After Week 1, Some Bold Predictions For Surprise Super Bowl Teams
Let’s overreact to some mild success in Week 1. Could one (or any) of these teams carve out a surprise path to the Super Bowl?
In typical fashion, Week 1 in the National Football League produced plenty of craziness. The new season always sheds light on a handful of surprise teams that come out of nowhere. But I don’t think anyone thought the Tennessee Titans would trash the Cleveland Browns the way they did. Things aren’t perfectly clear after only a week, but let’s take a huge leap of faith and take a look at some bold predictions and the potential for some “unlikely” appearances in Super Bowl 54.
Baltimore Ravens
You best believe this breakout is real. Lamar Jackson was the butt of every passing joke in 2018, but he looks like he’s going to take a gigantic leap this season. This Baltimore defense is always elite and the Ravens revamped their receiving core with the additions of first-round speedster Marquise Brown and third-round big body Miles Boykin. But for all that to mean anything, Jackson needs to prove he’s a competent passer this season.
Arizona Cardinals
From Heisman Trophy winner to No. 1 overall pick, Kyler Murray’s story is matched only by his tantalizing talent. The dual-threat phenom may just be the fastest quarterback ever. Murray struggled mightily for three quarters on Sunday before turning on the magic and showing the country what all the hype was about. With Kliff Kingsbury’s uber-creative air raid offense, Murray will have to continue to be spectacular to offset a middling defense that ranks amongst the leagues worst.
Tennessee Titans
Are the Titans legit? Only time will tell. But they certainly put on a clinic Sunday in Cleveland. They shut down a heavily hyped up Browns squad that has Super Bowl aspirations. If Marcus Mariota can actually stay healthy for 16 games, especially while in a contract season, the Titans could be a team to be trifled with. This defense is no joke, but Derrick Henry and Mariota need to prove they’re more than just excellent collegiate athletes.
Carolina Panthers
The Panthers were 6–2 to start 2018 before the injuries began to pile up. With a healthy Cam Newton, this is a different team. Carolina just lost to the Rams on Sunday and were within a goal line conversion to preserve home field on Thursday, but I don’t believe Cam is healthy yet. Just like we saw with Andrew Luck last year, it takes time for that shoulder to heal. When Newton is healthy, this Panthers team is a force to be reckoned with. The defense is stellar and Christian McCaffery is a special player. It all rests on Cam’s health.
Houston Texans
On Monday night, it took all of two plays for Deshaun Watson to go 75 yards down the field for a touchdown. Ultimately the Texans fell short of a marvelous come from behind victory, but the results were promising. Watson is a special talent and this defense can be one of the very best in the NFL. There are studs all over this team, but everything starts with the offensive line. Can they protect Houston’s franchise quarterback?
San Francisco 49ers
Is Jameis Winston bad or is the 49ers defense making a resurgence to the spotlight? I’ll give Jimmy Garrapolo a pass Week 1 for his down performance, recovering from an ACL tear is always a tough task. But he needs to be better than he was against Tampa. Kyle Shanahan offenses are always deadly, but it starts with the quarterback. Even if the defense takes the leap it insisted it would on Sunday, Jimmy G will be the ultimate X factor.
Oakland Raiders
Can ya dig it? Jon Gruden is tearing down the foundation the Raiders built and constructing a team how he sees fit… for a second time. Given that the first time it led to a Super Bowl, we’ll give him the benefit of the doubt. The Raiders looked great on Monday night, especially on the defensive side. Even without Antonio Brown, Oakland remained fluid on offense behind the first-round running back Josh Jacobs. But was it a fluke or is this defense actually taking a step forward this season?
All statistics courtesy of Pro Football Reference.
