dealing with injuries and the team locked in a tight NFC West race that will require them to play out the string to secure a playoff spot. At +1100, you could do worse than betting on McCaffrey. Steelers stave off Ravens in AFC North Everyone expects the Ravens to make a run and catapult themselves atop the AFC North. Even when they fell to 1-5 to begin the season, they remained the betting favorite to win the division. Now, despite sitting two games behind the Steelers, they're still -145 at FanDuel Sportsbook to take the AFC North. I get it. It's Lamar Jackson. It's John Harbaugh. They're too talented not to give Pittsburgh a run, especially as they get healthier. And with two head-to-head games still ahead, it's absolutely in play that Baltimore puts itself in position to climb the standings. I don't think it happens. Pittsburgh has what it takes to keep the Ravens at arm's length in the second half. The Steelers have the sixth-easiest remaining schedule in the NFL, compared with Baltimore's ninth-easiest. Beyond the softer path, we're underscoring how well Pittsburgh has played to this point. Aaron Rodgers has been strong through his first eight starts, throwing 17 touchdown passes, completing 68.7% of his attempts and posting a 103.1 passer rating. He's been even better on the road, with 10 touchdown passes and just three interceptions for a 114.7 rating away from Acrisure Stadium. Yes, the defense has been spotty, but it's also shown signs of coming together -- including last week's six-turnover performance against the high-flying Colts. With a two-game cushion, a lot would need to go wrong for Pittsburgh (+140 to win the AFC North) to get knocked off. J.J. McCarthy powers Vikings to NFC North title Minnesota is +1700 to win the NFC North as it sits at 4-4, which is last place in the division. While that paints a gloomy picture, there's a world where the Vikings rise above the rest of their rivals. In his return after missing time with a high ankle sprain suffered in Week 2, J.J. McCarthy looked good in Week 9, leading the Vikings to an upset win over the Lions in Detroit. He was good -- not great -- and that's the scary part for the rest of the division. If all Minnesota needs is baseline quarterback play to stack wins, McCarthy can provide that. He's already surrounded by some of the best skill-position players in the league, and the defense has become one of the more feared units, especially after getting linebacker Andrew Van Ginkel back in the fold.
