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The NFL is a 'what have you done for me lately' league. When a team has had success with a certain offensive or defensive scheme, others are soon to copy them. However, NFL teams have quickly come to discover that there is no blueprint to winning.
To get through the long NFL season and win the Super Bowl, teams will battle injuries, players complaining about their time on the field, pressure from fans, and their opponents across the field.
Winning the Super Bowl takes complete organizational commitment, an immense amount of on-field talent and a little bit of luck.
Here are five teams who will have to wait a little bit longer for their first taste of NFL gold.
#5 Arizona Cardinals
The Arizona Cardinals seemed as if they were on the cusp of building a championship team. Head coach Kilff Kingsbury and quarterback Kyler Murray seemed like they were on the same page, but the holes in the relationship are apparent.
Even though they are coming off a successful season, their blowout playoff loss to the Los Angeles Rams may have revealed some of the cracks in their armour.
Arizona hasn't reached the Super Bowl since 2008, when Kurt Warner and Larry Fitzgerald led the way. The Cardinals lost to the Pittsburgh Steelers in heartbreaking fashion 27-23.
#4 Cincinnati Bengals
The Cincinnati Bengals almost won the Super Bowl last season after Joe Burrow and company made comeback victories a habit.
Although Burrow seemed to spend more time running away from defenders than throwing the ball to Ja'Marr Chase, the team made a name for themselves with their second-half comebacks.
What that really means is that a lot had to go right in terms of luck for the Bengals to make it to the Super Bowl. The Bengals lost their chance at the Lombardi Trophy last season to the Los Angeles Rams.
Cincinatti trailed at the half 13-10, then Joe cool gave Who Dey nation a 20-16 lead heading into the fourth quarter. Needing a stop on the Rams' final offensive drive, the defense couldn't get it done.
Matthew Stafford hit Cooper Kupp on a 1 yard touchdown pass to put them on top 23-20. The Bengals on the ensuing drive were forced into a turnover on downs and Los Angeles held on.
Can that good fortune repeat itself in the 2022 NFL season? With a stacked AFC, the Bengals will have a hard time repeating last year's success.
#3 Carolina Panthers
The Carolina Panthers are a team that should be entering an NFL rebuilding phase, but the problem is they haven't built anything worth fixing. This team is still in the shadows of the peak Cam Newton years, when he led the 15-1 Panthers to the Super Bowl, only to lose to Von Miller and the Denver Broncos.
Since then, the team has been in quarterback limbo and will likely go with Sam Darnold under center for another year or maybe trade for Baker Mayfield in a rushed attempt to win.
#2 Atlanta Falcons
Can you name a player on the Atlanta Falcons not named Kyle Pitts? The Falcons are a team that is in full transition. They signed Marcus Mariota to mentor and pave the way for rookie Desmond Ridder.
Unfortunately, the reality of the situation is that there is a good chance that neither will be the answer and their future starting quarterback will be playing college football in 2022. The Falcons are slowly building a team that may contend in the NFL in the future.
The Dirty Birds last Super Bowl appearance was in 2017 against the New England Patriots. The Falcons would go on to lose, giving up the biggest lead in Super Bowl history. They led at one point in the game by the infamous score of 28-3. Brady led the Patriots to score 31 straight points and win in overtime, by a final of 34-28.
#1 Tennessee Titans
Last season's No. 1 seed in the AFC, the Tennessee Titans, believe they have enough firepower to compete for a Super Bowl title in 2022.
But when you look at the roster and how they matchup against the best in the AFC, the Titans are NFL pretenders. Ryan Tannehill's playoff struggles demonstrated that handing the ball off to Derrick Henry is the team's best option, but the star running back has taken his fair share of hits over the years.
The team dealt AJ Brown to the Philadelphia Eagles and replaced him with rookie Treylon Burks and veteran Robert Woods. The Titans are still a playoff contender and co-favorites in the AFC South, but expecting them to beat the likes of the Buffalo Bills, Kansas City Chiefs and Los Angeles Chargers is unrealistic.
The Titans have one Super Bowl appearance in 1999, losing to the Rams. One of the most heartbreaking finishes you'll ever see when Tennessee was stopped at the 1 yard line on the final play of the game. They lost 23-16 at that time the Rams were called "the greatest show on turf."
