NFL 2025: Underdogs Still in AFC Contention Through Week Eight 

The 2025 NFL season has unfolded with the volatility of a stock market in free fall, and nowhere has that been more evident than in the AFC North. The division was supposed to be stacked with contenders, but two of its heaviest hitters have fallen by the wayside early. Two-time MVP Lamar Jackson was supposed to lead his Baltimore Ravens to a deep postseason run, but an injury to the mercurial quarterback has seen his side slump to 2-6. Over in Cincinnati, meanwhile, it’s the hope that kills. 

AFC North Lies in Ruin 

The Bengals looked as though they had navigated the treacherous waters embarked upon following an injury to their superstar quarterback, Joe Burrow. With last season’s passing leader down until January, Cincy turned towards the veteran Joe Flacco in a bid to keep their campaign alive. It looked as though they would do exactly that when they masterminded an upset of the Pittsburgh Steelers in week seven and raced into a 17-point lead against the winless Jets in week eight.

 

Then, everything that could go wrong, did go wrong. The Green Machine had scored just 17 combined points in each of their last two game weeks, but that didn’t stop them from reeling off 23 in the fourth quarter in Cincinnati, stunning Paycor Stadium as they picked up a gobsmacking 39-39 victory. Online betting websites feel that the result has all but ended Cincy’s faint postseason aspirations, with the popular Bovada website now pricing them at a lofty +600 to reach the postseason, double the price that they were after week seven. 

So, with heavyweights falling left and right, which underdogs are managing to take advantage, staying afloat in the race to be crowned champion of the AFC and keeping their hopes of punching their ticket to Super Bowl LX alive? Let’s take a look at two of them. 

Denver Broncos

The Denver Broncos are writing one of the great early chapters of 2025—a narrative soaked in defiance and anchored by ironclad defense. A year ago, critics slotted Denver firmly in the ranks of rebuilding, weighed down by uncertainty at quarterback in the form of Russell Wilson and a division engineered to punish the unprepared. What has unfolded is anything but ordinary.

Bo Nix’s arrival in last season’s draft changed everything. The cannon-armed youngster led his Mile High side to the postseason for the first time since their Super Bowl 50 triumph back in 2015, and this season he is aiming to build on that success. The Broncos have bounced back from a lackluster 1-2 start to now sit at 5-2, propelling them into AFC contention. 

Sophomore Nix’s 65% completion rate and calm decision-making would impress veterans twice his age, but it’s a defense suffocating opponents to the tune of a league-leading 34 sacks that has truly laid the groundwork. Reigning Defensive Player of the Year Pat Surtain II and his ability to shut down top receivers have become appointment viewing. Nik Bonitto and the pass rush corps continue to create mayhem on obvious pass downs, routinely flipping the script on would-be comebacks.

Skepticism is warranted, but not for much longer. The second half is a gauntlet, with clashes against both Patrick Mahomes and Josh Allen looming, while a potential knock to the aforementioned Surtain could tip the balance. Still, this is a team engineered to grind out close games in inclement weather and force mistakes from even the game’s brightest stars. If Nix continues to protect the football and the defense keeps hunting, don’t be surprised if the Broncos crash the AFC’s elite party.

Indianapolis Colts

From overlooked to overwhelming—the Colts’ 2025 is a sport’s neoclassical symphony, fusing explosive offense with clinical execution and just enough dark-horse mystique to keep the rest of the league guessing. Scrawled into Vegas slips at 7.5 preseason wins, with a new quarterback and outsized expectations for Shane Steichen’s second year, Indy wasn’t just doubted—they were dismissed.

And then they took the field.

Embed tweet here – 

Colts are 🔥🔥🔥

— Bovada (@BovadaOfficial) October 26, 2025

Eight games in, and the Colts are not just leading their division; their 7-1 record is the best in the entire league. Indy is redefining what’s possible with a modern offense, while quarterback Daniel Jones has resurrected his once laughable status within the NFL. Their 33.1 points per outing is unmatched, a nod to both tactical vision and on-field precision. Indiana Jones, an apt nickname for the superhero under center, is sharper than ever, boasting a 71% completion rate and racking up over 1,700 yards already. His Week 7 performance—a road bending of the Los Angeles Chargers, featuring six separate touchdown-makers—was the stuff of franchise folklore.

If Jones is the engine, Jonathan Taylor is the nitro boost. The Pro Bowl back has erupted for 697 rushing yards on just 131 touches, finding daylight behind an offensive line that opens doors and mauls at the point of attack. Taylor’s ten rushing scores let you know precisely who sets the tempo when the clock tightens.

The second half of the campaign is more than manageable. Divisional matchups with Houston and Jacksonville will almost certainly decide the fate of the AFC South, while their closing stretch of games might see Indy as home favorites most of the way. Barring catastrophic injuries, 12–13 wins is firmly in play.

Why Indianapolis, and why now? Truthfully, no AFC team wields better balance: they have the numbers, the narrative, and a sense of inevitability reminiscent of the Manning era, but powered by this team’s own distinct temperament. They’re chasing history, not ghosts—and as winter descends and the hounds of the postseason are loosed, this blue-and-white juggernaut has the look of a team prepared to meet destiny head-on.