Super Bowl 58: Explains Why These NFL Teams Won’t Win

In February, 32 NFL teams will be vying for the Super Bowl championship. That dream will be crushed to varying degrees for 31 clubs.

Naturally, this means that less than 97 per cent of the league’s teams will experience heartache this winter. NFL championships are far simpler to lose than to win. Some clubs are already set up for failure, utilizing it as a means of obtaining a high draft selection during a period of rebuilding. Others aren’t even thinking about it, focusing only on a Lombardi Trophy that, according to the chances, they won’t be carrying at the conclusion of the season.

Some teams have done a good enough job of concealing their flaws that criticizing them seems pointless. Others, well, they’ll just have to pray that things don’t fall apart too badly and cover up their issues with a thin coat of paint and duct tape.

Super Bowl 58: Explains Why These NFL Teams Won’t Win

Arizona Cardinals

2022 record: 4-13

The Cardinals weren’t built to be successful in 2023. They’re intended to ease Kyler Murray back into the starting lineup, gain a better grasp of which players can help the club advance in the future, and buy some time until what figures to be two top-10 draft picks in 2024 — their own and the one the Houston Texans traded away in April.

Their top two pass rushers from the 24th-ranked defence last year are no longer there. Greg Dortch, the second-best wide receiver in the NFL behind Hollywood Brown, had 55 catches in his three seasons. Although it’s not expected, things won’t go well.

Atlanta Falcons

2022 record: 7-10

Teams that appear on these rankings share a similar trait: quarterback instability. Desmond Ridder falls under such description.

The Falcons were just comfortable enough with Ridder after his four-game tryout that they decided against making any significant quarterback changes this summer. The squad selected running back Bijan Robinson at number eight in the draft, while the sole free agent addition was Taylor Heinicke. It’s safe to assume that Atlanta will either hope that Ridder improves quickly or that its well-planned rush-heavy attack decimates opponents this season.

However, due to a limited defensive depth chart that may end up depending largely on previous star players that other clubs abandoned, Ridder will need to display NFL calm and playmaking to lead his side back from deficits.

Tampa Bay Buccaneers

2022 record: 8-9

The Tampa Bay Buccaneers in 2022 may best be described as toothless, which is a damning thing to say for a squad that was previously led by Bruce Arians.

But going into 2023, this trend of Todd Bowles-coached teams being low on fire and high on mediocrity hasn’t altered. With Baker Mayfield in charge and Mike Evans the subject of trade speculations, the Buccaneers’ Super Bowl 55 victory appears to be firmly in the past.

Although there is a potential that Tampa Bay, which benefits from playing in the weak NFC South, may sneak into and make the playoffs, don’t mistake this club for one that has a real chance of winning the Super Bowl. They’re closer to blowing it all up than hoisting up another Lombardi this year.

Houston Texans

2022 record: 3-13-1

DeMeco Ryans’ hiring served as a hint that the franchise is finally committed to rebuilding, and the trade of a future first-round selection for pass rusher Will Anderson during this year’s draft strengthened that message.

But there is no doubt that 2023 will be a difficult year for a club that has a rookie quarterback (possibly Davis Mills), a weak receiving group, and a young, inexperienced defence that finished 22nd in total efficiency in 2018. Building a foundation is what this year is about, not engaging in conflict.

Rookie quarterbacks seldom perform well right away, and even less frequently do they perform well enough to propel their club into the postseason. Only ten times since the merger has an NFL club won a postseason game with a rookie quarterback at the helm, making it very uncommon for a rookie QB to do so. A rookie quarterback has never been the first to take the field in the Super Bowl.

Therefore, C.J. Stroud and his relatively inferior skill-position group will need to be historically outstanding for the Texans to have a chance to win Super Bowl 58. Having said that, a very good team already has the building blocks; it simply needs time to mature.

Carolina Panthers

2022 record: 7-10

Depending mainly on his supporting cast, Bryce Young’s transition from Saturdays to Sundays may be difficult. This results in a receiving group lacking a clear No. 1 receiver and an offensive line that has had trouble making room for him throughout the preseason. Although they make good complements, Adam Thielen and DJ Chark could be Young’s top two targets this fall.

Ikem Ekwonu’s dismal camp has raised questions about his potential to be a reliable left tackle, and there aren’t many standouts to cover for him. Even if the former Heisman Trophy winner may display moments of brilliance, 2023 may not see many victories for him.

Bryce Young has clearly acted the role of the top selection thus far in the preseason, and Frank Reich may be the best person to announce his future in the league. In spite of playing in a poor division, the Panthers are not considered a Super Bowl candidate.

New England Patriots

2022 record: 8-9

As a second-year NFL quarterback, Mac Jones drastically declined. With Matt Patricia and Joe Judge acting as the team’s top two offensive coordinators and a weak receiving group surrounding him, he wasn’t given many opportunities to succeed either.

The Patriots’ 2022 season was about as miserable as they come, but even so, they ended 8-9, and they still had a chance to make the playoffs right up to the final week of the regular season. With Matt Patricia gone and Bill O’Brien returning to coach Mac Jones during a vital season, the Patriot’s offence this year underwent something of a soft reset.

While Bill O’Brien arrived to address the first issue, the second one is still present. JuJu Smith-Schuster has replaced Jakobi Meyers, but the wide receivers behind him—DeVante Parker, Tyquan Thornton, Kendrick Bourne, and Day 3 draft selections Kayshon Boutte and Demario Douglas—remain an unreliable group of players. Even if Jones is able to recapture his rookie form, New England could need more from him in the deep and risky AFC East.

Chicago Bears

2022 record: 3-14

Although Justin Fields is poised to transform from a fantasy football star to a real-life hero, the Bears will be depending on a number of unproven players. Can Chase Claypool justify being traded for the 32nd overall selection, and how will D.J. Moore fit into the lineup?

Instead of the Bears competing for a postseason position, this season feels more like Fields’ last opportunity to be evaluated. Even with co-owner Aaron Rodgers pushing his way out of Green Bay and to the Big Apple, they are still unquestionably the fourth-best club in their division.

Although playing the win-loss game before Week 1 is unfair, it’s hard to tell who the Bears are genuinely, undeniably superior versus based on their schedule. They might be waiting for a while for their first win, and there may not be too many on the schedule after that.

New York Giants

2022 record: 9-7-1

With the resources at his disposal, Brian Daboll developed Daniel Jones into a $40 million quarterback by relying heavily on the run and giving his quarterback a lot of short, high-percentage targets; Jones’ average target distance of 6.4 yards downfield was the second-lowest in the NFL. Up until that point, this had worked.

Jones needed to increase his downfield distance in a playoff loss to the Eagles (7.9 yards), tumbled to the ground, and had to complete just 27 passes for 135 yards in a 38-7 defeat.

Due to a receiving corps that has become deeper but still relies on a group of players more suited as depth alternatives than WR1 types, such as Darius Slayton, Parris Campbell, Sterling Shepard, Isaiah Hodges, and others, this issue may still exist in 2023.

 

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