Top 10 Most Disappointing NFL Teams of the 2024-25 Season

As the NFL season approaches its end, it's time to assess which teams ultimately disappointed their fans the most by failing to meet expectations.

Some teams were bigger disappointments than others. For example, there were Super Bowl contenders who flamed out too early in the playoffs. Meanwhile, other teams completely hit rock bottom over the course of the season.

Let's discuss those teams.
The Top Ten
New York Jets

This was supposed to be the redemption story season. Last year, Aaron Rodgers got injured within the first minute of the game. This season showed just how dysfunctional the Jets organization really is.

Firing GM Joe Douglas and Head Coach Robert Saleh did next to nothing to improve the team. Aaron Rodgers wants to be a player-GM, and despite the fact he got everything he wanted, this team was still royally screwed up. No Davante Adams reunion could prevent this disastrous season from happening.

Things were so bad that the Jets actually looked better under Zach Wilson a year ago. Turns out Aaron Rodgers is completely washed up. It sucks to see him go out like this, but I think he's done in the NFL. The perfect encapsulation of this season has to be Woody Johnson rejecting a trade proposal for Jerry Jeudy because his Madden rating was too low.

Cincinnati Bengals

In retrospect, the Bengals were probably the most disappointing team in terms of falling short of their expectations. Early on, you'd think this team was a lock to make the playoffs and make another deep playoff run. Some called this team Super Bowl contenders. Turns out, they missed the dance entirely.

Despite Joe Burrow and Ja'Marr Chase having stellar seasons statistically, it wasn't enough in the end. The defense was a complete liability, and the slow start proved too much to overcome. That Week 1 loss to New England proved to be a dagger in the worst way. Win that game and you're likely in the playoffs.

The real question is what to do now. Tee Higgins and Trey Hendrickson are going to need to get paid somehow. Better figure that one out. Zac Taylor also should be on the hot seat. Surprised he's not fired yet.

Go ahead and keep blaming Kansas City resting their starters as the reason for you missing the playoffs. I suggest looking in the mirror instead.

San Francisco 49ers

Everyone thought this would finally be San Francisco's year. They've been so close recently but just can't get over the hump and win it all. This is likely one of the last years they had a legitimate shot with the current core.

Unfortunately, injuries took their toll on this team. Dre Greenlaw got injured in the Super Bowl. CMC was injured for most of the season, not to mention Deebo Samuel getting banged up as well. To make matters worse, the Brandon Aiyuk contract saga was frustrating for everyone.

This was a team that, unfortunately, was never at full strength and kept losing players to the IR as the season progressed. Overall, it feels like a wasted season, and who knows how many more they get with this current roster? Brock Purdy is going to get paid soon. Who knows how that will impact things moving forward?

Chicago Bears

Remember when the Bears were supposed to be good this season? All offseason long, there was hype surrounding Caleb Williams and the Bears. This was supposed to be the year they make it back to the playoffs. To be fair, there was plenty of reason to be optimistic about this team. They had the talent to be good. Unfortunately, they fell short of their expectations.

Caleb had a bit of an up-and-down rookie season. By the end, he definitely showed flashes and proved he can be the guy. However, that's about the only positive the Bears had this season. Part of the issue comes from the lack of a good offensive line, meaning Caleb was left running for his life half the time.

Arguably the biggest issue was Matt Eberflus. He definitely made some questionable decisions. None of those were worse than saving the timeout against the Lions on Thanksgiving. The future is somewhat bright for the Bears as long as they can find a competent head coach. Maybe Ben Johnson?

Tennessee Titans

The Titans are undeniably a frustrating team. Honestly, I underestimated just how downright terrible and disappointing this team really was. They need a lot of help.

They were so bad that they were just put on the back burner and forgotten about. To be fair, they tried to make offseason moves. Unfortunately, every single acquisition ended up blowing up in their face. Will Levis had more memes than wins this year. It was so bad that he got benched for Mason Rudolph.

Safe to say Tennessee regrets firing Mike Vrabel. Sure, he may have gotten a bit stale, but he was consistent at the very least. Brian Callahan should be a one-and-done coach. He is not a good coach whatsoever. There's a reason why they are replacing their GM.

A disastrous season led to the #1 overall pick in the 2025 draft. At least you have that as your consolation prize, Titans fans? This team needs to go through a serious overhaul this offseason.

Dallas Cowboys

All in. This season was supposed to be the all-in push for America's Team. How'd that one ever turn out? Bringing a washed-up Zeke back for a homecoming is not an all-in push.

The only positives on offense, so to speak, are CeeDee Lamb and Rico Dowdle. Once Dak got injured, it was game over for Dallas. This season was an example of incompetence and ineptitude from the front office. They ignored significant areas of need, including defensive tackle, linebacker, a wide receiver to pair with CeeDee, and a solid running back to pair with Dowdle.

At least they fired Mike McCarthy, but they're still about two years late with that. To add further insult to injury, now either the Eagles or Commanders will make the Super Bowl. Every NFC team has now made the conference championship more recently than the Cowboys.

Time will tell if next season will be any better. They need a competent coach who can manage a game and not be stale. Or Jerry will learn nothing and go after Deion and draft Shedeur Sanders.

Detroit Lions

Many people thought the Detroit Lions would be Super Bowl contenders this season, and justifiably so. They nearly made it to the big game last season before losing to the 49ers in the NFC Championship game.

This Lions team shattered many franchise records this year alone, including most points scored and most wins in a season. They earned the #1 overall seed in the NFC conference, and they seemed destined to make a deep playoff run. Yet, just as the stars were seeming to align in Detroit's favor, there was one slight problem: injuries decimated their team, especially on defense.

Ultimately, it proved too much to overcome against Washington in the divisional round. Jared Goff also did no favors for the Lions either, with multiple turnovers. It's impressive they were able to persevere through the injuries like they did, but they had a lot of expectations this year, and they ultimately came up well short of meeting them.

Pittsburgh Steelers

If you're a Steelers fan, then I can understand how you're likely disappointed in this season. It's a Groundhog Day scenario, basically - get a barely winning record with 9-10 wins and a pity wild card spot, only to get thrashed by whoever gets paired with the Steelers.

It's frustrating and disappointing knowing that this team is stuck spinning its tires, going nowhere, and nothing will change. Things have become stale. Don't get me wrong, Tomlin is a respectable coach. There are more than a few teams that would die for his consistency, but at some point, you gotta expect more, right?

The Steelers have always had a strong defense, yet they are always handcuffed by their offense, which hasn't been the same since prime Ben, AB, and Le'Veon Bell were here. The tandem of Russell Wilson and Justin Fields was inconsistent. The perpetual cycle of mediocrity is undeniably frustrating and disappointing if you're a fan of the Steelers. Unfortunately, it seems like nothing is bound to change at the moment with a front office that seems to be content with mediocrity.

Atlanta Falcons
Jacksonville Jaguars

The Jacksonville Jaguars had a disastrous season, even more so than their 2023 season finishing 9-8. The only positive here is Brian Thomas. Otherwise, everything else was just bad.

Trevor Lawrence is a fine starter but not anything I'd consider elite. Once he got injured, their season was over for good. However, let's be honest, they were doomed from the beginning. Going 0-4 to start the season and earning just 1 win in 6 games is pretty much a death sentence.

The downfall of Doug Peterson needs to be studied. He was supposed to save Trevor Lawrence but couldn't do it. Unfortunately, Jaguars, the future is bleak as long as Trent Baalke continues to stay. How he's still around is baffling.

The Newcomers

? Buffalo Bills
? Houston Texans

There were a lot of expectations that CJ Stroud and the Texans would take the next step following an offseason where they acquired Stefon Diggs and Joe Mixon. However, as the season went on, the offense never really took off like fans hoped it would.

Injuries to Diggs and Dell, poor offensive line play, and the incompetence of offensive coordinator Bobby Slowik led to a regression for CJ Stroud, despite him putting up numbers similar to last season. Houston still won the AFC South and reached the divisional round before losing to the eventual AFC champion Chiefs.

Having fired Slowik, the Texans now look to give Stroud more protection and hope to elevate to a place they haven't been before: the AFC Championship and the Super Bowl during the remainder of Stroud's rookie contract. This team is a contender, but they need to get over the hump.

The Contenders
Miami Dolphins
Baltimore Ravens

Baltimore has every right to be disappointed with how this season ended. This was supposed to be their chance for redemption. They got Derrick Henry in the offseason. Lamar Jackson played at an MVP-caliber level all season and had a chance to end the "playoff choker" narrative. Yet this team blows it again in January. It's so predictable that it's pathetic.

Even in the regular season, there were some red flags, like losing to bottom-of-the-barrel teams such as the Raiders and Browns, for example. But to bow out like that? It has to be infuriating, and I'm not even a fan of the Ravens.

The final Ravens drive was the perfect summary of this season. Lamar does everything in his power to lead the team down the field and have a chance to win, only for Mark Andrews to drop that pass. That's the kind of soul-crushing loss that haunts a team for years. Even worse is Lamar being unable to shed his "playoff choker" label, and unfortunately, I don't think he ever will. He's a regular-season merchant, I'm afraid. Now you're wasting Derrick Henry's production away too.

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