Shumkoolie
Legend
Silver Level
Here are a short list of 10 teams that I think could win a Super Bowl, so it's not so much predicting a single team, but a group of teams that legitimately have a chance.
Tampa Bay - They're returning pretty much their entire team, which is almost unheard of in the salary cap era. There's no reason they couldn't win again, with Brady running that offense and that defense getting better, and they're young on that side of the ball.
Los Angeles Rams - With Matthew Stafford in place as their starting Quarterback, an upgrade over Jared Goff, with one of the league's best defenses, they're a team that, while it may take some time for them to be playing at their best, as they grow into their Offense, if they are playing at their best at the end of the year, they could very well be hoisting the Lombardi Trophy.
San Francisco 49ers - A bit of a wildcard really, given the Quarterback situation. If Jimmy Garoppolo can remain healthy, and their Defense can stay healthy as well, and not lose so many crucial guys to injury, they have the kind of the team that could give some of the front runners in the NFC a real hard time.
Seattle Seahawks - Even while retooling on the fly, they are always in playoff contention. They're well coached, and have Russell Wilson who, aside from Tom Brady, would be my next choice to lead a 2 minute offense, needing a score to win the game.
Green Bay Packers - IF (a big if) Aaron Rodgers plays for them. If he does, they are definitely on the short list. Their last two seasons have been successful, though ultimately falling short in the playoffs to teams who were just playing their best football at that time (49ers and Buccaneers)
Kansas City Chiefs - With a rebuilt Offensive Line, if they can give Patrick Mahomes better production than their efforts in the Super Bowl, they're probably the favorites to win it all. Their defense has been getting better - and they don't even HAVE to be a top 10 defense to win. Even a middle of the road defense should be enough for that offense and the creativity of Andy Reid.
Tennessee Titans - With the most physically imposing group of skilled players (Derrick Henry, AJ Brown and Julio Jones) in the league, they could wear down teams with their physicality. Ryan Tannehill has proven to be a guy who can do more than just being a game manager. He's a threat to run the ball, but is still a very good, top half of the league Quarterback.
Buffalo Bills - Josh Allen's ascension into the top 3-5 Quarterbacks has been no accident or fluke. He's learned how to be a more accurate passer, and as he's getting better, the game is slowing down for him, meaning he's going to be even more dangerous. He's going through his reads far better than in his first couple of seasons, with the best arm in the NFL, AND can also run. He reminds me of a young Ben Roethlisberger, and with an improving defense, this team certainly has the capability of winning a championship as early as this year.
Baltimore Ravens - With Lamar Jackson and a well run organization and solid on both sides of the ball, they will certainly be a tough team to beat again this year. If Jackson's game improves, this is a team that will be very tough to beat because he's probably the single most difficult player to defend given his quickness and speed if he needs to run.
Cleveland Browns - Baker Mayfield has really come into his own as an efficient Quarterback who has a little bit of gunslinger in him to make those difficult throws. If Odell Beckham Jr. can recover from his season-ending injury last year, with an excellent defense in place, they are a team on the rise that's going to be very dangerous in January. They might have the most dangerous combination of running the ball (Nick Chubb and Kareem Hunt) and catching the ball (Beckham, and Jarvis Landry), which helps with pass protection, as teams can't just sell out to attack the passer.
Just my quick thoughts.
Tampa Bay - They're returning pretty much their entire team, which is almost unheard of in the salary cap era. There's no reason they couldn't win again, with Brady running that offense and that defense getting better, and they're young on that side of the ball.
Los Angeles Rams - With Matthew Stafford in place as their starting Quarterback, an upgrade over Jared Goff, with one of the league's best defenses, they're a team that, while it may take some time for them to be playing at their best, as they grow into their Offense, if they are playing at their best at the end of the year, they could very well be hoisting the Lombardi Trophy.
San Francisco 49ers - A bit of a wildcard really, given the Quarterback situation. If Jimmy Garoppolo can remain healthy, and their Defense can stay healthy as well, and not lose so many crucial guys to injury, they have the kind of the team that could give some of the front runners in the NFC a real hard time.
Seattle Seahawks - Even while retooling on the fly, they are always in playoff contention. They're well coached, and have Russell Wilson who, aside from Tom Brady, would be my next choice to lead a 2 minute offense, needing a score to win the game.
Green Bay Packers - IF (a big if) Aaron Rodgers plays for them. If he does, they are definitely on the short list. Their last two seasons have been successful, though ultimately falling short in the playoffs to teams who were just playing their best football at that time (49ers and Buccaneers)
Kansas City Chiefs - With a rebuilt Offensive Line, if they can give Patrick Mahomes better production than their efforts in the Super Bowl, they're probably the favorites to win it all. Their defense has been getting better - and they don't even HAVE to be a top 10 defense to win. Even a middle of the road defense should be enough for that offense and the creativity of Andy Reid.
Tennessee Titans - With the most physically imposing group of skilled players (Derrick Henry, AJ Brown and Julio Jones) in the league, they could wear down teams with their physicality. Ryan Tannehill has proven to be a guy who can do more than just being a game manager. He's a threat to run the ball, but is still a very good, top half of the league Quarterback.
Buffalo Bills - Josh Allen's ascension into the top 3-5 Quarterbacks has been no accident or fluke. He's learned how to be a more accurate passer, and as he's getting better, the game is slowing down for him, meaning he's going to be even more dangerous. He's going through his reads far better than in his first couple of seasons, with the best arm in the NFL, AND can also run. He reminds me of a young Ben Roethlisberger, and with an improving defense, this team certainly has the capability of winning a championship as early as this year.
Baltimore Ravens - With Lamar Jackson and a well run organization and solid on both sides of the ball, they will certainly be a tough team to beat again this year. If Jackson's game improves, this is a team that will be very tough to beat because he's probably the single most difficult player to defend given his quickness and speed if he needs to run.
Cleveland Browns - Baker Mayfield has really come into his own as an efficient Quarterback who has a little bit of gunslinger in him to make those difficult throws. If Odell Beckham Jr. can recover from his season-ending injury last year, with an excellent defense in place, they are a team on the rise that's going to be very dangerous in January. They might have the most dangerous combination of running the ball (Nick Chubb and Kareem Hunt) and catching the ball (Beckham, and Jarvis Landry), which helps with pass protection, as teams can't just sell out to attack the passer.
Just my quick thoughts.
ACESOVEREZZZ
Visionary
Bronze Level
D
DS3
Legend
Loyaler
Now that it is down to 4 teams I hope the RAMS can win the Super Bowl. Read that best odds is KC at the moment but would like to see Stafford & team take it all as he finally has a team around him that shows his talent,
Cheers All
Agreed.
It was the best football ever seen this weekend, though I think commentators and pundits are getting a tad carried away with it - as if a new bar has been set. Not quite.
Several games came down to a razors edge and there were undeniably brilliant quarterback plays on displays. However, how many of those series of plays are replicable? Aaron Rogers, Tom Brady and I would argue Justin Herbert are all capable of such episodes but none are left in the championship games. I think this weekend the planets simply aligned but I'll repeat...best football ever!
I would also love the Rams to win. I admire the vision to invest in the SoFi stadium and bring two teams to that home base, as well as the media center and future developments planned in the greater expansion. It would be a huge boost for the city (though I'll admit I had been wanting the Chargers to go all the way).
That said, on their day, the Kansas City Chiefs are irrepressible.
Regardless, I think the Conference Championships and Superbowl are going to prove hugely popular.