NFL Super Bowl Contenders Ranking: Patrick Mahomes, Chiefs Go for Historic Triple-Whammy, But Lamar Jackson’s Ravens Seek Revenge

One second after the Kansas City Chiefs won the Super Bowl again, the countdown to LIX in New Orleans began.

The NFL is a never-ending league, and there are serious contenders in the AFC and NFC looking to prevent Patrick Mahomes, Travis Kelce, Andy Reid and the Chiefs from becoming the first franchise to win a third consecutive Super Bowl.

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Then you have Dak Prescott and the Dallas Cowboys, who cost $10 billion. They have a ton of talent, but there are also more doubters than ever.

Lamar Jackson and the vengeful Baltimore Ravens, who acquired top running back Derrick Henry this offseason in an attempt to give the two-time MVP quarterback an additional offensive weapon.

And the Brock Purdy-led San Francisco 49ers, who defeated the Chiefs in overtime of Super Bowl LVIII in Las Vegas before Mahomes found Mecole Hardman and pulled off a last-second victory that ended with Taylor Swift kissing Kelce for the world to see.

With the Chiefs set to host the Ravens to kick off the 2024 NFL season at Arrowhead Stadium, here’s talkSPORT’s look at the top 10 Super Bowl contenders heading to the Superdome on February 9, 2025 in New Orleans.

And we come back every week….

10. Dallas Cowboys (2023 record: 12-5)

Money is no problem for Jerry Jones.

Winning the big game again is…

The Cowboys clearly have Super Bowl talent.

But chemistry, consistency and the right head coach are all question marks in Dallas, with Bill Belichick watching from afar and Mike McCarthy potentially taking his new coaching job in 2024.

Add to that a potentially huge contract for Dak Prescott (CeeDee Lamb has already received his big paycheck) and the Cowboys will need to get everything in order this season to avoid another playoff loss.

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9. New York Jets (7-10)

It all comes down to Aaron Rodgers.

The 40-year-old QB has been compared to Zlatan Ibrahimovic and certainly has no shortage of confidence heading into the Super Bowl.

This year, Rodgers needs to stay healthy and the New York Jets need some old-fashioned luck.

They entered last season as Super Bowl contenders, but lost Rodgers after just four snaps.

Is this the year the Jets make their risky gamble on Rodgers pay off?

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8. Cincinnati Bengals (9-8)

Ja’Marr Chase and Joe Burrow are one of the best duos in the league.

Burrow has had a down year, while Chase has been missing as the Bengals prepare for the 2024 campaign.

The good news is that Burrow started his career with two consecutive AFC Championship games as Cincinnati became the Chiefs’ biggest rival in the AFC.

The Bengals need to regain their 2021-22 form to prove they deserve a higher spot on this list.

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7. Buffalo Bills (11-6)

Losing Stefon Diggs to the Houston Texans didn’t help.

Mahomes may just end up winning it all season, as Josh Allen was reminded once again that there is a whole level to reach in the NFL hierarchy.

Allen is a two-time Pro Bowler with MVP potential.

While head coach Sean McDermott tries to get things right in Buffalo, the Bills Mafia waits for a Super Bowl breakthrough.

The Bills enter the 2024 season in a neglected position, which could be a good thing in Buffalo.

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6. Philadelphia Eagles (11-6)

Two words, one name.

Saquon Barkley.

It was a huge deal for the New York Giants and an even bigger acquisition for the Eagles, who managed to secure a top talent in the annually exciting NFC East.

Philadelphia topped the list of Super Bowl contenders through the first half of the 2023 season.

Frustration, disappointment and dysfunction ensued: the Eagles were humiliated 32-9 by Tampa Bay in a Wild Card game and Philly coach Nick Sirianni was suddenly fighting for his job.

A season later, Jalen Hurts has Barkley in his backfield and the Eagles are once again contenders for the big game.

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5. Houston Texans (10-7)

The talent is real.

The same goes for expectations.

CJ Stroud and DeMeco Ryans have completely transformed the Houston Texans, making the biggest leap forward in the NFL in a year.

A much tougher schedule and weekly pressure could undermine the 2024 Texans.

With a year of game footage of Stroud now available, no one is denying him the 2023 Offensive Rookie of the Year honor.

The Texans must live up to the national hype with weekly wins.

Going into week 1 they are still the best team in the league and have only improved in the off-season.

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4. Baltimore Ravens (13-4)

One of the most talented teams in the NFL just needs to find a way to beat the Kansas City Chiefs.

Derrick Henry backs up Lamar Jackson in the backfield.

John Harbaugh has outlasted Bill Belichick and already won the big game.

In 2024, the Ravens need to continue to push Action Jackson forward, but they also need to remind their two-time MVP QB not to try to accomplish too much in the playoffs.

For Baltimore, it’s a delicate balance.

If the Ravens succeed, they will overtake the Chiefs in the AFC.

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3. San Francisco 49ers (12-5)

Brock Purdy wants more, the season after he was one minute away from winning the Super Bowl.

It still all comes down to Christian McCaffrey for the 49ers: his health, his usability and his availability come the time the playoffs roll around.

But there’s no doubt that San Francisco has one of the best rosters in the NFL on both ends of the field, while Kyle Shanahan has all the coaching experience he needs.

If the 49ers had been smarter in overtime in Las Vegas, they could have been world champions now.

The regular season will not be the test this year.

It will be a hit in New Orleans during Super Bowl LIX.

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2. Detroit Lions (12-5)

You know things have changed in the NFL when everyone is touting the Lions as Super Bowl contenders.

And that is not without reason.

Detroit went 12-5 last season and was one of the most dominant teams in the league that year.

The playoffs were a disaster, but the Lions also won two narrow postseason games before blowing a 17-point halftime lead over the 49ers in the NFC Championship.

The energetic and fiery Dan Campbell is the perfect coach for the revamped Lions, while Jared Goff has revived his career.

It won’t be a surprise if Detroit wins the Superdome in February.

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1. Kansas City Chiefs (11-6)

Louis-Rees Zammit was not good enough for the selection of week 1.

JuJu Smith-Schuster was brought back to give Patrick Mahomes an extra offensive weapon, putting a historic third straight win on the line.

Last season, the Chiefs endured a massive global test, but then rode the surreal Taylor Swift wave to finish on top of the world once again in Las Vegas.

If Travis Kelce is still motivated to play Hall of Fame football (and it appears he is), then Andy Reid has what it takes to add another trophy to Kansas City’s dynasty.

Questions will arise day in, day out, week in, week out about everything Kansas City does. Even the team’s home stadium is still unknown.

There’s no stopping the Chiefs if Reid can keep Swift’s favorite team dancing and partying again, amidst all the noise around him.

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