The 2021/2022 NFL season kicks off on Thursday Night and American Football fans are speculating as to which teams will battle it out for the Super Bowl trophy come February.
Of the two conferences, the AFC and the NFC, the NFC seems the most unpredictable. You can make a strong case for the Green Bay Packers or the LA Rams, however, the two teams I fancy are obviously the Tampa Buccaneers, but less obviously, the San Francisco 49ers.
The Buccaneers have somehow kept their star studded the band together. All their Offensive signings from last year, such as Tom Brady, Antonio Brown and Leonard Fornette should worryingly be even better now they have had a full season together.
Their top ranked Defence is still the one that tore the Chiefs apart in the last Super Bowl and they should be just as potent. The Buccs are NFC favourites and understandably so, but they are an aging team.
I haven’t seen many people tipping the 49ers, but I think their roster is stacked with underrated talent.
People are forgetting just how good they were in 2019, which was the last time their team wasn’t decimated by injuries to key personnel.
Their Quarterback position seems a concern, but I think Kyle Shanahan will get that Offence humming no matter whether it is Jimmy Grappolo or rookie Trey Lance at the helm.
I also like the Arizona Cardinals as a big outside shout too after they added the experience of JJ Watt, AJ Green and Malcom Butler to their roster.
In the AFC, the general consensus seems to be that it’s a two-horse race between the Buffalo Bills and the Kansas City Chiefs.
The Bills are a lot of peoples pick for the Super Bowl because Josh Allen was so impressive last season. He transformed Buffalo’s hopes with his improved passing accuracy.
That said, despite being second favourites to take the AFC title, I think the Bills are overhyped. I don’t believe they have a strong enough Running Back group to complement Allen.
I also don’t think their Defence is quite good enough. Last year, their D performed much better than the sum of its parts should have allowed and I predict regression. I think the Baltimore Ravens have the better roster and winning mentality/culture.
The Chiefs have done exceptionally well to keep hold of the majority of the team that were champions in 2020 and runners up in 2021.
They still boast one of the NFL’s most feared Offenses and the league’s best player in Patrick Mahomes. They are also solid on defence.
However most importantly, they have addressed the Offensive line issues that cost them so dearly in Super Bowl LV.
My dark horse for the AFC is the Cleveland Browns. The Browns have one of the best rosters in the NFL, but I don’t like their Quarterback. If Baker Mayfield can just do enough, they could go all the way.
So, nailing my colours to the mast before a ball has even been thrown, I am going to predict a repeat of Super Bowl LIV, with the Kansas City Chiefs defeating the San Francisco 49ers to lift the Vince Lombardi Trophy.
