Who could dethrone Super Bowl champion Eagles? Chiefs, Bills, Ravens headline top six contenders
Everyone should have taken notice of the Philadelphia Eagles’ approach of ending the 2024 NFL season. In addition to winning Super Bowl LIX, which awarded the team its second Lombardi Trophy in the previous eight seasons, they completely outclassed the Kansas City Chiefs, who were attempting to win an unprecedented third consecutive Super Bowl but lost 40–22. By doing this, the Eagles made their status clear going into the 2025 season.
Up until someone else shows them otherwise, Philadelphia is the squad to beat.
Even though the Eagles lost a few important players from that championship team, there are still plenty of reasons to believe that Philadelphia is the current favorite to win the championship again. The offense includes perhaps the greatest offensive line in the league, quarterback Joel Hurts, running back Saquon Barkley, and explosive pass catchers A.J. Brown and DeVonta Smith. The defense, which finished as the NFL’s best unit in 2024, should remain outstanding despite the departures of D-lineman Milton Williams, safety C.J. Gardner-Johnson, and edge rushers Brandon Graham and Josh Sweat. Few, if any, clubs can match the total talent that Philadelphia now has on its roster.
The Eagles will still face challenges, though. There are still many teams who have a chance to win Super Bowl LX in Santa Clara, California, next February, but they were the best team out of a wide field of competitors last season. Predicting who has the best chance of unseating the Eagles as champions is the aim of this exercise. Here is my ranking of the top six rivals.
When discussing teams who have a chance to win a title, the Chiefs are always a good choice. Since Patrick Mahomes took over as quarterback in 2018, they have participated in five Super Bowls overall and won three of the previous six. Evidently, the Chiefs weren’t as lucky when the Eagles dominated them on the largest stage in sports last February, but that’s only one of the main reasons they’re at the top of this list: For most franchises, especially prideful ones like Kansas City, humiliation is a good incentive. For example, Travis Kelce, a future Hall of Fame tight end, stated unequivocally that he refused to retire because he didn’t want to end his life in that manner.
Additionally, the Chiefs are aware that Mahomes is most dangerous when he is upset. Additionally, the most of the typical cast of characters are still on this team because Kansas City was able to prevent Pro Bowl guard Trey Smith and middle linebacker Nick Bolton from leaving in free agency. (Smith still has the franchise-tag classification, but Bolton signed a multi-year deal.)
The question that will remain unanswered until far into September is this: Have the Chiefs resolved the offensive line issues that hampered them during the previous season and eventually led to their defeat by an Eagles squad that relentlessly harassed Mahomes in the Super Bowl? They used their first-round pick to bet on the health of OT prospect Josh Simmons, who tore his patellar tendon in his final season at Ohio State, and signed former 49ers backup left tackle Jaylon Moore in free agency. While Kingsley Suamataia, the left tackle who started on the first day of the season, gets the first chance to replace All-Pro Joe Thuney at left guard, head coach Andy Reid is hoping one of those players can solidify that position.
Having the ball late in the AFC Championship Game at Kansas City and not being able to put themselves in a position to tie or take the lead in a 32-29 game is the Bills’ most memorable memory from the previous season. Buffalo lost badly in the playoffs for the fifth consecutive season, and four of those losses were attributable to Kansas City.
Even though the Bills and their supporters are still hurt by those losses, there are still many reasons to think they will win a championship soon. For starters, Josh Allen, the quarterback, keeps improving. Given that his talent is improving with every fall, it’s reasonable to believe that he will be even better after winning his first league Most Valuable Player award in a recent season. Along with an offensive line that gave up a league-low 14 sacks during the season, all of his primary weapons are back on the field.
Once again, the defense should be strong, but that’s the main problem with this group. When the postseason rolls around, that side of the ball needs to be more dependable. In their last five playoff losses, the Bills have given up 33.2 points per game on average. Additionally, Buffalo has demonstrated a concerning lack of ability to frustrate any of the quarterbacks it has faced in those games. The Bills have the quarterback and the talent to make it to the Super Bowl and win it. Whether or not that eventually occurs will depend on making those crucial pauses under dire circumstances.
These days, the Ravens are the most confusing football team. They are as talented as almost any team in the league, and they have been in a strong position to make it to the Super Bowl each of the past two seasons, including hosting the AFC championship game in 2023. With star quarterback Lamar Jackson committing four total turnovers in the team’s last two postseason losses, Baltimore has a history of imploding in crucial situations. There is every reason to think that the Ravens can win a championship if they and their leader can break those unsettling patterns.
It’s not as though Baltimore and Philadelphia aren’t comparable. Last season’s Week 13 matchup between these two teams saw the Ravens outgain the Eagles by 120 yards (372-252). Former Ravens kicker Justin Tucker was the problem; during the 24-19 defeat, he missed two field goals and an extra point. There should be a lot of enthusiasm for this club going into the fall, but the Ravens had far too many moments like that in 2024. With just four interceptions and 4,172 yards of passing, 915 yards of running, and 45 total touchdowns, Jackson made a compelling argument for his third MVP award last season.
While a defense that had trouble with breakdowns early in the season developed into a formidable unit by the end, Derrick Henry ran for the quietest 1,921 yards and 16 touchdowns in NFL history. This defense has a chance to create as much havoc as it did in 2023, when it gave up the fewest points in the league, thanks to the draft acquisitions of edge rusher Mike Green and safety Malaki Starks.
Given the potential in that building, there is little question that the Ravens will return to the running for a championship. How they handle those situations in January will determine if they overcome the hurdle.
This won’t sit well with Eagles fans, but Detroit was anticipated to have a strong season last year. The Lions had the talent (their offense led the league in scoring), the coaching (both their offensive and defensive coordinators would land head-coaching jobs after the season), the motivation (after blowing a 17-point halftime lead at San Francisco in the previous season’s NFC Championship Game), and the urgency (this team hasn’t won an NFL championship since 1957 and has never made it to the Super Bowl). Fate was the one thing Detroit had going against it. All of those high hopes were ultimately dashed by a long list of injuries, particularly on defense, which resulted in the Lions’ Divisional Round loss to Washington. Detroit is aware that this season will present new difficulties, particularly with OC Ben Johnson and DC Aaron Glenn leaving, but the base that general manager Brad Holmes and head coach Dan Campbell have established over the previous five years is still strong.
Pro Bowl quarterback Jared Goff, first-team All-Pro wide receiver Amon-Ra St. Brown, one of the greatest lines in sports, and the explosive running back tandem of David Montgomery and Jahmyr Gibbs—who combined for 2,187 yards and 28 touchdowns—will all be part of the attack once again. After being limited to just five games in 2024 due to a broken leg, the defense is eager to see standout edge rusher Aidan Hutchinson return to the field. Last offseason, the Lions spent a lot of money overhauling their secondary. With Hutchinson back in the lineup, this D will perform more as Campbell and Holmes had envisioned:
smothering receivers with sticky coverage and pestering quarterbacks with constant pressure. Everyone in Motown was undoubtedly aware that Philadelphia had employed the identical strategy to defeat Kansas City in the Super Bowl.
You only have so many chances to win a championship, even if the Lions tried their hardest to overcome several hurdles last season—after all, they were the top seed in the NFC with a stellar 15-2 record. 2024 was just not their year. They are sufficient to make the upcoming season a time of redemption.
Given that Washington played Philadelphia in the January NFC title game, it may surprise some that the Rams are ranked higher on this list than the Commanders. Given how both teams fared against the Eagles throughout the postseason, it shouldn’t be shocking at all. The Commanders lost by 32 after giving up 55 points to Philadelphia. With 26 seconds remaining, a pass from Matthew Stafford to Puka Nacua was incomplete, resulting in a 28–22 Divisional Round loss for the Rams. On that frigid day, the Rams gave the Eagles everything they had, and it’s reasonable to assume Sean McVay’s team may do the same in the upcoming campaign.
After investing heavily to win a Super Bowl in 2021, Los Angeles was expected to be the team wallowing in salary cap purgatory. Instead, via astute personnel decisions and astute drafting, the Rams have reshaped their roster. The club that won a Lombardi Trophy four years ago by relying largely on costly players is now youthful, self-assured, and ready to contend for another championship.
After teasing potential teams during the offseason and ultimately agreeing to a new deal with Los Angeles, Stafford is still with the organization. Free-agent signee Cooper Kupp is replaced at wide receiver by Davante Adams, and running back Kyren Williams, who finished 2024 with 1,299 yards and 14 touchdowns, is still one of the league’s most underappreciated talents. On the defensive end of the field, particularly in the front seven, the Rams are equally formidable. Defensive coordinator Chris Shula can cause havoc for opposing offenses by pairing edge rushers Jared Verse and Byron Young with interior defensive linemen Brad Fiske and Kobie Turner. In January, Los Angeles demonstrated this in Philadelphia. As the upcoming season progresses, the Rams should become even more formidable.
In his second offseason as general manager, Adam Peters once again displayed aggression by arranging deals for former 49ers wide receiver Deebo Samuel and former Texans left lineman Laremy Tunsil. Although they clearly desire to win games, Washington still needs more assistance when it comes to rushing the passer. Daniels will engineer a prolific offense as part of the Commanders’ strategy to exert as much pressure as possible on opponents. Before losing to Philadelphia in the NFC Championship Game the previous season, Washington went on a seven-game winning streak.Four of the victories saw the Commanders score at least 30 points, including 45 against Detroit in the Divisional Round and 36 against Philadelphia in Week 16. Last season, the Commanders finally demonstrated that no one can scare them.
Adjusting to how defenses approach Daniels in Year 2 is one of the new tests this season will present. Do you recall the difficulties the highly regarded Texans faced the previous season when quarterback C.J. Stroud burst onto the scene as a rookie in 2023? — and if Washington, a considered heavyweight, can manage life
