Super Bowl LIX in New Orleans is now set after the Philadelphia Eagles and Kansas City Chiefs handled business on championship Sunday.
The Eagles will represent the NFC in the big game after blowing out the Washington Commanders, who are now focused on building off the memorable year they had with rookie Jayden Daniels.
Fifteen NFC teams have turned the page to the 2025 offseason as they prepare for free agency and the draft. The postseason losers are assessing why they had brief playoff appearances, including the three teams from the NFC North—the Detroit Lions, Minnesota Vikings and Green Bay Packers.
For the teams that fell short of the postseason, they have a variety of looming quarterback dilemmas, including the San Francisco 49ers, the biggest disappointment in the conference this season.
Brock Purdy guided the 49ers to the Super Bowl last season, but 2024 was filled with up-and-down performances. Now San Francisco has to decide whether to hand Purdy a massive contract extension in the offseason.
The Atlanta Falcons got it wrong with paying Kirk Cousins in free agency, but they might have gotten it right with drafting Michael Penix Jr. in the first round in April. Coach Raheem Morris could be kicking himself for not turning to Penix sooner after the Falcons fell just short in the NFC South.
The Carolina Panthers were a losing team again, but they weren’t as bad as they were last season. The Chicago Bears, who are connected with the Panthers after the blockbuster 2023 trade that involved the draft picks used to select Bryce Young and Caleb Williams, may have been the most depressing team to watch. Then again, the New York Giants had a 10-game losing streak at one point.
Let’s examine how the NFC teams that didn’t advance to the divisional round did in 2024 and look ahead at what’s to come in the offseason.
