Around the Kilt
Who Will Square off in the Super Bowl LIV?
Heading into the 2019 NFL season, two teams stick out as formidable contenders for a Super Bowl appearance. The Chicago Bears and the defending Super Bowl Champions, the New England Patriots, have staked a claim as powerhouse teams in their respective conferences and rightfully so.
The Bears are coming off a heart-wrenching season that ended with a botched field goal attempt by Cody Parkey in the NFC Wildcard round. However, Bears fans should be optimistic about this upcoming season. The Bears possess the most dominant defensive line in the entire NFL. Led by Khalil Mack, the Bears defense can arguably disrupt the passing game of the most elite quarterbacks, which has resulted in many low-scoring games for opposing teams. On the flip side of the ball, in 2018, Mitch Trubisky and the Bears offense were serviceable to say the least, scoring enough points to yield a 12-5 record. Trubisky has now had time to settle into the Chicago culture of football and has the potential to exceed the expectations set by the Bears fans this year.
However, the Bears could potentially face an arduous challenge by competing against the New England Patriots. Fresh off a Super Bowl victory, the Tom Brady led Patriots appear to be shaping up to be a better team than last year. This past off-season, the Patriots acquired wide-receiver Josh Gordon. Along with Julian Edelman, Brady now has two incredibly dangerous receivers that can spread the field and pick up large chunks of yardage in any given play. Additionally, the Patriots drafted Damien Harris from Alabama in the 2019 draft. Harris will play major role in rounding off the Patriot offense by introducing an elite running games. It seems that the Patriots will be an offensive juggernaut once again and contend for a Super Bowl victory as they usually do.
If both teams play to their strengths and execute on a consistent basis, you will see a Super Bowl matchup between the Chicago Bears and the New England Patriots.
NFC Prediction: New Orleans Saints
The New Orleans Saints have had some tough losses in the post season in the past few seasons. I believe that Saints have an extremely good chance of making it to the NFC Championship and beating any AFC team with their high-powered offense. With Drew Brees as one of the best quarterbacks in the NFL currently, their high-powered offense will continue to flourish with Alvin Kamara and Michael Thomas (New Orleans Saints). With all of these players creating one of the top five offenses in the NFL, their only weakness is their defense. With a solid rushing defense, and a poor secondary, they suffer greatly in defending the passing game. They average in the top five most pass yards per game on the defensive end, which allows for high powered offenses like the Los Angeles Rams and Pittsburg Steelers to allow fast receivers to dominate (NFL).
AFC Prediction: Kansas City Chiefs
Coming off a heart-breaking loss in the AFC championship, I believe the Chiefs have some of the best odds to bounce back and win the Super Bowl. With a high-powered offense surrounding the MVP Patrick Mahomes and Tyreek Hill they have a strong chance of having one of the fastest offenses this season. There are few defenses in their division that can match their speed with the exception of the Brandon Mebane lead defense of the Los Angeles Chargers. The Chiefs have an excellent pass rush defense staring Chris Jones, Dee Ford, and Justin Houston, that help the Chiefs be tied for the lead in sacks in the 2018 season (Kansas City Chiefs). The only challenge they may face is having good pass coverage that consistently battles tough AFC offenses. With their only weakness in sight being a consistent defense, they should have a pretty solid chance at becoming Super Bowl champs.