Football season is almost here again. The new NFL campaign gets underway on September 4, and we will go right through to the weekend of January 3rd-4th when the Playoffs begin.
Super Bowl LX is scheduled for February 8 at Levi’s Stadium, but who will contest it? Predictions can be difficult, and many fans like to concentrate on beating the spread and picking player props in NFL games at the early part of the season. Still, we can look at the futures markets and power rankings to highlight some of the perceived contenders.
As such, we will break down the contenders into three categories: The top contenders, strong contenders, and dark horses. Let’s see who makes the grade:
The Top Contenders for Super Bowl LX:
- Baltimore Ravens
- Buffalo Bills
- Philadelphia Eagles
- Kansas City Chiefs
We may see a Super Bowl winner coming from outside the quartet above, but the sportsbooks have lumped them together far ahead of anyone else. The narrative for each team is straightforward: The Chiefs have been the dominant franchise of the 2020s, making the last three Super Bowls. The Eagles are the defending champions, beating the Chiefs last February. The best quarterbacks lead the Ravens and Bills in the league (Lamar Jackson and Josh Allen), and both teams are stacked with talent. The Ravens are slight favorites overall with most (but not all) sportsbooks, but it is very tight.
The Strong Contenders for Super Bowl LX:
- Detroit Lions
- San Francisco 49ers
- Washington Commanders
The Lions were arguably the best team across the regular season last year, and it was perhaps a lack of experience that meant they could not navigate the Playoffs. However, there have been some key coaching changes in Detroit. The 49ers were certainly not the best last season, but most experts are putting that down to a blip. They were featured in Super Bowl LVIII (losing to the Chiefs), but they could only post a 6-11 record last term. A bounce-back season is required. The Commanders are perhaps the most interesting. They were last season’s surprise package, making the Playoffs when few gave them a chance in the preseason. Much will depend on how young superstar Jayden Daniels takes to his second season in the big leagues.
The Dark Horses for Super Bowl LX:
- Green Bay Packers
- Cincinnati Bengals
- Los Angeles Rams
The Packers have been in the Playoffs for most seasons over the last 10-15 years, but you have to go back to the days of vintage Aaron Rodgers to find a time when they truly felt like contenders. Some signs could turn around. The Bengals were their worst enemies last season, and they could be in contention this time should Joe Burrow get the support he needs. The Rams had an enjoyable run in the Playoffs last season, but opinion remains split on their chances this term.
Super Bowl LX: A Puzzle to Be Parsed Out
Betting odds can only ever offer a rough guide to a team’s chances across a season. Expert analysis, too, can be made to look foolish once the season gets underway. Last season, for instance, there wasn’t huge buzz around the Philadelphia Eagles in preseason – they would have been in the second category on this list – but the team grew into the campaign, getting better throughout the late fall and looking every inch the contender as January and February rolled around. The opposite was true for teams like the Bengals and 49ers.
Of course, it is often the case that the preseason betting markets and power rankings are on point. There’s a lot of buzz around the rivalry between the Bills and Ravens, and while they can’t meet in the Super Bowl (they are both AFC teams), they clash in the opening week, and many believe that could be an indicator of who will have the upper hand across the season. Yet, it’s still the case that Super Bowl winners seem to feel more obvious in hindsight, and we will have to see how the season pans out to see how accurate the predictions are today.
