Contenders
1. Kansas City Chiefs: Yes, as expected the defending champs are no doubt contenders regardless of what you think.
Although they lost key pieces on offense like JuJu Smith-Schuster and Mecole Hardman, the duo between Patrick Mahomes and Travis Kelce has proven to be unstoppable.
2. Philadelphia Eagles: The Eagles are arguably the most complete team in the entire NFL.
They have talent in every position on the field and despite losing in the Super Bowl this team somehow got better in the off-season.
Drafting arguably the best player in the draft, Jalen Carter from Georgia to improve to what already is a great defensive line.
This team’s ceiling is no doubt a Super Bowl if Jalen Hurts can play to the level his contract is worth this team will be back in the Super Bowl once again.
3. Cincinnati Bengals: The Bengals were one stop away from making it to the Super Bowl back-to-back years and it’s not surprising at all.
Joe Burrow is one of the best quarterbacks in the league and the trio between Ja’Marr Chase, Tee Higgins, and Tyler Boyd is easily the best wideout group in the NFL.
They fixed the issue on the offensive line and now have another great shot at the Super Bowl this year and years to come.
4. San Francisco 49ers: The Niners are such a talented group with weapons all over the offensive side of the ball and great defensive players.
The one thing that is truly holding them back and has been for the past years is the quarterback position.
Although Brock Purdy showed some light last season, is he going to be as great as he was last season or was it all just a fluke?
5. Buffalo Bills: The Bills are such a confusing team because they have the pieces to win it all but can never reach that level.
They have the offense and defense but every year they fall short of their goal in the playoffs. It’s still possible but every year I lose more hope due to the lack of playoff success.
Pretenders
1. Dallas Cowboys: Are we even surprised? Every year we hear the hype about the Cowboys and like always they fall flat.
They have the talent no question but with this team, they seem to always find a way to screw things up in the playoffs. With Mike McCarthy as the head coach don’t expect much from this team other than a playoff exit.
2. Los Angeles Chargers: The Chargers are like the Clippers of the NFL; they are always expected to be great because of how good the roster is but always fail because of one thing and that is health.
This team has all the talent in the world but every year one of their key players always ends up injured when they need them the most.
3. Baltimore Ravens: The Ravens are just going to be the Ravens; Lamar Jackson will play great the first six weeks and then boom someone will end up hurt.
It is a reoccurring thing that always happens and this team on offense is decent at best other than adding Odell Beckham Jr. nothing has really changed.
4. Minnesota Vikings: A pretender last season and a pretender this season other than Justin Jefferson there is no hope for this team.
With the amount of talent, they lost this off-season I wouldn’t be surprised if they miss the playoffs. Even if they do make it, expect a first-round exit.
5. New York Jets: I am not buying into the hype of the Jets this season and only for a couple of reasons.
This team reminds me of the 2022-2023 Broncos, trading for a star quarterback with an elite defense that just fails to meet expectations.
Playoff team? Yes, but a Super Bowl Contender? Yeah, I think I’ll pass on that one.
