Archive September 3, 2025

The new NFL season is upon us and that means it is time for our American football experts to make their predictions on the key issues.

The Super Bowl will be won by who? Who will be the league’s MVP? Who should you watch out for when there is a surprise package? And who will be the biggest disappointments?

We’ve assembled a panel of BBC gridiron experts to provide all of these answers and more.

We got BBC Sport correspondent Nesta McGregor and presenter Hugh Ferris, BBC Radio 5 Live presenters Rob Staton and Mike White along with BBC Sport journalists Paul Higham and Ben Collins to make their picks.

Hugh Ferris, Buffalo Bills

Get past the Chiefs (or avoid them altogether) and who knows? With the 2024 league MVP on offense and a defense strengthened by the draft and free agency, surely it’s time for their long-awaited wait for a first Lombardi Trophy to come to an end.

Runners-up: Detroit Lions.

Baltimore Ravens: Nesta McGregor

This is a pick more with my heart than my head, so desperate am I to see Lamar Jackson crowned a champion. He consistently seems to improve and improve. Let this be the year the Ravens go all the way.

Philadelphia Eagles: Second place

Rob Staton: Cincinnati Bengals

Although it’s a brave choice, if Joe Burrow can play the way he did at the end of last season and all of their star players are back, will they be able to win again and again?

Runners-up: Green Bay Packers

Baltimore Ravens: Mike White

Picked with an element of trepidation due to Lamar Jackson’s play-off history but a running quarterback who also passes for 40+ touchdowns speaks for itself and with the players at his disposal, plus a respected defence, this will be the year he gets over the line.

Runners-up: Green Bay Packers

Buffalo Bills: Ben Collins

With the Chiefs ‘ challenge fading, Josh Allen makes his Super Bowl breakthrough and the Bills finally claim their first NFL title.

Runners-up: Green Bay Packers

Paul Higham: Green Bay Packers

Matt LaFleur is criminally underrated as a head coach – making the play-offs with the youngest squad in the NFL the last two seasons. They’re the young guns once more, but Jordan Love has found his foot, they first drafted a receiver, and they, yes, they did it in the case of Micah Parsons! It’s time to back the Pack.

Joe Burrow vs. Hugh Ferris

He should have been more a part of the conversation last year after single-handedly almost overcoming an appalling defence to drag the Bengals into the play-offs. He has his weapons for the long run with the signings of wide receivers Tee Higgins and Ja’Marr Chase.

Nesta McGregor: Saquon Barkley

He deserved to win it the previous year. Should his numbers even come close this season, the voters will have no choice. Sidenote: If another quarterback receives the award this year, would you kindly grant a separate award to each other position?

Rob Staton: Joe Burrow

At the conclusion of the previous season, no one was playing better football. He’s got all of his weapons back and it could be Burrow’s year to reach the pinnacle.

Joe Burrow vs. Ben Collins

It was only the Bengals ‘ defence that denied Burrow a legitimate shot at last season’s award but this year he will earn the recognition his talent deserves.

Lamar Jackson, Paul Higham

Cincinnati Bengals vs. Hugh Ferris

Burrow plus a better defence = a deep play-off run?

Cincinnati Bengals: Nesta McGregor

Joe Burrow &amp, Co, if you’re reading this, how about starting the season off strongly instead of always playing catch up? With job security, you can either coast or prosper, Ja’Marr Chase and Tee Higgins were paid. Make it the latter!

Tampa Bay Buccaneers Rob Staton

The NFC looks wide open so there’s a chance for the Bucs, Commanders or Seahawks to make a jump here.

Tampa Bay Buccaneers: Mike White

They picked up some big wins last season on their way to a wildcard loss to a Washington side with momentum. This year, I’d like them to advance.

Ben Collins: Cincinnati Bengals

The Bengals’ defense improves enough to reclaim their play-off spot after missing out last year, only to be outdone by the Bills.

Paul Higham: Denver Broncos

Hugh Ferris: Dallas Cowboys

Would a subpar season really be a letdown? They’re ‘ America’s Team ‘ in terms of franchise value and nationally televised games, but the Cowboys haven’t really matched that hype in years, and have just traded away one of their two best players.

Kansas City Chiefs: Nesta McGregor

If only a clown would bet against Andy Reid and Patrick Mahomes – then pass me my make-up and colourful costume. All positive things must end. And as good as Mahomes is, my biggest concern is: Who’s he throwing the ball to?

Rob Staton: San Francisco 49ers

It feels like they’re on the decline after a great run, with ageing stars and injuries that are already stacking up.

Kansas City Chiefs: Mike White

I know full well this is going to bite me on the backside but I’ll go for the Kansas City Chiefs, who have a competitive AFC West to contend with. They had too many bad luck last season, and they finally lost to the ruthless Philadelphia Eagles in February.

Ben Collins: Kansas City Chiefs

Although it is said that you can never oppose the Chiefs, I’m going to put my life on the line and take the field. It’s the end of an era.

Dallas Cowboys, coached by Paul Higham

Hugh Ferris: Omarion Hampton

With Najee Harris out injured, Hampton will have to do the majority of the work while Chargers head coach Jim Harbaugh wants to run. He has looked good in what he’s put on tape so far.

Travis Hunter vs. Nesta McGregor

Having spoken to his former coaches, they are convinced he can replicate what he produced in high school and college in the NFL. However, when someone is tackling you with bills to pay, they do say it’s a different game.

Rob Staton: Emeka Egbuka

He performed like a pro at Ohio State, has a better mindset than most people realize, and has a chance to make an impact in year one despite concerns over Chris Godwin and Jalen McMillan’s injuries.

Mike White: Travis Hunter

Second-generation passer Shadeur Sanders draws a lot of attention for obvious reasons, while overall number one pick Cam Ward appears to be the forgotten face at the less-than-enjoyable Tennessee Titans. I’m more curious to see what Travis Hunter’s dual-threat of playing offence and defence can do.

Travis Hunter versus Ben Collins

I can’t wait to see how well Travis Hunter does as a receiver to Jaguars quarterback Trevor Lawrence – but could he also become the NFL’s first true two-way player in decades?

Josh Williams: Paul Higham

Hugh Ferris: Cleveland Browns

Simple . Cleveland. This time, there is no Joe Flacco fairytale.

Nesta McGregor: Atlanta Falcons

After all, Michael Penix Jr. may not be the right person.

Rob Staton: Cleveland Browns

Just a mess with potential for drama at quarterback, it feels. Tennessee could be an outside bet to get the number one pick again unless Cam Ward can have a fast start.

New Orleans Saints, Mike White

Hard to choose between the Cleveland Browns, the Tennessee Titans and the New Orleans Saints, but I’m leaning towards the Saints – which could well lead to their number one draft pick being used on hometown quarterback Arch Manning, following in the footsteps of grandfather Archie.

New Orleans Saints, according to Ben Collins

Derek Carr’s retirement after the draft left the Saints scrambling for a quarterback and having to name former fifth-round pick Spencer Rattler as their starter.

Cleveland Browns, according to Paul Higham.

Hugh Ferris: Aaron Glenn

Instead of just one with the best record, a team with the best record is typically awarded this award, and I believe Glenn will do just that with the Jets. Maybe there’ll even be a surprise play-off place to put to an end the current longest post-season drought in US sport.

Nick Sirianni: Nesta McGregor

Right up to winning Super Bowl LIX the doubters were still vocal. They are now less so, and a new year should bring them to rest for good.

Rob Staton: Matt LaFleur

In 2025, the Packers will benefit from the Micah Parsons trade, which will give LaFleur the honor.

Mike White: Mike Vrabel

The New England Patriots’ ascendance from the top has shook both their fans and likely everyone else. Vrabel stops the decline as he returns to the team he enjoyed so much success with as a player.

Matt LaFleur: Ben Collins

With Jordan Love established as quarterback of a hungry Green Bay roster and Micah Parsons having just been added on defence, LaFleur leads the Packers back to the Super Bowl.

Mike Vrabel: Paul Higham

Minnows such as Brazil and Samoa will benefit from playing at the World Cup despite suffering a series of heavy defeats at the tournament, says World Rugby.

Brazil, the lowest-ranked team at the tournament, were beaten 84-5 by France on Sunday after a 66-6 loss to South Africa in their opening match.

Samoa have conceded a total of 165 points and scored only three in their matches against Australia and England so far.

However, Sally Horrox, chief of Women’s Rugby at World Rugby, says such scorelines will happen with teams at different stages of professionalisation.

“We acknowledge that competitiveness is a talking point, and so it should be, but we also must remember the context – the relative youth of the women’s game,” she said.

“The men’s professional game is 30 years old and we are in the very early stages, relatively, of that professional development of the women’s game.

“We made an intentional decision to expand the Rugby World Cup from 12 to 16 teams in full knowledge that that would give more exposure to teams like Fiji, Samoa, Spain and Brazil.

“Their performance on the biggest stage is critical for their national pride, but also to attract fans, commercial investment and government investment to drive the teams and game forward.”

Hosts and tournament favourites England have 32 centrally contracted players, with a pool of others paid by their Premiership Women’s Rugby clubs.

Brazil and Samoa are at the opposite end of the spectrum with mostly amateur squads, some of whom are crowd-funding to cover the cost of stepping away from their regular jobs.

The inclusion of sevens in the Olympics since Rio 2016 triggered government financial support in many countries and it is hoped that including developing teams on the biggest XV-a-side stage, along with specialist coaches and support from World Rugby, will further fuel their growth.

There are also plans to relaunch the annual WXV competition, for international sides, to guarantee emerging nations more regular competition against teams of a similar standard.

The most recent men’s Rugby World Cup also featured several blow-out scorelines, with France and Scotland putting 96 and 84 unanswered points on Namibia and Romania respectively in 2023.

At the 1995 Rugby World Cup, just before the men’s game officially turned professional, New Zealand scored 21 tries as they beat Japan 145-17. In 2019, Japan reached the last eight as hosts.

Gilpin added that the women’s game is already ahead of the men’s in the way the players connect with fans, both in the stadium and on social media.

“We are seeing at this incredible tournament that you can be yourself in rugby,” he said.

“It is a welcoming place where personalities shine and individuality is celebrated and where perceptions about our sport are being challenged, changed and, in many cases, blown out the water.

“We believe there is a real opportunity for the men’s game to follow the lead that we are seeing with greater accessibility and more personality creating more stars.

“This tournament has demonstrated that being on social media, being yourself, having an opinion, taking time for the fans and the media doesn’t need to be viewed as a performance inhibitor, indeed it can be an enabler.”

Gilpin is confident that the unique character of the women’s game will survive, even as it grows, its stars’ profiles increase and professionalism spreads.

“Three years ago in New Zealand [at the last World Cup] when he had had this great engagement with fans, we were asked then if we feared that we would see less of that and we are not. We are seeing more of it,” he said.

“That is because we have brilliant characters in the women’s game who are not going to have a lid put on those personalities, that is a genie you can’t put back in the bottle very easily.”

World Rugby also revealed that kicking, both for goal and from hand, has improved in the first two rounds of matches, compared to the last tournament in 2022.

Conversion success is up to 64%, a 14% increase, while an average of 3.3 kicks are regained per match, up from two per game in 2022.

England attack coach Lou Meadows: “The game is naturally going to evolve, especially when you take it professional, so the girls can commit to their skills and execution.

“We have making kicking a key skill for us. The way it can be used as a pressure point against the opposition, equally the way we can score more points through it as we convert our tries.

“Having a specialist kicking coach (Andy Holloway) in to support that skill is a really important resource to us.

“Usually you would only see one or two players use kicking but now it’s a key skill needed across the back line, whether you are a fly-half or a winger.

“We want a triple skill-set threat. It is something we deliberately go after in our programme.”

Fly-half Zoe Harrison on the different cultures in men’s and womens’ game:

“If the men want to do it [more social media], crack on, but I don’t know if that is fitting for their audience or what they want to do.

“At Saracens [men] they want to keep their heads down and go about their business, that is absolutely fine.

“Us girls like to see a dance, that’s just how girls are so it is fitting for who we are and who our audience is.”

Flanker Sadia Kabeya: “One of the best things about the women’s game is that how personable the teams are.

“You don’t only know the player on the pitch, but the player off the pitch. We love our fans we love being able to interact with them after the game, it is something really special.

Minnows such as Brazil and Samoa will benefit from playing at the World Cup despite suffering a series of heavy defeats at the tournament, says World Rugby.

Brazil, the lowest-ranked team at the tournament, were beaten 84-5 by France on Sunday after a 66-6 loss to South Africa in their opening match.

Samoa have conceded a total of 165 points and scored only three in their matches against Australia and England so far.

However, Sally Horrox, chief of Women’s Rugby at World Rugby, says such scorelines will happen with teams at different stages of professionalisation.

“We acknowledge that competitiveness is a talking point, and so it should be, but we also must remember the context – the relative youth of the women’s game,” she said.

“The men’s professional game is 30 years old and we are in the very early stages, relatively, of that professional development of the women’s game.

“We made an intentional decision to expand the Rugby World Cup from 12 to 16 teams in full knowledge that that would give more exposure to teams like Fiji, Samoa, Spain and Brazil.

“Their performance on the biggest stage is critical for their national pride, but also to attract fans, commercial investment and government investment to drive the teams and game forward.”

Hosts and tournament favourites England have 32 centrally contracted players, with a pool of others paid by their Premiership Women’s Rugby clubs.

Brazil and Samoa are at the opposite end of the spectrum with mostly amateur squads, some of whom are crowd-funding to cover the cost of stepping away from their regular jobs.

The inclusion of sevens in the Olympics since Rio 2016 triggered government financial support in many countries and it is hoped that including developing teams on the biggest XV-a-side stage, along with specialist coaches and support from World Rugby, will further fuel their growth.

There are also plans to relaunch the annual WXV competition, for international sides, to guarantee emerging nations more regular competition against teams of a similar standard.

The most recent men’s Rugby World Cup also featured several blow-out scorelines, with France and Scotland putting 96 and 84 unanswered points on Namibia and Romania respectively in 2023.

At the 1995 Rugby World Cup, just before the men’s game officially turned professional, New Zealand scored 21 tries as they beat Japan 145-17. In 2019, Japan reached the last eight as hosts.

Gilpin added that the women’s game is already ahead of the men’s in the way the players connect with fans, both in the stadium and on social media.

“We are seeing at this incredible tournament that you can be yourself in rugby,” he said.

“It is a welcoming place where personalities shine and individuality is celebrated and where perceptions about our sport are being challenged, changed and, in many cases, blown out the water.

“We believe there is a real opportunity for the men’s game to follow the lead that we are seeing with greater accessibility and more personality creating more stars.

“This tournament has demonstrated that being on social media, being yourself, having an opinion, taking time for the fans and the media doesn’t need to be viewed as a performance inhibitor, indeed it can be an enabler.”

Gilpin is confident that the unique character of the women’s game will survive, even as it grows, its stars’ profiles increase and professionalism spreads.

“Three years ago in New Zealand [at the last World Cup] when he had had this great engagement with fans, we were asked then if we feared that we would see less of that and we are not. We are seeing more of it,” he said.

“That is because we have brilliant characters in the women’s game who are not going to have a lid put on those personalities, that is a genie you can’t put back in the bottle very easily.”

World Rugby also revealed that kicking, both for goal and from hand, has improved in the first two rounds of matches, compared to the last tournament in 2022.

Conversion success is up to 64%, a 14% increase, while an average of 3.3 kicks are regained per match, up from two per game in 2022.

England attack coach Lou Meadows: “The game is naturally going to evolve, especially when you take it professional, so the girls can commit to their skills and execution.

“We have making kicking a key skill for us. The way it can be used as a pressure point against the opposition, equally the way we can score more points through it as we convert our tries.

“Having a specialist kicking coach (Andy Holloway) in to support that skill is a really important resource to us.

“Usually you would only see one or two players use kicking but now it’s a key skill needed across the back line, whether you are a fly-half or a winger.

“We want a triple skill-set threat. It is something we deliberately go after in our programme.”

Fly-half Zoe Harrison on the different cultures in men’s and womens’ game:

“If the men want to do it [more social media], crack on, but I don’t know if that is fitting for their audience or what they want to do.

“At Saracens [men] they want to keep their heads down and go about their business, that is absolutely fine.

“Us girls like to see a dance, that’s just how girls are so it is fitting for who we are and who our audience is.”

Flanker Sadia Kabeya: “One of the best things about the women’s game is that how personable the teams are.

“You don’t only know the player on the pitch, but the player off the pitch. We love our fans we love being able to interact with them after the game, it is something really special.

Ruben Loftus-Cheek says he “completely forgot” about playing for England and was “just a fan” during his near seven-year absence from the national team.

Loftus-Cheek’s last appearance for the Three Lions came in a friendly against the United States in November 2018 after he had been part of Gareth Southgate’s World Cup squad that reached the semi-finals in Russia the same year.

The 29-year-old midfielder ruptured his Achilles in 2019 playing for Chelsea in a friendly in the USA before the Europa League final, and subsequently dropped out of the England reckoning.

He joined AC Milan in 2023 and has made 71 appearances for the Rossoneri in all competitions, scoring 11 goals and registering three assists.

“When I ruptured my Achilles, I was on such a high [before it happened], so after that I had a hard time mentally,” said Loftus-Cheek.

“But I was still young, I still had time to come back, so I wasn’t too low.”

He added he had “got used” to not joining up with England because he had been away for so long.

“You still want to push in club football with the hope of maybe getting a sniff,” he said.

“But I just completely forgot about it and was being a fan of the team instead.”

Loftus-Cheek said it took about two years for him to feel himself again after the injury.

“If you have got good people around you it is going to help you so much, but the main thing comes from your self drive,” he said of his recovery.

England boss Thomas Tuchel knows Loftus-Cheek well from his time as manager of Chelsea, where the German used him in some unconventional positions.

“When he [Tuchel] came into Chelsea and he spoke to me about playing wing-back, I said no way – but I ending up playing there anyways,” said Loftus-Cheek.

“I played many positions under Tuchel and he values my physicality so I am used to working under him.

“He is very intelligent and knows the game so well. Hopefully we can do well to connect with him.”

As well as playing Loftus-Cheek at right wing-back, Tuchel also deployed him at centre-back and in midfield.

Loftus-Cheek thought he would be in with a “shout” of getting called up to the England squad as he knew the manager would be “keeping tabs on him”.

However, he was philosophical when asked if his versatility would give him a shot at making the World Cup squad next year.

“Who knows. I am able to play different positions. Since I was at AC Milan I have played a lot higher and close to the striker to get goals and help the team in the final third,” he said.

“Under Tuchel I played a lot deeper. I am able to do that and with things that can happen in a tournament, being versatile is a good thing. When it comes to that I am happy to play anywhere for the team and do my best in any position.”

2025 Ryder Cup

Venue: Bethpage Black, New York Dates: 26-28 September

Masters champion Rory McIlroy says he “loves” the team selected by European captain Luke Donald for this month’s Ryder Cup at Bethpage Black.

The world number two from Northern Ireland will again spearhead the European challenge with captain Donald naming the most settled team in Ryder Cup history.

Rasmus Hojgaard – who has replaced his twin brother Nicolai having qualified through the ranking system – is the only change to the team that beat the United States two years ago.

McIlroy, 36, has completed the career Grand Slam since that victory in Rome, while Justin Rose and Tommy Fleetwood both won FedEx Cup play-off events last month and Robert McIntyre was second in another.

“You could make an argument that all 12 guys are more accomplished than they were two years ago, so I’m excited,” McIlroy told BBC Sport NI’s Stephen Watson.

“Continuity is an underestimated quality in a team, especially when it comes to a Ryder Cup when there’s so many variables and changes. Love the 12 guys that have been assembled, and I think we’re ready to go.

McIlroy was a part of the European team that most recently won a Ryder Cup away from home at Medinah in 2012.

In what will be his eighth time at the event, he is expecting a “raucous” home crowd but believes “taking a leaf” from tennis star Novak Djokovic’s book could be helpful for his team-mates at Bethpage Black after the Serbian beat home favourite Taylor Fritz in the US Open quarter-finals.

“I watched a little bit of Novak Djokovic [Tuesday] night playing in his match against Taylor Fritz,” said McIlroy of the 24-time major champion’s latest Grand Slam charge.

“It was a very pro-American crowd and he’s been the best at handling that. He’s had to deal with it his whole life, whether it’s playing against an American in New York or playing against Roger [Federer] or Rafa [Nadal].

McIlroy is in the field at the Irish Open this week with the DP World Tour event at the K Club his penultimate tournament before the Ryder Cup.

He will also play the BMW PGA Championship at Wentworth next week and believes dealing with the pressure of the “business end of things on a Sunday” would be a good test of his game, even if winning before his return to the United States is not “absolutely necessary”.

“I would love to add another W to the win column this year but I don’t think it’s a necessity,” he added.

“These are two big leaps to make sure the game is sharp and I think the only way to tell if you are as sharp as you want to be is getting yourself in contention, under pressure, at the sort of business end of things on a Sunday.