It is less than a month since the Kansas City Chiefs embarked on an impressive comeback to defeat the Philadelphia Eagles 38-35 at the State Farm Stadium in Glendale, Arizona, at Super Bowl LVII. That means the 2023 NFL regular season is still six months away, but that is not stopping football fans from making bold predictions about the upcoming campaign, including who they think will win the Super Bowl.
Of course, the Chiefs and the Eagles are among the early favorites, having navigated their way to the Super Bowl last season. It would be silly to talk about potential Super Bowl LVIII champions without at least mentioning the Chiefs and the Eagles. However, many teams are lurking in the shadows that could cause an upset this season and find themselves in the hunt for a coveted Super Bowl ring.
Anyone who likes to bet on football games online is already looking at the various sportsbooks’ odds for the Super Bowl despite it not occurring until February 11, 2024. As expected, the Chiefs and Eagles are the current favorites, alongside the Buffalo Bills and San Francisco 49ers. Although this writer believes the 49ers will win the Super Bowl if they manage to keep Trey Lance fit at quarterback, some long shots should find themselves in the mix when the lottery of the playoffs begins.
Miami Dolphins
The Miami Dolphins were one of the surprise NFL teams last season and can count themselves unlucky not to progress deeper than the Wild Card round of the playoffs. They won their opening trio of fixtures, including a hard-fought victory over the Bills, but then lost their next three games. However, head coach Mike McDaniel guided his team to a run of five straight wins before the wheels fell off spectacularly, and the Dolphins only won one of their last six fixtures.
Part of the Dolphins’ erratic form was due to Tua Tagovailoa‘s injuries. The maligned quarterback was finally starting to show why he was so highly rated in college before two serious conclusions left him in the treatment room. Without Tagovailoa and no solid backup in the quarterback position, the Dolphins faltered when it mattered most.
The Dolphins can reach the Super Bowl if they keep Tagovailoa fit or acquire a top-tier quarterback during the offseason. Jaylen Waddle and Tyreek Hill are dangerous wide receivers, while the Dolphins have a relatively solid defense. The team showed in 2022 that they never give up, which is an excellent quality for a football team.
Jacksonville Jaguars
The Jacksonville Jaguars finished 2019 with a 6-10 record, a 1-15 record in 2020, and a 3-14 in 2021. Last season they were a 9-8 team, so why could they mount a serious challenge in 2023? The Jaguars were 3-7 on November 13 but won six of their last seven games to reach the playoffs for the first time since 2017. They lost to the eventual champions, the Chiefs, 20-27 in the Divisional Playoffs, but the experience will have done the roster a world of good.
The Jaguars drafted quarterback Trevor Lawrence as the first overall pick in the 2021 NFL Draft, and he was their starting quarterback that year. He put up some average figures in a struggling team but shone brightly in 2022, enjoying a career-best 4,113 passing yards, 25 touchdowns, a 66.3% pass completion rate, and a 95.2 passer rating. One would think Lawrence will continue improving in 2023. If so, the Jaguars have every chance of being in the mix by the end of the season.
New York Jets
Fans of the New York Jets may finally have something to cheer about if they can get the team can sign a top-quality quarterback. The Jets have only enjoyed a winning season once since 2010, the last time the famous green was seen in the NFL playoffs. The Jets finished with a 7-10 record in 2022, but there were plenty of reasons for positivity despite another losing campaign.
Jets were flying high until late November; they went 6-3 at the halfway stage, including victories over the Dolphins, Packers, and Bills. A run of seven losses from the remaining eight games was far from ideal, but head coach Robert Saleh has a roster he can work with in 2023. Saleh needs a quarterback because Zach Wilson is the only active QB on the roster, with Mike White and Joe Flacco, both who played ahead of Wilson several times in 2022, now unrestricted free agents. The Jets have been linked with Aaron Rodgers and even the retired Tom Brady in recent weeks; either would see the Jets be in contention to be at least a wild card team.
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