Ahead of the start of the NFL season, clubs are getting ready for their own seasons, and each squad enters the year with a unique set of goals and objectives.
There are people who aspire to make the playoffs, people who hope to finish with a record better than.500, and even people who already have their sights set on getting the first choice in the draft the following year.
Then there are the teams that are targeting the reigning Super Bowl champion Kansas City Chiefs with the hopes of dethroning them from their perch. These are the clubs that are confident in their ability to make a run at the Lombardi Trophy and achieve greatness for all time.
But of course, Kansas City is not going anywhere, despite the fact that they were defeated by the Lions in Week 1. They have every intention of taking on each of these teams and demonstrating to them that dynasty building is on the agenda for the Chiefs.
With this in mind, Mail Sport takes a look at the six teams that are considered to be the favorites to win the Super Bowl, as well as how their fortunes may alter this year compared to the previous year.
The Chiefs hope that their second Super Bowl in four seasons is the start of a new dynasty
Kansas City Chiefs
There’s no better way to start this list than with the defending champions – who will surely be looking for another shot at the crown.
Patrick Mahomes is still in the saddle for Kansas City and is expected to put up a season possibly worthy of another MVP award. But there will be some change – and as has already been shown, it won’t be all plain sailing.
Thanks in part to an awful opener from receiver Kadarius Toney, who made three drops, the Chiefs were upset 21-20 on the first Thursday Night Football of the year.
The the roster, wide receiving weapons Mecole Hardman and JuJu Smith-Schuster are out – with little to replace them with. The receiving corps of this team is rather weak with Toney leading the way at WR1.
Travis Kelce is still the main man at tight end, but missed Week 1 and they desperately need him to return as soon as he’s fit.
Defensively, Chris Jones’ injury is another cause for concern, but the team is largely the same as it was last season on that side of the ball.
All told, Kansas City should still control their own destiny in the AFC despite the Week 1 defeat – and all roads could run through Arrowhead once again.
Patrick Mahomes put up another MVP-worthy campaign and seeks a third title this season
Philadelphia Eagles
The team that lost to Kansas City in last season’s Super Bowl could do well enough again to return to the sport’s biggest stage.
Quarterback Jalen Hurts is still protected by the league’s top offensive line and the receiving duo of DeVonta Smith and A.J. Brown will still be around to catch passes from him.
The running back position was one of the biggest plusses that this team had last season. After losing Miles Sanders in free agency, they added D’Andre Swift from the Lions to take his spot.
Defensively, the loss of safety C.J. Gardner-Johnson will be a significant blow – but signing the veteran Terrell Edmunds should help replace his loss. Other pickups like Myles Jack and Greedy Williams could also boost their fortunes.
The NFC East remains a tough division to play in, but the Eagles shouldn’t see much regression from the year prior – and that’s why they’re favorites to re-take the division.
Jalen Hurts and Philadelphia fell just short of a Super Bowl last season and hope to get back
Buffalo Bills
Once again, the Buffalo Bills are among the favorites to win the Super Bowl. Last year, they were the top choice of bettors, but they failed to reach the AFC title game.
Josh Allen is a strong enough quarterback to carry the offense seemingly on his own, but as the AFC Divisional round showed, sometimes the weather prevents that from happening.
The Devin Singletary experiment at running back is over. Now, Buffalo will hope that the combination of Damien Harris, James Cook, and Latavius Murray can be enough. Their tight end corps got the addition of rookie Dalton Kincaid while their receiving group lost Isaiah McKenzie to the Colts.
On defense, they’ll have to cope with the loss of Tremaine Edmunds and the injury affecting defensive end Von Miller that will see him miss at least the first four weeks of the season.
Buffalo will have to overcome a lot going against it but they still are favorites to take the NFL’s toughest division: the AFC East. Maybe now’s the time to overcome the seemingly never ending curse against the city’s sports teams.
Josh Allen hopes that this might finally be the year the Bills can hoist a championship trophy
San Francisco 49ers
The Niners have decided to go all-in on Brock Purdy as their quarterback of the future – a bold choice, especially considering what this decision means for their roster.
Not only did they let Jimmy Garoppolo leave in free agency, but they also dealt Trey Lance – a quarterback the team gave up three first-round picks to draft – to the Dallas Cowboys.
This is now Purdy’s team, and he’s got plenty of weapons to use. San Francisco has one of the league’s best receiving units with Deebo Samuel, Brandon Aiyuk, and Jauan Jennings along with tight end George Kittle. Plus, they get a full season of Christian McCaffrey.
Then, there’s the defense – which remains the best in the league after a great 2022 – led by Defensive Player of the Year Nick Bosa. The loss of Samson Ebukam up front is offset by the acquisition of star pass rusher Javon Hargrave. But losses at linebacker and in the defensive secondary could come back to bite San Francisco.
The Niners were ruined by injuries to their quarterbacks last season. The main question going into this season is if their choice to keep Purdy in the saddle was the right one.
QB health was an issue for the 49ers. With Brock Purdy starting, will it be a problem again?
Cincinnati Bengals
After a preseason fright with an injury to quarterback Joe Burrow, the Bengals hype train remains full-steam ahead.
All the main players on offense remain: Burrow, running back Joe Mixon, and the league’s sure-fire top receiving corps of Ja’Marr Chase, Tee Higgins, and Tyler Boyd. A transition at tight end from Hayden Hurst to Irv Smith Jr. shouldn’t be enough to disrupt that harmony.
But then there’s the defense – which has seen a massive overhaul in the defensive secondary. Cornerbacks Eli Apple and Tre Flowers have departed as have safeties Jessie Bates and Vonn Bell. Losing all four of them will be tough to adjust to, with Chidobe Awuzie the only returning starter.
But the good news is, the rest of the starters on defense from last season have stayed – including pass rushers Sam Hubbard and Trey Hendrickson, as well as linebackers Logan Wilson and Germaine Pratt.
The loss in Kansas City in the AFC title game last year was demoralizing, but that could just light a fire under the runners-up from two seasons ago.
Joe Burrow has his sights set on revenge after a loss in last season’s AFC Championship game
New York Jets
Are the New York Jets legitimate title contenders? Probably not. Are they worth discussing in this conversation? Yes.
The Jets have committed to a slow and steady re-build and that’s started to pay off in droves through smart draft picks and willingness to watch players grow. Garrett Wilson, Alijah Vera-Tucker, Mekhi Becton, Quinnen Williams, and Sauce Gardner are examples of that.
All New York had to do was carefully add some pieces to make the team better. Offensively, they did that by picking up running back Dalvin Cook and receivers Mecole Hardman, Allen Lazard and Randall Cobb.
With all those pieces in place, the only thing left they needed was an upgrade at quarterback from Zach Wilson.
Enter Aaron Rodgers. The 39-year-old, four-time MVP winning quarterback took up the reins and is looking to lead the Jets back to the playoffs. With this talented group around him, you’d have a hard time finding a way that doesn’t come to fruition. From there, the playoffs are a crap shoot and anything could happen.
Aaron Rodgers’ arrival in New York seems to have instantaneously boosted the Jets’ prospects