Who is Going To The NEXT Super Bowl?

Super Bowl LVIII kicks off at 6:30 p.m. this Sunday, bringing the NFL season to its dramatic conclusion and, in a turn of events that may seem unthinkable to many die hard football fans, millions of people are saying they can’t wait for it to be over with.

The biggest game of the year typically brings in more than one hundred million viewers, but after seeing the Kansas City Chiefs make four of the last five Super Bowls, including this one coming up now—including a 2020 win over the San Francisco 49ers, this year’s opponent—it’s safe to say that people are pretty burned out from seeing these two teams succeed constantly.

Whether or not they’ll actually turn off the TV sets remains to be seen, as NFL fans are notoriously reactionary in the moment, talking about swearing off the game for life before caving and watching anyway… but with questions of viewer fatigue, let’s take a look at next year’s potential matchups.

Judging the AFC

Right now, the AFC is far and away the stronger of the two conferences, with several different teams where I could make a strong case for their winning a championship next season… even if you don’t count the Chiefs.

Of those, I think the best bet is the Baltimore Ravens. They have one of the best rosters in the NFL, perhaps even better than that of the 49ers: it’s just difficult for them to get to the big game if they have to go through Patrick Mahomes and the Chiefs along the way.

If Lamar Jackson can stay healthy, I think he’s pretty much guaranteed to win a Super Bowl at some point in his career based on his talent and the strength of the team and coaching staff around him.

Other potential challengers include the Cincinnati Bengals and Buffalo Bills. Like Baltimore, they boast a pair of top five quarterbacks—Joe Burrow and Josh Allen, respectively—but they also have much weaker rosters. I don’t particularly trust either of those quarterbacks to be able to overcome the flaws on their rosters as things stand right now, but it wouldn’t be the most surprising thing either.

Last but not least are the Houston Texans and Jacksonville Jaguars. I wouldn’t be surprised to see either CJ Stroud or Trevor Lawrence pull off a miraculous postseason run and, while it may not be as likely as any of the other teams, that also means they have longer odds to win the Super Bowl… and will bring you more money if a bet comes up a winner.

NFC Challengers

Like I said, the NFC is a much weaker conference right now. Rather than having a true second challenger like the Ravens pose to the Chiefs, it’s the Niners and a couple other teams with fatal flaws. The Detroit Lions have an excellent roster, but I have zero faith in Jared Goff to win games when it matters.

The Dallas Cowboys are in a similar boat, with Dak Prescott seeming to shrink under the bright lights every year, even though he has a better team around him than Goff does… and with defensive coordinator Dan Quinn heading out of town, I wouldn’t be surprised if they take a step or two back on that side of the ball.

Green Bay could be an excellent sleeper pick, as Matt LaFleur has shown a consistent ability to get the best out of his young quarterbacks, turning Jordan Love from an afterthought and potential bust to the type of player who will get dark horse MVP buzz next season.

Any of these teams could—and perhaps should—have the ability to make a Super Bowl if they do well this offseason, but I’m not sold on any of them. If anything, I’d bet on the Packers, though.

Realistic Expectations

Although you may not want to hear it, the simple fact of the matter is that there’s a pretty good chance we’re having this discussion again next year, with the Chiefs winning yet another AFC Championship and heading to the big game.

Kansas City’s ability to win constantly with Patrick Mahomes, never needing to reboot or reload, is the type of success we’ve only seen once before, when it was Tom Brady dominating the NFL for decades with the Patriots.

Like it or not, this is Mahomes’ world. We’re all just living in it. A Super Bowl berth for the Chiefs may have seemed unthinkable earlier this year, with their offense struggling and the worst receiver corps Mahomes has ever dealt with, especially because of uncharacteristic ugly losses against the Broncos and Raiders.

When the games really started to matter, though, the Chiefs pulled themselves together to play their best football, and it’s no accident that we’re talking about them yet again.

I’m not quite so sold on the 49ers—I’m still expecting to see quarterback Brock Purdy regress and drag down the rest of the roster around him, much like the Niners’ last quarterback, Jimmy Garoppolo eventually did—but outside of quarterback, San Francisco probably has the best pound for pound roster in the NFL. Neither of these teams ended up here by accident, and they both seem poised for long term success.