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We are edging closer to the start of the new NFL season, and predictions for the winner of the Super Bowl and who will dominate this season have already begun. While the season is hard to predict, the favorites have already emerged.
If you are someone who backs a winning team or wants to see your favorite players lift the Vince Lombardi trophy, here are the teams expected to dominate the league this season.
Kansas City Chiefs
The Chiefs are a team with something to prove this season. They unexpectedly won the Super Bowl in 2019, the second time in over fifty years. However, 2020 ended on a low for the franchise, finding themselves in the Super Bowl final again but losing to the Bucs.
Patrick Mahomes and his team have more than enough talent to make it to the third final in a row. They have had a solid start to their pre-season, and as long as Mahomes and that formidable offensive line can stay fit, every other team should be terrified.
Tampa Bay Buccaneers
If the Chiefs winning the Super Bowl in 2019 was a shock, the Buccaneers winning it last season was a complete bolt from the blue. It shouldn’t be that surprising, though; they have Tom Brady as their talisman, seemingly getting better with age.
Combine that with Gronk, an offensive line that works like a well-oiled machine, and a defense that can withstand attack; you have a winning formula. It may be unlikely, but we may just be calling that beautiful stretch of coastline Champa Bay again this season.
Cleveland Browns
Cleveland has emerged as a team that many believe can not only dominate their division but make it to the big show. A team that hasn’t won anything of note for many years made it to the playoffs last season, only to be dispatched by the Chiefs.
Their stars are aligning, though, Baker Mayfield is the leader they need, and he will be throwing to Nick Chubb and Odell Beckham Jr. The Browns just have to stay fit; they work well as they are, too many changes could cause the whole system to crash.
LA Chargers
Both LA teams are looking incredibly strong this season, but only one has the Rookie of the Year as their QB. Justin Herbert put in one of the best rookie performances we have seen for a long time, and he will only get better.
We can’t forget what happened in December, Herbert throwing his 28th touchdown pass, breaking the record for most touchdown passes by a rookie in one season. Some say he’s incredible; others say we haven’t seen the best of him or what the Chargers can do.
LA Rams
The Rams are in limbo with regards to how far they can go this season. Sean McVay has added the big arm of Matthew Stafford to their roster but has lost one of the best RB’s in the league to an Achilles tear, Cam Akers.
McVay was hoping to combine the two; however, there is pressure on the shoulders of Stafford and the rest of the offensive line. It isn’t clear where the points will be coming from, but if there is a man to find them, it’s Stafford.
Buffalo Bills
The Bills have found an offensive strategy that works. They are a team that will score many points this season, but there is still a question mark above their defense. Josh Allen is pulling strings at QB, but will longevity and consistency come into play.
The biggest competition that they are going to be faced with is the Browns and the Chiefs. While it is widely agreed that the Bills have a complete team, are they strong enough to fight off two teams vying for Super Bowl positions?
Green Bay Packers
It is no secret that Green Bay is a strong side and even less of a mystery that Aaron Rodgers is one of the best QB’s ever to play the game. There is one sticking point though, is Rodgers going to be at the Packers when the season starts?
Rodgers has made it clear he isn’t happy at the Packers anymore, but there is a lot of speculation that he will stay for one last season. He would want to get them to one more Super Bowl and leave the team he has spent his whole career at on a high.
Baltimore Ravens
You need to hear only one name to know that the Ravens are a threat this season, Lamar Jackson. The dual-threat QB has become a franchise player that the Ravens have craved for a while, and he is their not-so-secret weapon.
His availability and consistency are a concern. He has contracted COVID twice now, derailing pre-season plans. If he plays and plays like the QB we know he is, the Ravens could be a team threatening the likes of the Browns, Bills, and Chiefs in the AFL. The Ravens could pull off the shock of the season.
Story by Bryce Fisher
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