NFL Hope-O-Meter: Are you optimistic about your team in 2025?

Hope can inspire and uplift — but it can also tear down even the most ardent of NFL fans.

The evidence is in the results from The Athletic’s first-ever NFL Hope-O-Meter last year.

Caleb Williams-mania ran wild in Chicago this time last year, evidenced by the 97.6 percent “optimism score,” which ranked third in our initial Hope-O-Meter. Bears fans learned there was a bit more work to do to build a contender at Halas Hall. Williams flashed, but the rookie took his lumps and the Bears finished 5-12, firing head coach Matt Eberflus after a 4-8 start.

Imagine Cincinnati Bengals fans, checking in with a 93.8 percent optimism score last August before watching Joe Burrow’s and Ja’Marr Chase’s heroics be sunk by a flailing defense. They missed the playoffs by a game.

There is plenty of room for pleasant surprises, too.

Last year, Washington Commanders fans checked in with a 78.0 percent optimism score — ranking 17th in our poll — before watching Jayden Daniels wow the league and lead the team to its first conference title game since 1991.

It’s hard to spot the curveballs an NFL season will throw, but The Athletic asks once again for thoughts on your favorite NFL team for our second NFL Hope-O-Meter. A short survey is below. We simply want to know how optimistic you are about your favorite team and why.

We’ll tabulate the results into optimism scores for each team. The best responses will also be selected and shared before the 2025 season kicks off on Sept. 4.

(Note: Readers who are using an Android device may need to use two fingers to scroll through the survey.)

(Photo: Bryan M. Bennett / Getty Images)