Super Bowl LVI Prediction and Top Contenders

December 6, 2021

The New England Patriots hoist the Lombardi Trophy into the sky as they celebrate
their win over the Seattle Seahawks in Super Bowl XLIX.

By Matthew Puleo

February is approaching, and you know that means: parties, wings,

and cheesy commercials will accompany two championship hungry
teams in Super Bowl LVI. The question remains, which two teams will
earn the right to battle it out on the biggest stage in sports? Will Tom
Brady win his eighth Super Bowl? Can Patrick Mahomes and the Chiefs
overcome early season struggles and reemerge as the best offensive
team in football? Will Kyler Murray, Lamar Jackson, Dak Prescot, or
Josh Allen establish themselves as one of the league’s best
quarterbacks by leading their team to a championship?
As we enter week 13 of the NFL Season, we are getting closer and
closer to discovering the answers for these questions. Today, we will
take a look at each of the top contending teams and formulate a
prediction of what’s to come in Super Bowl LVI based. Finally, we will
look at one dark horse team who could give any of the top contenders
a run for their money.

Past Predictors of Success

If recent years have shown us anything, it’s that there is no one way
to win a Super Bowl. It can be done with an offensive explosion; the
Kansas City Chiefs scored three fourth quarter touchdowns to
comeback against the San Francisco 49ers. Similarly, the Philadelphia
Eagles scored an astonishing 41 points to defeat the New England
Patriots in 2018. Both teams had one of the best offenses in the league
during their championship year.

Alternatively, we have also seen ‘hard-nosed’ defensive shutdown

performances win Super Bowls. Last year, the Tampa Bay Buccaneers
bested the Chiefs by allowing them to score only 9 points. In 2019,
the Patriots showed similar success vs the Los Angeles Rams,
allowing only 3 points scored. It is sometimes the truth that defense
wins championships.

It is important to note that many of these teams that have won the
Super Bowl, have had some of the best coaching in the NFL. Bill
Belichick, Andy Reid, and Bruce Arians, head coaches of the Patriots,
Chiefs, and Buccaneers, respectively, are widely considered to be
some of the best in the league. Coaches like these give their team an
additional advantage over the competition.

Without further ado, let’s get predicting!

Superbowl LVI Prediction: Los Angeles Rams Defeat

Buffalo Bills
Josh Allen runs away from a Rams defender.

Rams: Let’s not forget that it has been only two seasons since head
coach Sean McVay lead the Los Angeles Rams to the Superbowl.
Granted, they did end up losing 13-3 to the New England Patriots, but
they were playing with an injured Todd Gurley, and missing Cooper
Kupp due to a torn ACL, their two best offensive weapons. Reaching
the Super Bowl was a feat on its own.

The Rams came into this season with a drastically improved roster.
Matthew Stafford has proved to be a clear upgrade for the passing
offense over Jared Goff. Additionally, Cooper Kupp has continued to
develop into a star, as he is currently having one of the best wide
receiver seasons of all time. What’s more, the Rams also recently
signed Odell Beckham Jr., giving them another explosive option.

The team no longer has former superstar running back Todd Gurley,
but Darrel Henderson has shown he is more than capable of leading
the team’s rushing attack.
Cooper Kupp gets ready to catch a pass.

On defense, the Rams have since added one of the best cornerbacks
in the NFL in Jalen Ramsey to lead the defense alongside reigning
defensive player of the year Aaron Donald. To add to an already star
loaded defense, the Rams acquired linebacker Von Miller from the
Broncos just before this season’s trade deadline. The trio of players
is second to none.

Despite their current three game losing streak and injury to Robert
Woods, the Rams still have one of the best overall rosters of any team
in the NFL. They have the talent and the ability to beat any team any
given week. Can Sean McVay use this talent to get the Rams out of
their slump and bring a championship to L.A.? Based on his past
success, I’d wager that he can.

Not to mention that if the Rams can get to the Super Bowl, they will
benefit from home field advantage, one of the factors that
contributed to Tampa’s Super Bowl victory last year.
Bills: Last season, the Buffalo Bills added wide receiver Stefon Diggs
to their offense, which helped quarterback Josh Allen take the leap
from a middle of the pack quarterback to one of the NFL’s best
passers and an MVP candidate. The team saw great success, but
ultimately fell to the Kansas City Chiefs in the AFC Championship
game.

Stefon Diggs catches a pass in warmups as he prepares for a game

This year, the Bills’ offense continues to impress. During the

offseason, they made further strengthened their receiving corps with
the addition of Emmanuel Sanders to join superstar Stefon Diggs and
the reliable Cole Beasley. Also of note is the emergence of Dawson
Knox as of the league’s best receiving tight ends, giving Allen yet
another weapon at his disposal.

The Bills’ run game is limited by their average running backs in Zack
Moss and Devin Singletary, but Allen helps pick up the slack by being
one of the best running quarterbacks in the league. While the Bills run
game could see improvement, it is not terrible, and it is clear based
on the two most recent Super Bowl winning teams that an average
rushing attack can be sufficient when combined with an elite passing
offense.
On the other side of the ball, the Bills defense is quite possibly the
best in the NFL. The team is currently allowing the fewest yards per
game and the second fewest points per game to opponents in the
entire NFL.

While Sean McDermott doesn’t have the resume or the respect of Sean
McVay, he has proved to be a very successful coach in the NFL.
McDermott has turned the entire Bills franchise around. Hired in
2017, he helped the Bills reach the playoffs for the first time since
1999. Since then he has only continued to impress as the Bills were
only one win away from reaching the Super Bowl last year. Still a fairly
new and upcoming coach in the NFL, it will be exciting to see what
McDermott can do in the postseason this year.

Other Top Contenders

Tom Brady spikes the football into the ground as he celebrates a touchdown.

Tampa Bay Buccaneers: You can never count out Tom Brady! Last
season, the greatest player of all time won his 7th Super Bowl, the most
in NFL history. This year, at age 44, he is showing no signs of slowing
down. Once Antonio Brown and Rob Gronkowski return from injury,
the Bucs may have the best passing offense in the entire NFL. With a
great run defense and a solid pass defense, head coach Bruce Arians
and the Bucs have as good a chance as any to win it all.

Kansas City Chiefs: Star quarterback Patrick Mahomes and the Chiefs
have made two Super Bowl appearances in a row. This season, they
have struggled on offense, with Mahomes fourth in the NFL in
interceptions thrown. But should offensive mastermind Andy Reid
find a solution to their troubles, the Chiefs will be back among the
best in the league. While it easy to point at their lackluster defense as
a weak point, their high-powered offense has clearly been able to pick
up the slack the past two years.

Kyler Murray shows his athleticism as he runs with the football.

Arizona Cardinals: Prior to his ankle injury, quarterback Kyler

Murray was the front runner to win MVP. Even while Kyler has been
injured, the Cardinals have still been able to compete at a high level.
Once he returns the offense should be one of the best in the NFL.
While their defense remains good, the loss of defensive end J.J. Watt
to a season ending injury removes them from the elite category. While
the Cardinals remain in contention thanks to their talented roster,
they won’t be my pick to win due to the inexperience of head coach
Kliff Kingsbury, who has never coached in an NFL playoff game.

Green Bay Packers: Can Aaron Rodgers ride off into the sunset with
a Super Bowl ring before leaving the Packers next offseason? I don’t
think so. The last time Aaron Rodgers won a Super Bowl was in 2011.
Since then, there have been nothing but postseason disappointments
out of the Packers.

With only one real receiving weapon in Davante Adams, I don’t see
how the Packers offense will be able to compete with the other top
scorers in the League. Had the Packers mad a big move to acquire
Odell Beckham Jr. or another offensive weapon they might have a
better chance, but since they didn’t, expect another pre–Super Bowl
departure from the playoffs for Aaron Rodgers and the Packers.

New England Patriots: If the Buffalo Bills aren’t the best defensive
team in football, then the New England Patriots are. Headed by the
tandem of J.C. Jackson and Matt Judon, the Pats defense has been
unbeatable as of late. The best coach in the NFL, Bill Belichick has
clearly figured something out, as opponents have averaged only 6.5
points in the last 4 games. Although I would love to pick the Pats to
win it all this year as a Patriots fan myself, I just can’t see it happening
with a rookie at quarterback and a mediocre group of receivers for
him to throw to. The future is bright, but this is most likely not the
year.
Lamar Jackson flips into the endzone while scoring a touchdown vs the Chiefs.

Baltimore Ravens: The ravens would not even be mentioned as a

contender if it were not for the brilliance of Lamar Jackson. In recent
years, the Ravens had always been a run first team, but with injuries
to their top two backs, Lamar has not only been placed in a more pass
heavy role, but has also been the team’s best ballcarrier on running
plays. Head coach John Harbaugh has led the team to a 8-3 record
thus far and could help them make some noise in the postseason.

Dallas Cowboys: When Dak Prescott was drafted in the fourth round
back in 2015, no one would have suspected that he would become the
offensive superstar he is today. The Cowboys have elite offensive
weapons, and a strong defense led by interception leader Trevon
Diggs, but after losing three of their last 4 games, it may be time to
question how well they will be able to do in the postseason.

Dark Horse Team: Indianapolis Colts

Most don’t consider the Colts to be one of the best teams in the NFL
or one of the top Super Bowl contenders, mainly thanks to their 6-6
record. This record however does not tell the whole story. The Colts
started the season 0-3, but since week four, they have been playing
exceptional football as they have gone 6-3 in their last 9 games.

All three of the losses in that span came in extremely close games,
two of which were decided in overtime. Each of the games could have
gone either way, and had luck gone slightly more in the Colts favor,
they would be viewed in a different light entirely.

The Colts success has been largely due to the emergence of Jonathan
Taylor as the best running back in all of the NFL. Taylor has been on
an absolute tear this season and is even in the conversation for NFL
MVP, which is extremely rare for a running back, but appropriate with
his current level of play.

Running back Jonathan Taylor stiff-arms a Jaguars defender to avoid being

tackled.
Having the best rushing attack in the NFL can be a monstrous
advantage, especially going into the playoffs. Most of the top
contenders have pass heavy offenses. In games in poor weather
conditions passing attacks often take a back seat as it is much more
difficult to grip the ball for throwing and catching. If any team were
to play against the Colts in a poor weather game, which only get more
common as we get closer to February, they should be terrified.

Along with Taylor’s breakout, the Colts offense has seen a large
improvement at the quarterback position with the addition of Carson
Wentz to replace Phillip Rivers. To go along with a better quarterback
is great receiver to throw to. This season, Michael Pittman has begun
to look like a true alpha receiver. Together, Wentz and Pitman have
made the Colts passing offense strong enough to complement their
incredible run game.

While Frank Reich is new to the head coach position, he has led the
team to two playoff appearances in his first three years, and he was
the offensive coordinator for the Eagles during their 2017-2018 Super
Bowl season. He knows how to win.

To top it all off, the Colts have a strong defense as well.

The biggest question for the Colts is whether they will be able to make
the playoffs as they are currently behind the Tennessee Titians in
their in the AFC South and will likely have to fight for a wildcard spot.
If the Colts can reach the postseason, I strongly believe they have the
second-best chance, behind the Buffalo Bills, to represent the AFC in
the Super Bowl.

This season’s Super Bowl seems more open than in the past, with
many teams that have a legitimate chance of being crowned
champions. The Rams have been a popular pick among experts this
year. 8 of 28 analysts for NFL.com picked the Rams as their
midseason favorite to win this year. The team with the second most
picks was the Buccaneers with a tally of five.
Also of note, the Raiders and Titians each received one vote, neither
of which were even mentioned in this review, demonstrating just how
wide open this season is.

Regardless of which teams end up competing in the big game, it will

surely be an exciting journey to reach that point. There is still a lot of
football to be played, and I hope you will enjoy watching it as much
as I will.

This year, the Super Bowl will be broadcast by NBC. It will also be
available for streaming in the NBC Sports App. Tickets to the game
can be purchased online.

I wish your favorite team the best of luck.

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