In the end, the record books will say what the record books say. For example, Cleveland Browns HC Kevin Stefanski is likely out of a job after Week 18 despite two Coach of the Year awards and no real top-flight quarterback to build around. The facts are just the facts, with Stefanski’s record enough to make a change despite change not leading to wins around Cleveland for a long time.
The 2025 season will also lead to two teams with nine or fewer victories potentially making the postseason just because
they won their divisions: the AFC North and NFC South. A couple of head coaches and quarterbacks will add another playoff appearance mark to their total despite not actually being a part of good teams.
If we are being honest, neither the Pittsburgh Steelers nor the Baltimore Ravens are postseason worthy, which makes the Browns struggles even more frustrating in 2025. If the Steelers beat the Ravens in Week 18, Mike Tomlin’s group will jump to 10 wins, but it currently has just a +8 point differential. The Indianapolis Colts, Kansas City Chiefs, and Detroit Lions all have much higher differentials despite already being eliminated from playoff contention.
It is much worse in the NFC South. On Saturday night, the Tampa Bay Buccaneers defeated the Carolina Panthers, leading both teams to finish the season with matching 8-9 records. We don’t know which team will make the playoffs; the Atlanta Falcons vs the New Orleans Saints matchup will decide the tiebreakers. Not only will the entire division finish with losing records, but with a negative point differential (unless the Falcons win by 50 or the Saints win by 75 on Sunday).
The Bucs finished the regular season with a -31 differential, while the Panthers were a whopping -69, but either Baker Mayfield and Todd Bowles or Bryce Young and Dave Canales will have playoff appearances added to their resume this year.
For some, the AFC North and NFC South are proof that division winners getting into the playoffs automatically is flawed. For others, the divisions are sacred or create more intrigue at the end of the season.
For Cleveland fans, while the fastest way to the playoffs is through the division, looking at it through that lens is slightly flawed. A young, rising team (like the Panthers) should always have the playoff goal, but the front office needs to focus on making the team great, not just “good enough to make the playoffs.” For more veteran-laden teams (like the Steelers, Bucs, and Ravens), perhaps the 2025 season is a sign that it is time to tear things down and try to rebuild a great team with real Super Bowl aspirations, even with two of those teams potentially making the playoffs.
Being a good regular-season team and making the playoffs are always good goals, but they do not mean your team is a real contender, and, as 2025 will prove, not all postseason appearances are worth the same amount of praise.
