There is less and less time left for the NFL to start, the best competition in the world that has as its final culmination the Super Bowl, the event that decides the champion of the Vince Lombardi trophy, the great objective for the 32 franchises of the league.
There is less and less time left for the NFL to start, the best competition in the world that has as its final culmination the Super Bowl, the event that decides the champion of the Vince Lombardi trophy, the great objective for the 32 franchises of the league.
KANSAS AND PHILADELPHIA AIM TO REPEAT FINAL
It’s not easy to repeat the Super Bowl in the NFL
. The hardness of the competition makes some franchises fall apart completely after a successful campaign, if not be said for Los Angeles Rams. Still, this year seems different and is that the bookmakers continue to give Kansas and Philadelphia as the two sets with more chances of seeing each other in the grand final, as they did this past February.
As long as Mahomes is at the helm, the Chiefs will remain on the shortlist for the championship ring. Management has moved with the additions of Jawaan Taylor, offensive tackle, edge rusher Omenihu and linebacker Dru Tranquill, three NFL day laborers who shore up the positions. The most notorious casualties for those of Andy Reid have been the tackle Orlando Brown, one of the best of the competition, Juju Smith Schuster and Frank Clark, who decided not to renew for economic reasons.
In addition, in the draft, they incorporated two interesting profiles: Felix Anudike-Uzomah, first-round edge, and receiver Rashee Rice, who will surely have minutes and balls with Patrick Mahomes at quarterback. The Kansas City Chiefs are the big favorites in the bookmakers.
For its part, the Philadelphia Eagles entered the postseason with the sole objective of not losing too many starters, a goal that had not been easy before the seduction of the other franchises to get some of their players. The most important departures have been C.J Gardner-Johnson, Javon Hargrave, TJ Edwards and Miles Sanders, sensitive losses in their positions, but they have managed to retain other pillars such as Bradberry, Cox, Slay and Brandon Graham.
What makes more than possible a return of ‘Philly’ to the Super Bowl is his significant role in the Draft. The franchise selected Jalen Carter, projected as the best talent of the litter, along with Nolan Smith, perhaps the second-best edge rusher of all. These two rookies along with others like Kelee Ringo, pick 106, return exponentially raise the level of the team, which has a fearsome defensive line capable of slaughtering any rival. The Eagles, if injuries respect them, can be crowned National Conference champions again.
SAN FRANCISCO, THE GREAT UNKNOWN
The San Francisco 49ers, under Kyle Shanahan, are always synonymous with competitiveness. Despite losing its first two quarterbacks in 22/23 with Garoppolo and Trey Lance, the franchise invented the impossible with Brock Purdy, the (last) pick 262 of the Draft that worked the miracle of keeping the team afloat until the conference final, in which an injury already caused the logical elimination of the Bay.
Free agency hasn’t left much good news for the 49ers. Yes, they got an elite nose tackle in Javon Hargrave, but the losses in the defensive plot are notorious: Omenihu, Ebukam, Moseley, Al-Shaair and Ward are no longer part of the draw, to which is added an important exit like that of McGlinchey in the offensive tackle, one of the best in the NFL.
The best thing for San Francisco is that they still have Shanahan on the sidelines, one of the most creative head coaches in the entire competition and capable of inventing a thousand and one resources to knock down his rivals. If receiver pairs Samuel-Aiyuk and defensive duo Bosa-Warner follow the line seen last year, things will go well. Of course, they need their starting quarterback, Lance, Purdy, or even the newly added Sam Darnold, to be available throughout the year.
BENGALS AND BUFFALO CLOSE THE TOP 5
Since Joe Burrow broke into the NFL in his second year, the Bengals have moved to the top of the league, a status that, if they maintain the core, they will maintain for a long time. They lost the Super Bowl in 2021 to the Rams and fell last year to Mahomes’ Chiefs, so they are already fully involved in the fight for the title.
In the offseason, they lost their vital pair of safeties in Jessie Bates and Von Bell, as well as Perine (RB) and Hayden Hurst (TE), but they have also made one of the best signings in the competition. Orlando Brown, one of the most sought-after offensive tackles, is already one of Burrow’s guardians for next season, exponentially raising the level of a unit weighed down by injuries continuously.
If the trident of attack Burrow, Chase and Higgins repeat what has been seen so far, the picture directed by Zac Taylor has nothing to envy to the other franchises. The draft acquisitions of DJ Turner and Jordan Battle will try to shore up a secondary that has lost big names.
In Buffalo, there is more skepticism surrounding Sean McDermott’s project. The Bills seem to be falling a step behind the other favorites to the ring, and they need to win a Super Bowl to earn everyone’s respect again. Josh Allen has amply demonstrated his elite status in the league, but for whatever reason, the team hasn’t been able to hit the table when the playoffs roll.
In this postseason, the Western New York franchise has incorporated Connor McGovern for the offensive line, as well as other complements in Damien Harris, Latavius Murray, or Leonard Floyd. The pending issue of the team is to shore up the running game, a deficit that makes the attack predictable on some occasions. Of course, they have lost one of the best names in the defensive plot in Tremaine Edmunds, a linebacker who now lands in Chicago Bears.
The draft was notable for Buffalo’s management, taking two players ‘underrated’ but with great potential. Dalton Kincaid was the first-round pick, considered the tight end with the best hands in the college litter, while guard O’Cyrus Torrence was the second pick at pick 59, a priori one of the “steals” of the draft.
These are the 5 favorites in the bookmakers of Las Vegas, but the NFL is a completely unpredictable competition, so there will be other teams that surprise and get into the first step.
