Super Bowl 56 isn’t even over and we are already looking ahead to next year. Will it be a rematch of this year’s Super Sunday clash or will there be two others in the NFL’s biggest game? What do you think?
Is a Rematch Possible?
Whenever you have arguably the two best teams meeting in the Super Bowl, it is difficult to envision a fall from grace for either one in less than a year. But it happens, and either one of these teams, the Bengals and/or Rams, could be displaced next season.
VIDEO PICKS: Watch BMR’s Free Expert Sports Betting Picks of the Day
As a matter of fact, history tells us they will likely be dislodged from their respective perches. As spectacular as the Tom Brady dynasty in New England was, the Patriots were not shoe-ins every season.
They appeared in a stunning nine Super Bowl games over his 20 years with the Patriots but each year that they were ousted from the postseason came as almost a surprise to football fans everywhere.
A delightful surprise if you were not a Pats fan but a soul-crushing disappointment if you were. Therefore, there will likely be two brand new contenders to the throne when this one is done but we should note both teams, especially Cincinnati, are young enough to maintain this mojo and reemerge as the preeminent powers in their respective conferences next season.
Let’s take a look at the NFL odds already being offered at some of the best online sportsbooks concerning our top NFL picks to make it to Super Bowl 57!
The Contenders to Win Super Bowl LVIII
Kansas City Chiefs (+650) – Can you ever discount an offense that includes Patrick Mahomes, Travis Kelce, and Tyreek Hill? Sure, the Chiefs had a rough start to the 2021 campaign but if you faded them as the season unfolded then you did so at your own peril. As Arnold says, “I’ll be back,” and so too could be the Chiefs.
Buffalo Bills (+650) – The Bills ran into a buzzsaw this year when they went to the land where dreams go to die…Arrowhead Stadium. It was a hotly contested battle but the Bills ultimately fell, 42-36, in overtime. One loss does not define a team and let’s not forget that Josh Allen is the real deal.
L.A. Rams (+1000) – Matthew Stafford got his ticket out of NFL purgatory in Detroit and joined a team that was already championship timber in the Rams.
L.A. needed that one big arm to put them over the top and Stafford was the right man at the right time for the job. He’s still young enough to do it again as long as his defense continues to be as relentless as it was this season.
Cincinnati Bengals (+1400) – The Bengals are a team built to last as they are young and loaded with talent. A tweak to their offensive line, giving Joe Burrow a bit more time in the pocket, could be the gamechanger.
Green Bay Packers (+1400) – What will Aaron do? That’s the million-dollar question as Rodgers has expressed a desire to take his talents elsewhere next season. And while there may have been a thaw in the icy relations between him and management, this is not a bet worth taking because even if he does return, we should understand the 2021 MVP has only taken his team to one Super Bowl over his 17-year Hall-of-Fame career and at 38, he’s not getting any younger. His top target, Davante Adams is also a free agent. This bet is a hard pass.
New England Patriots (+2200) – You will notice I skipped on by the 49ers (+1200), Cowboys (+1600, Titans (+2000), Broncos (+2000), Ravens (+2000), and Chargers (+2100) before arriving on my final NFL pick. New England was the top seed in the AFC before their bye week and afterward, they crumbled like a stale, flaky croissant.
Mac Jones, the team’s first-round selection in 2021, was as good as you could expect a rookie to be without any real weapons at wideout. Bill Belichick needs to find a true No. 1 target for the kid if the Pats are to have any chance of making any postseason noise next year. Just look at what Stefon Diggs for Josh Allen in Buffalo.
Super Bowl 57 Matchup
As you can see, I have four AFC and two NFC teams in consideration. But because I am leery about Rodgers’ and Adams’ futures in a Packers’ uniform next season, I am deferring to the Rams making another Super Bowl appearance next season. The Bucs will not have Tom Brady slinging the pigskin and will likely lose Chris Godwin through free agency so they are no longer a threat.
As for the AFC, it really is a three-horse race between the Chiefs, Bills, and Bengals, with the Patriots being the long shot. I believe the Bengals will take a brief step back but emerge as a perennial contender with another appearance or more in the future, just not next season.
Teams will not be taking Joe Cool and his many weapons for granted next year which means they will have a target on their backs throughout the season. The Chiefs seem to be the best team every year since Mahomes came into his own but we should be fair and acknowledge KC has been to two Super Bowls since he took the reins under center.
Nevertheless, I believe it is time for the Bills to shine, and shine they will, as they take on the Rams a year from now in Super Bowl 57!
NFL Pick: Bills vs. Rams
Calculators
