Three NFL Teams Gunning For Super Bowl LVII Glory
The 2022-23 NFL season is still four months away, but that has not stopped American Football fans from making bold predictions for the upcoming campaign. The Los Angeles Rams are the reigning Super Bowl champions after defeating Cincinnati Bengals 23-20 at the SoFi Stadium in Inglewood, California, the night before Valentine’s Day. Of those two teams, the Rams are most likely to challenge for Super Bowl honors during the upcoming season. However, the following three franchises are who we believe will be there or thereabouts when the Super Bowl LVII rings are awarded.
Tampa Bay Buccaneers
The Tampa Bay Buccanneers won the Super Bowl in 2002, which was the first time the team had reached NFL’s biggest stage. They also navigated their way to the 2020 Super Bowl. They ran out 31-9 winners over the hot favorites Kansas City Chiefs, thanks, in part, to a scintillating display from veteran quarterback Tom Brady.
Last season was one full of hope for Buccanneers fans. Bucs fans backed their team on online sports betting Florida websites full of confidence their beloved team could go back-to-back and become three-time Super Bowl champions.
The Buccanneers lived up to the pre-season hype and won the NFC South division comfortably with a 13-4 record; this was their fourth such title. However, the wheels fell off in the playoffs. A 31-15 victory over the New England Patriots set up a divisional clash against the Los Angeles Rams. They fell to a 27-30 overtime loss, which ended their hopes of another Super Bowl appearance.
Star quarterback Tom Brady announced his retirement at the end of the season, leaving Bucs fans wondering who would step into his shoes. Brady then backtracked on his announcement and will lead his team out for a Super Bowl charge. The very fact Brady is pulling the strings again gives the Buccanneers a legitimate shot at glory. We have the feeling he will finally retire if he gets the job done this season.
Buffalo Bills
Buffalo Bills fans thought their team was destined to become Super Bowl champions in 2020 after posting a 13-3 record before bulldozing their way through the playoffs. Unfortunately, they ran into the Chiefs in the AFC Championship game and lost 38-24 to the eventual champions.
Bills won the AFC East for the second consecutive season in 2021, albeit with a lesser 11-6 record. After demolishing the Patriots 47-17 in the Wild Card game, Bills faced the Chiefs in the Divisional Playoffs. A 36-42 overtime defeat ended their hopes of reaching the Super Bowl for the first time since 1993.
The Bills roster has quality throughout, not least in young quarterback Josh Allen, who can easily dismantle teams. Defensively, the Bills are usually rock-solid, which is a deadly combination. If, and it is a big if, head coach Sean McDermott can help his Bills side break their Super Bowl Playoff hoodoo, they are most definitely contenders to become NFL champions.
Kansas City Chiefs
Nobody was as shocked as the Kansas City Chiefs when they failed to reach the Super Bowl last year. They won the competition in 2019, reached the 2020 Super Bowl, and everything pointed toward them making three consecutive Super Bowl appearances in 2021. Where overtime won them the game against the Bills, it cost them in the AFC Championship when the Cincinnatti Bengals defeated them 27-24.
Patrick Mahomes, a potential G.O.A..T quarterback, had a disappointing season by his lofty expectations. He attempted and completed more passes in 2021 than during any other season in his professional career, but his passer rating was the lowest since he made his debut. It was still 98.5, but it was the first time his rating was less than 105.
Mahomes will be going all out to ensure he does everything he can to make up for last season’s disappointment. He was gutted not to win when the Chiefs faced the Buccanneers in 2020 because the game was billed as a battle between him, a talented youngster, and Brady, the seasoned vet. Should that match-up happen again, expect Mahomes to come out on top.
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