Is it Already a Two-Way Fight for the Super Bowl LVIII?
The 2023-24 NFL season is only five weeks old, but some fans and analysts are already mooting the prospect of another Super Bowl showdown between the San Francisco 49ers and the Kansas City Chiefs.
The 49ers are in pole position in the NFC West with a 100% record after their first five games, while the Chiefs are also in first place in the AFC West with a 4-1-0 record. Both teams are merely achieving what’s expected of them, but there’s still a very long way to go before either team can see a clear pathway to the Super Bowl LVIII in Las Vegas and another chance to get their hands on the Lombardi Trophy.
An important glance at the other Super Bowl LVII contenders
It would be totally remiss to ignore the form of the Philadelphia Eagles. Philly has started the season with a five-game winning streak to set their marker for the rest of the regular season. Only the 49ers have also managed a five-game winning streak so far this term, with the Chiefs already tasting defeat during game week 1. There is growing interest in the Eagles in the betting online with futures markets, as their Super Bowl winner odds have been slashed to only narrowly above the Chiefs.
The Eagles, who won their first Super Bowl in 2018, secured a fourth appearance at the end of the 2022 season. However, a last-ditch field goal robbed Philadelphia of a chance at victory at the death, with Kansas City and Patrick Mahomes celebrating once again. Eagles and their head coach, Nick Sirianni, will be desperate to go one better in the 2023 season.
It’s a tall order for the Eagles if history is anything to go by. In fact, just eight teams in 56 years have lost a Super Bowl and gone on to win the Lombardi Trophy in the following season. However, the Eagles have retained the key figures in their roster. Their offensive line remains the most potent in the NFL, and their MVP-quality quarterback was rewarded with a new lucrative contract.
These sportsbooks also rate the Buffalo Bills’ chances highly. Buffalo Bills are currently second in the AFC East after losing twice in their opening five games. They are still fourth favorites to win Super Bowl LVIII, although the Bills were the outright favorites to win Super Bowl LVII this time last year.
Buffalo landed a third successive AFC East title in 2022 but may have a harder task in achieving this goal in 2023, thanks to a rejuvenated Miami Dolphins.
Will the 49ers and the Chiefs stay the course?
As for the two perceived favorites, are the Kansas City Chiefs as unbeatable as they’ve previously appeared? Cracks began to show in their armor as recently as the opening game of this season, losing narrowly to Detroit Lions in a stunning defeat. On the flip side, the Chiefs have shown great togetherness in the locker room to bounce back quickly from this shocking loss to win their next four games. That’s the sign of a roster that’s capable of overcoming disappointment.
Former NFL cornerback Jason Bell expects the Chiefs to be in the Super Bowl LVIII as well as the San Francisco 49ers. Bell anticipates the Chiefs’ defense “getting better as the season progresses,” and he also spoke of the “scary” potential of Kansas City when quarterback Patrick Mahomes really hits top form. He recently passed 200 career touchdown passes quicker than any other quarterback in NFL history.
Meanwhile, the 49ers were the third-highest points scorers in the opening four weeks and posted the third-best defense in terms of points scored against. San Francisco is quietly going about their business, and although there are still plenty of permutations left in the regular season, it’s looking rather ominous for the rest of the AFC and NFC right now.
