Here are Five Extra Points about the 2025 season.
No one has gone for it on fourth down as much as Detroit Lions coach Dan Campbell. (Rick Osentoski/The Associated Press)
From hiring and firing to drafting to trades to on-field decision-making, the modern NFL is more aggressive than ever. Nowhere is that more evident than fourth down. Ten years ago, teams went for it on fourth-and-1 40% of the time. Last year: 70%. Fourth-and-3 10 years ago? 11%. Fourth-and-3 last year? 33%. Detroit coach Dan Campbell has led the way since 2021, going for it a league-leading 151 times – 38 a year! – and has been over 50% each year, including a career-best 67% last season. The league went for it 766 times last year – 24 per team – and made it a record 56.8%, led by those world-champion (and still legal!) Tush Pushers from Philly (70.4%). Reigning NFL Coach of the Year Kevin O’Connell fits right in. He holds the Vikings’ record for most fourth downs gone for (61) and converted (32) through the first three seasons of a coaching career.
Black coaches in the NFL, like the Vikings' Brian Flores, are most represented on the defensive side of the ball. (Carlos Gonzalez/The Minnesota Star Tribune)
Seven teams changed head coaches: Chicago (Ben Johnson), Dallas (Brian Schottenheimer), New Orleans (Kellen Moore), Las Vegas (Pete Carroll), New England (Mike Vrabel), Jacksonville (Liam Cohen) and the New York Jets (Aaron Glenn). Only one (Glenn) is Black. Three of the seven head coaches fired are minorities; two — Jerod Mayo (Patriots) and Antonio Pierce (Raiders) — are Black coaches who were fired after one season. Of the nine head coaches fired after one season since 2011, seven have been Black. The league also changed 25 offensive and defensive coordinators. None of the 14 new offensive coordinators is Black, marking the second straight year the NFL doesn’t have a Black offensive coordinator. The league does have 12 Black defensive coordinators, including the Vikings’ Brian Flores, who has an ongoing racial discrimination lawsuit against the NFL. The number of minority head coaches fell from nine to seven, while the number of Black head coaches dropped from six to five.
Vikings starting quarterback J.J. McCarthy has yet to throw a pass in an NFL regular season game. (Anthony Souffle/The Minnesota Star Tribune)
Eleven teams are playing QB1s who didn’t start most of their games in 2024. The Vikings (14-3), Steelers (10-7) and Seahawks (10-7) do so after winning seasons, turning to starters considered wild cards for different reasons. Pittsburgh’s Aaron Rodgers is 41. Minnesota’s J.J. McCarthy has never played in the NFL. And Seattle’s Sam Darnold has never played well in the NFL without O’Connell by his side. McCarthy is the league’s biggest wild card. His team nearly captured the NFC’s top seed last year, looks even better this year and … still isn’t going anywhere unless he rises to the tallest task in sports. McCarthy’s predecessor, Darnold, is a close second in biggest wild cards. The Seahawks were the only 10-win team to miss the playoffs but panicked. They offloaded their quarterback, offensive coordinator and top two receivers while signing Darnold for 10 times the $10 million the Vikings gave him. No pressure, Sam. No pressure, J.J.
The Vikings' Jordan Mason is one of the best under-the-radar running back acquisitions this offseason. (Carlos Gonzalez/The Minnesota Star Tribune)
This child of the ’70s is happy to report the Return of the Running Back! Thank you, 2,000-yard rusher Saquon Barkley and ageless Derrick Henry, two elite free agents who had seasons worthy of MVP consideration a year ago. Thank you, 2023 top-12 draft picks Bijan Robinson and Jahmyr Gibbs for compiling 35 touchdowns from scrimmage in 2024. Suddenly, it wasn’t outdated for the Raiders to draft Ashton Jeanty sixth overall, or Jim Harbaugh’s smash-mouth Chargers to select 220-pound Omarion Hampton 22nd overall and pair him with 242-pound Najee Harris. Looking for the best under-the-radar RB1b acquisition this offseason? Keep an eye on the Vikings’ Jordan Mason. Though he has never rushed for more than 789 yards in a season, he’s 26, packs 223 pounds and possesses fresh legs in an offense that needs his bullishness and deceptive quickness. He has only 252 career touches in 51 games — a mere 4.9 a game, 84 per season.
Eagles linebacker Josh Sweat (19) helped make Patrick Mahomes' Super Bowl miserable. Now Sweat plays for the Cardinals. (Stephanie Scarbrough/The Associated Press)
The 2024 season’s Stat of the Year: 0. That’s how many blitzes Eagles defensive coordinator Vic Fangio called as Philly was posting six sacks and 16 pressures in a Super Bowl LIX beatdown of Mahomes. It was the kind of performance that stonewalls attempted threepeats by NFL dynasties and, unfortunately, breaks apart Super Bowl champions who can’t afford to keep everyone. Offensively, the Eagles should be OK with most key pieces still in place. Defensively, last year’s second-ranked scoring unit lost many key pieces, including linebacker Josh Sweat, tackle Milton Williams and cornerback Darius Slay Jr. to free agency and end Brandon Graham to retirement. Safety C.J. Gardner-Johnson was traded to Houston. Even some of Philly’s promising young depth was lost. Cornerback Isaiah Rodgers, who started three games last year, moved on to the Vikings, where he has become a key player in the Vikings’ hopes of improving upon last year’s fifth-ranked scoring defense and reaching higher than the defending champs.
