Prediction: The Miami Dolphins will defeat the Philadelphia Eagles in Super Bowl LVIII.

The Philadelphia Eagles will be a top contender again this year. They took the number 1 seed in the NFC and won the NFC Championship last year; however, they lost a close game to the Kansas City Chiefs in the Super Bowl. During the off-season, they drafted defensive tackle Jalen Carter and defensive end Nolan Smith to strengthen an already elite pass rush. In addition, the Eagles’ offensive line was one of the best last year and hasn’t seemed to weaken. Jalen Hurts will continue to be one of the best quarterbacks. His pass catchers A.J. Brown, Devonta Smith, and Dallas Goedert will continue to dominate. Although they lost key players on defense such as safety C.J. Gardener-Johnson, defensive tackle Javon Hargrave, and safety Marcus Epps, they still have enough talent to maintain their success.

The Miami Dolphins had an explosive offense last season when quarterback Tua Tagovailoa was on the field, but his six-game absence weakened the team. Tagovailoa has a new helmet to reduce his concussions, so he should play more games this year. Even if he goes down, the Dolphins have a serviceable backup quarterback in Mike White. The Dolphins also added linebacker David Long Jr. and cornerback Jalen Ramsey. Although Ramsey is currently injured, he will still be a solid addition since he’ll be able to play in December alongside Xavien Howard and Jevon Holland in the secondary.

Ramsey is still confident in his season as he tweeted, ‘’That end of the season gon[na] be legendary!’’

These cornerbacks get to practice with some of the best wide receivers in the whole league, Tyreek Hill and Jalen Waddle, who are a terrifying matchup for any team. As long as Tagovailoa stays on the field, the Dolphins will be a top contender.

Aside from the Dolphins and Eagles, these six teams will be in the hunt for the Super Bowl.

The Kansas City Chiefs are the defending Super Bowl Champions. This was their third time winning the AFC Championship and second time winning the Super Bowl in the last five years. However, they lost defensive end Frank Clark and may lose defensive tackle Chris Jones. Although this hurts their defense, they have an offense led by Patrick Mahomes and Travis Kelce which keeps them as a top contender. Mahomes won his second MVP this past season and doesn’t seem to be slowing down. Overall, this team should be in the mix for the Super Bowl, but the departures on defense will take its toll in the playoffs.

The Dallas Cowboys have had playoff struggles the past couple of years; however, it could finally be their year. The Cowboys drafted defensive tackle Mazi Smith and traded for cornerback Stephon Gilmore. This was already an elite defense last year, but these additions could make it the best defense in the league. Although quarterback Dak Prescott suffered a thumb injury in week one of last season, he returned to the field two weeks before he was supposed to. Because he had a full off-season to recover, he should be back at his best. Their only major loss was tight end Dalton Schultz; however, they added wide receiver Brandin Cooks to an already strong receiver core. Left tackle Tyron Smith will be healthy this year, so this Offensive Line will be even better than last year.  For all these reasons, the Cowboys should improve on their previous 12-5 record and finally make it past the Divisional Round.

Even though the Buffalo Bills have had success the last few years, they haven’t been able to make it to the Super Bowl. This could be the year they do it. In the secondary, safeties Jordan Poyer and Micah Hyde will be back on the field after an injury-riddled season. Shockingly, another safety, Damar Hamlin, will also return to the field after suffering cardiac arrest; his presence will bring life to the team that was absent last year. The Bills have had a top defensive unit recently and seem to keep that going. On the other side of the ball, Josh Allen is a top-five quarterback and has a high upside. While this team is more challenging to make a case for, they have the potential to finally become Super Bowl Champions.

The Seattle Seahawks are one of the most underrated teams this season. So many people were down on them last year and were proved wrong. Quarterback Geno Smith revived his career last year and isn’t slowing down. Additionally, the Seahawks drafted cornerback Devon Witherspoon and wide receiver Jaxon Smith-Njigba to an already elite secondary and receiver core. Nine-time AP All-Pro linebacker and long-time Seahawk, Bobby Wagner, is returning to the team after a solid year with the Rams. Overall, this already explosive offense can be paired with a great defense. All these things give the Seahawks everything a playoff team needs.

The Cincinnati Bengals keep improving their record each year. In their past two playoff appearances, they’ve only lost by three points in Super Bowl VI and this past season’s AFC Championship. On the defensive side, they took a big hit losing safeties Vonn Bell and Jessie Bates III; however, they have a promising safety in former first-round Draft pick Daxton Hill. On the other side of the ball, the offensive line has struggled for the past few years. To combat this, the Bengals signed tackle Orlando Brown Jr. Additionally, they arguably have the best wide receiver trio in the league with Ja’Marr Chase, Tee Higgins, and Tyler Boyd. Best of all, they have a top-three quarterback in Joe Burrow. Burrow is still improving and now has a better offensive line; this will give him more time to throw. Overall, there’s a reason that this team is fifth in odds of winning the Super Bowl, per Vegas odds.

The San Francisco 49ers have been in the Super Bowl hunt since 2019. They lost Super Bowl LIV and the past two NFC Championships; however, this year could be different. The 49ers signed defensive tackle Javon Hargrave to one of the best defensive lines in the league.

Defensive coordinator Steve Wilks explained why he’s excited about this addition. ‘’So with him being here, [Bosa] being here, you talk about [Kinlaw], you talk about [Arik], [Drake]. I’m excited about what we can do up front this year.’’

Besides the defensive line, quarterback Brock Purdy will return to the field; he was injured early in the NFC Championship. Running back Christian McCaffrey and tight end George Kittle will continue to be the focus of the offense. Their only major loss was safety Jimmie Ward. Now that the 49ers have an even better pass-rush and a healthy quarterback, their chances to become Super Bowl Champions have increased.

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