The anticipation that comes with the start of football season is something every sports fan can feel in the air in late August. Rosters are getting close to set, hope is undefeated, and every NFL team and its fanbase can give you several reasons why this is their year.
Some fanbases are more sober. If you are a Saints or Browns fan and realized that starting Spencer Rattler or Joe Flacco meant you were likely dead on arrival, optimism was harder to sell. But for most fans, there were multiple reasons to believe.
Raiders fans, for example, were convinced that Pete Carroll reuniting with Geno Smith, surrounded by young, exciting weapons, would at least result in a last-ditch push for the final wild card spot. It did not. Instead, they are now picking first in the NFL Draft.
And no one could convince Chiefs fans that they were not headed to another Super Bowl. Suggesting they might miss the playoffs would have earned you a slap and a few choice words.
Yet here we are. Only four teams remain on each side of the NFL playoff bracket, and in the NFC, each remaining team carries a story that would be amplified to infinity if they reach Super Bowl weekend and the entire football world gets to focus in on their journey.
Let’s start in the NFC with the Chicago Bears.
Chicago Bears: A Long-Awaited Return to Relevance
Not since the glory days of Rex Grossman and Devin Hester have the Bears been this close to the big dance. They reached the playoffs twice under Matt Nagy but have not won a postseason game since Lovie Smith was head coach in 2010.
Chicago jump-started its rebuild with the number one overall pick in Caleb Williams (ironically, in thanks to Lovie Smith and his decision to win games while coaching the Texans) and paired him with two of the hottest coaches in the league: former Lions offensive coordinator and current head coach Ben Johnson, and former Saints head coach, now Bears defensive coordinator, Dennis Allen.
Both coaches had something to prove. Johnson arrived after orchestrating one of the most explosive offenses in football in Detroit. Allen, fired midway through another failed head coaching stint in New Orleans, was looking for redemption. Both have enjoyed victories over their former teams this season and have clearly proven their value.
Williams entered the league as one of the most talented quarterback prospects in years. To some, he was a sure-fire, can’t-miss player. To others, his nail painting, perceived reliance on improvisation outside of structure, and questions about his passion for the game made him a popular bust candidate.
Early in his rookie season, some of those concerns appeared valid. But under Johnson’s leadership, all of Williams’ promise is now on full display.
Several players others had written off have also enjoyed resurgent seasons in Chicago, including DeAndre Swift and Chauncey Gardner-Johnson. For a fanbase that has waited decades for this kind of run, a Super Bowl appearance would symbolize the full return of Bears football. For general manager Ryan Poles, it would mean he delivered on his promise to restore prominence and prestige to Da Bears.
San Francisco 49ers: Third Time the Charm?
The 49ers brought back Robert Saleh, got their quarterback and running back healthy again, and immediately reentered the conversation as the best team in the league.
Saleh’s first head coaching experience in New York went poorly. Despite developing young defensive talent, success never followed. But Kyle Shanahan welcomed him back with open arms, and even without All-Pro linebacker Fred Warner for the season, San Francisco still managed to rise to the top of the NFC.
For Shanahan and the 49ers, this would be their third Super Bowl trip together. The previous two ended in heartbreak, both losses coming at the hands of Patrick Mahomes. If they get there this time, Mahomes will not be standing in their way.
For Shanahan, this would be his fourth trip to the Super Bowl as a coach. He has been close before. Winning it all would finally remove the only blemish on an otherwise brilliant résumé.
Seattle Seahawks: Nobody Saw This Coming
Nobody expected the Seahawks to be here.
They are led by a quarterback who has become the poster child for second and third-chance reclamation projects. Sam Darnold flashed at times last season with the Vikings, but once the playoffs arrived, the magic disappeared. Many assumed the “real” Sam Darnold would show up again this year.
Instead, all he has done is lead Seattle to the number one overall seed in the NFC.
Darnold has been throwing to the best wide receiver in the conference: Jaxon Smith-Njigba, who leads the NFL in receiving yards with 1,793, nearly 80 more than Puka Nacua, on ten fewer receptions.
Still, the Seahawks added more firepower by trading for former Saints wide receiver Rashid Shaheed. Shaheed has been a revelation, particularly in the return game, where he provides instant momentum-changing sparks. He was a specific target of Seahawks offensive coordinator Klint Kubiak, who used Shaheed in a similar role during his time in New Orleans.
Kubiak’s stint with the Saints began red-hot. Through two weeks, his offense looked unstoppable. Then the league adjusted, injuries mounted, the season collapsed, and he was not retained after a disastrous year. At the end of last season, there were no head coaching interviews.
That has changed dramatically.
Kubiak is now one of the hottest head coaching candidates in the NFL.
Defensively, Seattle has been outstanding, led by linebacker Ernest Jones IV, who tied for second in the league with five interceptions, rare territory for a linebacker.
The Seahawks enjoyed immense success under Pete Carroll with Russell Wilson and the Legion of Boom, and they found stability during the Geno Smith era. But no one predicted that in just his second season, head coach Mike Macdonald would have Seattle on the doorstep of the Super Bowl.
Los Angeles Rams: Cementing a Legacy
Unlike Seattle, expectations were sky-high for the Rams, especially after acquiring Davante Adams to pair with Matthew Stafford, Puka Nacua, and the league’s sixth-leading rusher, Kyren Williams.
Sean McVay already owns a Super Bowl title from 2021 and has guided the Rams to the playoffs four times in the last five seasons. Still, questions lingered entering the year about Stafford’s age and how much he had left at 37.
He answered them emphatically.
Stafford leads the league with 4,707 passing yards and 46 touchdowns and is the frontrunner for MVP. Another Super Bowl victory would cement both Stafford and McVay as legends in Rams history and remove any lingering doubts about their longevity at the top of the league.
Wide Open NFC, Endless Possibilities
Most assumed the Eagles would control the NFC for the next several seasons after winning the Super Bowl, armed with elite talent, draft capital, and momentum. Instead, they are watching from home.
With only four teams left, the NFC is wide open. Each remaining contender carries a unique narrative, and whichever team emerges will bring a compelling story to Super Bowl Week.
That is what makes this moment special. Four teams, four paths, and one chance to turn belief into legacy.
