You can be sure that the NFL’s hierarchy and the executives of all 32 teams are happy right now. The 2025 regular season saw multi-decade highs in viewership in the United States, with average audiences per game up 10% on last season. The regular season was pulsating, with preseason favorites falling by the wayside and new contenders emerging from nowhere. It was box-office viewing from start to finish.
The 2025 season was largely defined by teams turning their fortunes around, including the Patriots, who went from 4-13 to 14-3, and the Jaguars, who went from 4 wins to 13. There have been parallels with the famous Rams team of 1999, which had a similar turnaround en route to the “greatest show on turf” and Super Bowl glory.
A season of shocks and swings in momentum
One of the other reasons the season became so pulsating was the failure of many of the preseason favorites. Teams that are perceived as contenders losing does not in itself constitute a great season, but it was the manner in which teams, notably the Kansas City Chiefs and Baltimore Ravens, came crashing down to earth that captivated the fans. It fed into a sense that anyone could beat anyone. That showed up in the NFL Super Bowl LX odds, which chopped and changed so much across the last four months that we could cite at least half a dozen teams that were considered favorites at one point.
Over on Reddit, there are threads dedicated to discussing how thrilling the season was. Reddit being Reddit means there are contrarians giving their viewpoints, but the broad consensus is that it has been one of the most surprising and dramatic seasons in the modern era.
The Playoffs have delivered thus far
The Playoffs have continued in that vein thus far, with stirring comeback victories for teams like the Bears and several close-run contests across the Wild Card weekend. It led mainstream media outlets using adjectives like “epic” and “best-ever” to describe the action on a weekend where records tumbled and fans were left gasping for breath.
Can Super Bowl LX live up to that hype? It’s difficult to say without knowing exactly who will take to the field at Levi’s Stadium on February 8, but the momentum of the last few months feels like a good omen.
Of course, it is possible that the Super Bowl is dull and uneventful, as many sports events can be, and that Bad Bunny – the Halftime Show performer this year – fails to lift the spirits of the Levi’s Stadium crowd and the global audience. And that does happen from time to time, and it may mean that people look back on this season a little less fondly when the dust settles.
Yet if we stay on the same trajectory – tight games, teams throwing everything at it, 4th-quarter comebacks – then we will be in for a treat on February 8.
