Who will be crowned Super Bowl LV champions?
We won’t know that answer for another five months, but it still is fun to make some early predictions to look back on and see how wrong (or right) we were.
The 2020 offseason has been unprecedented. There will be no preseason games due to COVID-19, but the regular season is set to go on as scheduled.
While there still are teams that would be easy to bet on, we can’t forget about the dark horse Super Bowl contenders who may be worth taking a chance on.
Here are our five:
MINNESOTA VIKINGS
The NFC North ultimately will be decided between the Green Bay Packers and Vikings in 2020, with Minnesota coming out on top. The Vikings had a really strong draft this year, addressing a couple of areas of need by taking wide receiver Justin Jefferson and cornerback Jeff Gladney in the first round.
Sure, losing Stefon Diggs will hurt, but Minnesota has been able to retain some if its key players from last season. And there’s no reason to think the Vikings won’t pick up where they left off in 2019 and should be seen as the early favorites to claim the top spot in the NFC North.
BUFFALO BILLS
The Bills finished 10-6 in the AFC East in 2019 and looked to be a threat. And with Tom Brady out of the division, perhaps Buffalo will have a better shot at the No. 1 spot?
The New England Patriots certainly could still give the Bills trouble, but the division will look a bit different once the 2020 season kicks off. Josh Allen’s consistency and accuracy hasn’t been the best, but he’s still only 24 years old and has shown flashes of potential.
Plus, adding Stefon Diggs to the Buffalo offense certainly will bolster it as it looks to be a team ready to dethrone the Patriots as the top seed in the AFC East.
DENVER BRONCOS
It’s probably unlikely Denver will be able to get by Patrick Mahomes and the Chiefs, but the Broncos did some work in the offseason and in the draft to help their team.
They got Drew Lock some weapons by drafting Jerry Jeudy and K.J. Hamler, who was one of the fastest receivers in this year’s draft. They’ll join Philip Lindsay and Melvin Gordon.
If nothing else, the Broncos will be interesting to watch.
INDIANAPOLIS COLTS
Philip Rivers will take over under center for Indy and will join T.Y. Hilton and Marlon Mack. And there’s DeForest Buckner, Justin Houston and Darius Leonard on the defensive side of the ball.
Rivers certainly could help lead the Colts to a winning season, something they haven’t had since 2018 when they went 10-6 under Andrew Luck. And Rivers has proven to be a consistent QB at times over the course of his 16-year career, winning at least nine games eight times.
SEATTLE SEAHAWKS
The NFC West is going to be extremely competitive this season, and Seattle did a little work this offseason to make its team a bit stronger.
Carlos Hyde signed with Seattle earlier this year while also re-signing Josh Gordon. Fans know what Gordon is capable of when healthy, while Hyde racked up 245 rushing yards with six touchdowns as a member of the Houston Texans in 2019.
And with Pete Carroll’s experience, coupled with Russell Wilson at quarterback, Seattle certainly will be worth watching this season.
Photo thumbnail via Kelley L Cox/USA TODAY Sports Images
