Congratulations to Patrick Mahomes, Andy Reid, and the Chiefs Kingdom on winning Super Bowl LVII. It was an exciting game except for the bogus call by the referees that robbed over 113 million people of a spectacular ending. The game turned out to be a shootout with both quarterbacks shining for their respective teams, and in the end, the Chiefs barely edged out the Eagles to win their second title in four years. However, the contenders for next season would have watched and begun plotting how they take down Kansas City from the throne. In this article, we discuss the five teams primed to lift the Lombardi in 2023.
1. Kansas City Chiefs-the Chiefs will head into the 2023 season looking to be the first back-to-back champions since the Patriots two decades ago. The statistic shows that it is hard to win two in a row in the modern NFL. However, if there is any team that has a shot at history, it is the Chiefs. The team is a bedrock of stability because Patrick Mahomes and Travis Kelce are under contract forming a dynamic duo that is hard to match in this league. At the head coaching position, Andy Reid returns for at least another season and his tenth in Kansas City. The biggest thing for this team is to give Mahomes weapons in the wide receiver spot with the pending free agency of JuJu Smith-Schuster, Mecole Hardman, and Jerick McKinnon. Smith Schuster was a star player in the Super Bowl and should earn a new deal with seven catches and 53 yards performance. The Chiefs could also use another star pass rusher just in case they lose Chris Jones to an injury at some point in the season.
2. Philadelphia Eagles- the Eagles were so close but so far. However, despite the disappointment, the team took monumental steps after exiting in a lopsided loss to the Bucs in the wildcard round the previous year. Jaylen Hurts is a quarterback getting better every year, was one of the lead frontrunners for MVP, and some analysts even feel he slightly outplayed Mahomes in the big game. The Eagles need to lockdown Hurts to an extension before he gets even more expensive. The team also has a slew of players heading into free agency including Fletcher Cox, Brandon Graham, and Miles Sanders. The extension by Jalen will mean the team will lose a few of their top players, and it should be interesting to see if any of them will give a discount. Also, it means they need to get a good draft to bring in talent on defense.
3. Cincinnati Bengals-the Bengals will be kicking themselves for failing to make it back to Superbowl. The Bengals face a similar prospect to the Eagles because Joe Burrow will likely reset the quarterback market with his deal this off-season. The man deserves this money because he has played behind a porous offensive line during his tenure in Ohio. Until Borrow signs the dotted line, the Bengals will not know how much resources they can dedicate to sign other players. The team should assess whether the offensive line has the personnel to protect the franchise player or if they need to look in the draft and free agency. In addition, the team could look to add playmakers on the defense to join its ever-improving unit. I have the Bengals as favorites to win the AFC North next season.
4. San Francisco 49ers-the 49ers are probably the most well-built team in the league, but they are number 4 on this list because the top 3 teams know who will be their quarterback in 2023. There are two quarterbacks on their roster, but both are young and enter next season following injuries. Trey Lance was seen as the franchise’s future when the team climbed in 2021 to draft the quarterback and pay a hefty compensation in picks. The 49ers had to send three first-round picks to Miami and won’t draft in round one until 2024. There is uncertainty about whether Lance will be under-center because of his shaky play prior to his broken ankle injury. My choice at quarterback would be to play Brock Purdy, but he tore his UCL in his right elbow and will be out until July. The 49ers have a big decision because this team is ready to win now, and they could be tempted to get a talented veteran quarterback like Aaron Rodgers. It will be interesting to see which route they take because they could win the Lombardi next season.
5. Buffalo Bills- the Bills had a deflating loss at home to the Bengals to end their season. It leaves this team searching for answers. The team is talented but flawed because they use Josh Allen to do so much in running the football. The team must improve its running game by assessing personnel on the offensive line and running back to achieve balanced in their attack. In a January playoff game, the home field advantage was non-existent because the home team could not run the ball. Also, It feels that Von Miller was the key to the team, and after he got injured they lost realistic hope of making it to the Super Bowl due to a non-existent pass rush. However, the team is 18 million dollars over the cap, and they will have to get creative to get talent through the door if they are to realize their potential of winning the Super Bowl.