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Second tier NFL teams - Super Bowl hopefulls
This nine-team cluster consists of squads with one legitimate question mark, which keeps them from receiving the “Super Bowl contender” label. This could either be not having a top-tier quarterback or a specific position group that gives me reservations from grouping them with the elite. Generally, they have all the pieces in place to make a deep run.
#5. Los Angeles Chargers, AFC West
Now that I have given the Chiefs their respects, let’s talk about the team I believe has the best chance of unseating them - the Los Angeles Chargers. Justin Herbert is one of the elite quarterbacks in the game already, capable of plays only two or three other guys in the NFL can make.
They re-signed Mike Williams after a breakout year and by drafting top guard prospect Zion Johnson, right tackle is the only questionable spot for the offense. However, it’s the additions they’ve made on defense that really have me excited. Adding a multitude of big bodies to complement what they want to do coverage-wise, with Khalil Mack on the opposite edge of Joey Bosa and J.C. Jackson as their boundary corner, who can be in quasi-man-coverage on the backside.
#6. Green Bay Packers, NFC North
If you think this is low for the NFC’s number one seed from a year ago, just scroll down to where I have their AFC counterparts. Trading away probably the best receiver in the NFL over the last four seasons in Davante Adams is obviously a huge factor in why the Green Bay Packers aren’t in that top tier. They’ll need multiple young players to step up in order to replace his production and I don’t see anybody creating those instant wins off the line. Let alone anyone who Aaron Rodgers can build that blind understanding with in this campaign.
The uncertainty around All-Pro left tackle David Bakhtiari also concerns me. This is still a very good team and I believe we have to change the way we look at them. While they do have the back-to-back MVP at quarterback, they want to be one of the premier rushing teams in the NFL. Their defense could be special this season, with Jaire Alexander returning and two first-round picks from Georgia added to the front-seven.
#7. Cincinnati Bengals, AFC North
And once again, there may be people saying the Bengals should be among the group labeled as “Super Bowl contenders.” Yes, they literally held a fourth-quarter lead in the big game, but just because you were there doesn’t mean you’ll get back to that point in the next campaign. Let’s not forget that this was a 10-7 team whose playoff opponents all had a chance to win on their final offensive drives respectively.
With that being said, I don’t doubt that they can make another deep run, because they have a special quarterback in Joe Burrow, who refuses to go down. They have a dynamic group of skill-position players and a defense that adjusted exceptionally well to every team they faced in the postseason. Jessie Bates' holdout situation is nagging, but they did address what kept them from ultimately winning a Lombardi trophy. They have three new starters on the O-line, who should help protect their franchise diamond, after getting sacked an NFL-high 51 times.
#8. Baltimore Ravens, AFC North
Right on the heels of the AFC’s representatives in the Super Bowl, are their biggest challengers for that division. The Baltimore Ravens' road to success is less challenging, as the Bengals have a tough schedule this NFL season. Let’s not forget that this team was 7-4 in the games which Lamar Jackson played at least one quarter in the 2021 campaign. This was despite being the most injury-rattled team over the last decade, according to Football Outsiders adjusted games lost metric (191.2).
I won’t go into detail about all the pieces they lost, but let’s just say they had players starting multiple games who aren’t even on active rosters currently. With the growth Jackson showed early on as a passer, a backfield that doesn’t consist of washed veterans, improved O-line play, their starting secondary around Chuck Clark being improved in a major way and another tremendous draft class, this will be a group to be reckoned with.
#9. San Francisco 49ers, NFC West
Getting back to another member of the final four from the 2021 NFL season, the San Francisco 49ers are one of the toughest teams to place. There are several knowns in my opinion, such as one of the most electric groups of yards after catching specialists. Deebo Samuel has extended his contract, Brandon Aiyuk is poised for a post-hype breakout season and George Kittle is back healthy. This is added to Kyle Shanahan's expertise as a run-game designer.
Defensively, under DeMeco Ryans we’ve seen this team evolve into one of the best zone coverage units. They squeeze throwing windows and force quarterbacks to hold onto the ball, while their group of rushers close in. They once again feature great depth and are well-tought at running games. The big question mark is what Trey Lance can be in year two. I believe his vertical passing outside the hashes and dynamics as a part of the run-game could transform the offense, but can he give them enough stability?
#10. Philadelphia Eagles, NFC East
Closing out the top ten as our final NFC team in this tier is one of the biggest NFL offseason winners we’ve seen. I understand that a lot of these “superteams” often fail to live up to their billing, and Philadelphia sports fans should know this from the Michael Vick years. I believe the core of this team was already strong and now they have just completed the roster. Once the Philadelphia Eagles leaned into that aspect, they became the most dominant rushing team in football (led the NFL with 2,715 total yards). They've brought back all 11 starters and now add A.J. Brown as a legit WR1, pushing everybody else down one spot in the pecking order.
I didn’t love what their conservative DC Jonathan Gannon did schematically last NFL season. But with more multiplicity up front, with 13th overall pick Jordan Davis and free agent Haason Reddick and Nakobe Dean potentially being the best linebacker they’ve had in a long time, plus James Bradberry at that other corner spot, they could be more aggressive and see better results.
#11. Indianapolis Colts, AFC South
If there was one team at the end of last season that nobody in the AFC wanted to face come playoff time, it was the Indianapolis Colts. After a 1-4 start, they won eight of their next ten games, but ultimately shrunk against the Raiders and at Jacksonville, when all they needed was to win one of those. The biggest factor in that was the poor play by Carson Wentz, who they moved on from just one year after giving up a first-round pick for him.
They have moved on to a different veteran QB in Matt Ryan, who should bring a lot more stability to the offense. With Jonathan Taylor blowing the running back competition out of the water and a talented receiving corps headlined by Michael Pittman Jr., they’ll be challenging to prepare for. Coming up just one short of the NFL’s best with 33 takeaways defensively will be tough to recreate. But that deep rotation on the D-line combined with their speed on the second level and a re-grouped secondary will make plenty of plays as they play with the lead more regularly.
#12. Denver Broncos, AFC West
Back in the AFC West version of our program, we’ll close out this loaded second tier with the other half of that four-some. The Denver Broncos did have to give up plenty of resources in that Russell Wilson trade. But we finally get to answer one of the biggest ’what if's' for people who study rosters and understand what a talented team they’ve had. Now we will see as they have a real quarterback thrown into the mix.
Top-to-bottom, that offense, despite the unfortunate loss of Tim Patrick to a torn ACL in training camp, has the potential to be as good as any other in the NFL. Considering they rushed for at least 83 yards in all but two games last NFL season, without one of my biggest breakout candidates in Javonte Williams being fully unleashed, along with somebody in house to take advantage of the receiving talent. The defense was third in the NFL in points allowed last season (18.9), before paying Randy Gregory as the second edge rusher and putting together a strong draft class to improve their depth.
#13. Las Vegas Raiders, AFC West
Finally, for this group of very talented teams, the Las Vegas Raiders were the other squad from the AFC West to make the playoffs last NFL season. They were a goal-line stop in the Wildcard Round away from going to overtime with the eventual AFC champions (Bengals). That’s despite firing the head coach mid-season, having players arrested and multiple other off-field distractions.
They’ve overcome those, added one of the premier offensive play-callers in Josh McDaniels at head coach, and somehow snatched up an underrated guy to do so on defense in Patrick Graham. That was before reuniting Derek Carr with his best buddy and the top receiver in the NFL, Davante Adams. They're also putting Chandler Jones across from Maxx Crosby to go after opposing quarterbacks.
The two question marks as to why I don’t have them even higher are what this offensive line may look like in pass-protection and if that group of corners can hold up against explosive weapons in the NFL.
