This will be the ninth season since the Eagles won their first championship in the Super Bowl era, thus removing themselves from the hopeless ranks of the “Never Won a Super Bowl Club.” A great deal has transpired in that time, including a very different Eagles team winning another Super Bowl and the Bengals coming ever so close to trimming that same club from 12 members down to 11.
The dozen franchises still awaiting their first Lombardi are, naturally, all in different states of team-building and contention right now, with some closer than others to achieving that ultimate goal. And no matter how much they do in various regular seasons, that onerous distinction will follow them until they rid themselves of it in a moment of pure elation. I’ve decided to group those teams into tiers, gauging how close they realistically are to leaving the club forever.
Tier 1: Could This Be Their Year?
Buffalo Bills, Houston Texans, Los Angeles Chargers
All three of these teams have a serious shot at representing the AFC in the Super Bowl come February (it would be Houston’s first time doing so). Two are led by elite quarterbacks and the other by a monstrous defense. It would be at least somewhat of a surprise to see any of these teams miss the playoffs, even with Buffalo’s offseason firing of Sean McDermott, and all will be eager to finally strike their name from the list this season. And honestly, I think it’s a real possibility for any of them if one or two things break right.
Tier 2: On The Right Track
Carolina Panthers, Cincinnati Bengals, Detroit Lions, Jacksonville Jaguars, Minnesota Vikings
I wouldn’t be surprised to see any of these team in the playoffs this year (Carolina and Jacksonville were there last season), but I don’t have great faith in any of them to actually win the Super Bowl or even their respective conferences. The closest is Cincinnati, who still have the head coach and quarterback who almost won it together five years ago. But given that they’ve missed the playoffs in three consecutive years, I couldn’t put them in the same class as the Bills, Texans, or Chargers. All five of these teams are well coached, though, and if they plug the right roster holes they could be in the top tier as early as 2027.
Tier 3: Rebuilding Again
Arizona Cardinals, Atlanta Falcons, Cleveland Browns, Tennessee Titans
It would be a shock to see any of these teams get even as far as finishing in the top half of their divisions, let alone going to the playoffs and contending for a spot in the Super Bowl. The most likely scenario to vault any of these teams up a tier is Cam Ward taking a huge leap in his sophomore season and emerging with a playoff spot from a crowded group of potential AFC wild card teams. Other than that remote possibility, the fact that none of the other teams have a QB on their roster who’s believed to be the future of the franchise keeps them firmly in this bottom tier. Luckily for them, it seems all of them will be putting themselves in a position to have a high pick in April. Using that pick on a top QB is a good first step toward hoisting any kind of trophy.
