NFL followers are spoiled in the case of dynasties this century. Simply as Invoice Belichick’s New England Patriots ran out of fuel after twenty years of dominance, alongside got here the Kansas Metropolis Chiefs to switch them. However the method through which the Eagles destroyed these Chiefs on this yr’s Tremendous Bowl – and the way in which through which normal supervisor Howie Roseman has apparently set-up Philadelphia for long-term success – has known as Kansas Metropolis’s dominance into query. Listed here are a couple of candidates for the NFL’s subsequent dynasty.
Kansas Metropolis Chiefs
What they’ve: Let’s begin with the Chiefs, who is probably not achieved fairly but. Sure, the Eagles totally outplayed them within the Tremendous Bowl, however one recreation (or one season) is a small pattern measurement. The Chiefs, in any case, have head coach Andy Reid, defensive coordinator Steve Spagnuolo, and Patrick Mahomes. That’s three future Corridor of Famers, which is a pleasant place to start out. If Travis Kelce returns for his thirteenth NFL season, that’s 4 guys who will ultimately have busts in Canton. The Chiefs even have defensive lineman Chris Jones, who’s on a Corridor of Fame observe too. Reid’s workforce have an uncommon knack for pulling the fitting issues out on the proper instances to win one-score video games. That’s sufficient to place them proper again within the operating for his or her sixth Tremendous Bowl look within the final seven years, which is simply as unprecedented because it sounds.
Basic supervisor Brett Veach has achieved masterful work in teaming with Spagnuolo to create a protection that’s top-notch at each stage, and it’s younger sufficient to maintain itself over time. Additionally, 2024 first-round receiver Xavier Worthy began to return on close to the tip of his inaugural marketing campaign because the deep risk he was alleged to be.
What they want: A greater and extra constant basis past the Corridor of Famers and success. Whereas the Chiefs have a lot going for them, there’s additionally the matter of an offensive line that has alternated between problematic and horrible over the past couple of seasons. The Eagles didn’t blitz the Chiefs as soon as in that Tremendous Bowl demolition – and nonetheless sacked Mahomes six instances – a damning indictment of KC’s move safety. The run recreation may additionally use a lift, and there’s the matter of Mahomes’s targets not named Kelce and Worthy – particularly if Kelce, who admits he’s not the participant he as soon as was, decides to maneuver on from soccer.
Within the 2024 season, Mahomes was the NFL’s worst deep passer by any metric you care to decide on – he had a completion charge of 29.6%, and a passer score of 78.7, on throws of 20 or extra air yards, and that features the 158.3 passer score on deep throws he put collectively within the fourth quarter of the Tremendous Bowl when the Eagles’ protection was in celebration mode. Mahomes had by no means been remotely as dangerous a deep passer earlier than, and it’s time for Veach and Reid to get reinforcements to assist him out.
They may additionally use a leap begin at edge-rusher, however the offense has many of the issues right here. There’s solely a lot Mahomes can do, and the wear and tear was exhibiting lengthy earlier than what occurred in New Orleans on 9 February.
Philadelphia Eagles
What they’ve: The Tremendous Bowl champions have Saquon Barkley, who set the single-season NFL document for speeding yards (together with the postseason) with 2,507. Had the league’s MVP been taken after Tremendous Bowl LIX, Barkley could properly have have gained it. The Eagles even have the NFL’s finest offensive line, and run recreation coordinator/offensive line coach Jeff Stoutland is beginning to seem like top-of-the-line assistant coaches… properly, ever.
Talking of legendary assistant coaches, the Eagles have defensive coordinator Vic Fangio, who took the gamers he had and created maybe probably the most dominant defensive efficiency in Tremendous Bowl historical past. Additionally they have three top-tier targets for Jalen Hurts in AJ Brown, DeVonta Smith, and Dallas Goedert. Lastly, they’ve Roseman, who has been the NFL’s finest personnel and wage cap man for some time. This workforce is locked and loaded from prime to backside, and there shouldn’t be any speak of fluke round this Lombardi Trophy.
What they want: The first factor the Eagles want is the model of Hurts who turned the Chiefs’ protection out after it loaded as much as cease Barkley. Hurts was named Tremendous Bowl MVP with a bravura efficiency after a regular- and postseason through which issues weren’t as steady within the passing recreation as they need to have been. If the Hurts we noticed in his final recreation is the Hurts we get to any extent further, stopping Philly from repeating can be exceptionally robust. However Hurts nonetheless wants improvement in the case of studying the sector, and that course of could also be affected by the lack of offensive coordinator Kellen Moore, who’s now the New Orleans Saints’ head coach.
Baltimore Ravens
What they’ve: Lamar Jackson, the two-time NFL MVP, who may simply have gained the award once more in 2024. Jackson’s operating skill has at all times been considered one of one, and he’s improved exponentially as a pure passer all through his NFL profession. Then there’s Derrick Henry, who set each opposing protection on edge in 2024, as a result of now, they needed to cope with Jackson’s identified skills and Henry’s clever smashmouth fashion. Pair that with an excellent group of pass-catchers in tight ends Mark Andrews and Isaiah Seemingly, together with receivers Zay Flowers and Rashod Bateman, and this offense is constructed to each grind and bomb opponents into submission. Until Henry begins to fade after a profession filled with workload worries, and there isn’t an impetus to both re-sign or exchange left deal with Ronnie Stanley, who could take a look at the market in free company, there isn’t a ton to fret about on this aspect of the ball.
What they want: Final season, the Ravens had two edge defenders, Odafe Oweh and Kyle Van Noy, who exceeded expectations, and never a lot else. Baltimore have an excellent inside line rotation led by Nnamdi Madubuike, however it’s important to fear a bit in regards to the edges. Maybe it could be time to have a look at linebacker as properly; the Ravens missed Patrick Queen, who signed with the Pittsburgh Steelers, Baltimore’s AFC North rival, earlier than the 2024 season. Neither Roquan Smith nor Queen had been fairly pretty much as good on their very own. The secondary took a significant step ahead midway by way of final season when the Ravens positioned Kyle Hamilton and Ar’Darius Washington because the deep safeties; that ought to proceed. The cornerback rotation is strong with children Nate Wiggins and TJ Tampa, in addition to veteran Marlon Humphrey, who can play in every single place. This is without doubt one of the NFL’s most constant franchises from yr to yr; they could be just some tweaks away from dominance.
Buffalo Payments
What they’ve: Josh Allen is the NFL’s reigning MVP, and with good cause. For the reason that 2018 season when Allen turned Buffalo’s beginning quarterback, the Payments have 77 regular-season wins, third within the league over that point behind the Chiefs (90) and the Ravens (78). And no different workforce this profitable in that period has positioned extra accountability on their quarterback.
Underneath offensive coordinator Joe Brady, the Payments have additionally lastly developed an excellent and multi-faceted run recreation led by James Prepare dinner, who could be the league’s most underrated operating again. The offensive line has actually solidified underneath Brady, and when everyone on protection is wholesome, head coach Sean McDermott and defensive coordinator Bobby Babich have excellent expertise from entrance to again.
What they want: After all, the Payments want to start out successful sufficient within the postseason to really get to the Tremendous Bowl. Buffalo’s 7-6 postseason document with Allen is much from being completely his fault, however you understand what they are saying about quarterbacks getting an excessive amount of credit score and an excessive amount of blame.
What Allen wants greater than the rest to high-step over the Chiefs and Ravens and all different AFC contenders is a real No 1 receiver. Together with the postseason, no Payments receiver had a 1,000-yard season in 2024. Khalil Shakir is the closest factor Allen has to an alpha, however he’s largely a slot man. 2024 rookie Keon Coleman has potential, nevertheless it’s too early to say precisely what customary of participant he can be. Mack Hollins and Amari Cooper are impending free brokers, and possibly replaceable within the draft or free company. And it’s in all probability time to see extra from tight finish Dalton Kincaid. If the Payments can get the sorts of targets round Allen who can actually scald defenses, and proceed with their sturdy run recreation and a probably nice protection, they’ve a recipe for achievement.
Washington Commanders
What they’ve: The Commanders are a long-shot however they’ve a quarterback who could have put up the very best rookie season in NFL historical past. Jayden Daniels had the league on a string by way of many of the season. The Eagles’ protection turned him out within the NFC championship recreation, however because the Eagles’ protection did the identical factor to Patrick Mahomes two weeks later, let’s not maintain that in opposition to the child. Daniels was transformational within the move and run recreation, and that ought to play ahead. Offensive coordinator Kliff Kingsbury selecting to stick with the workforce reasonably than taking a look at head teaching alternatives elsewhere is one other enhance.
The Commanders even have a superb head coach in Dan Quinn, who is aware of learn how to get most buy-in from his gamers, and the fulcrums of the protection in linebackers Bobby Wagner and Frankie Luvu, though Wagner is 34 so gained’t be round within the long-term. And so they have a really good receiver corps led by Terry McLaurin, who deserves all his present success after surviving Washington’s QB Purgatory from his 2019 rookie season till Daniels’ arrival.
What they want: Whereas Brian Robinson is an effective operating again, you’d prefer to see somebody maybe a bit extra dynamic within the backfield, particularly as a result of Kingsbury did a superb job final season in designing Washington’s Pistol Pony run recreation. There are wants alongside each traces, particularly at offensive deal with and edge-rusher. Dorance Armstrong and Dante Fowler Jr had been respectable stress suppliers from the sting, however extra is required, and Fowler is due totally free company.
Quinn, who’s a defensive mastermind, may also have to preside over a rethinking of the secondary, although 2023 rookie cornerback Mike Sainristil, who was regarded as only a slot defender when he got here out of Michigan, can do extra, and would appear to be the fulcrum of that rebuild. Of all of the groups on this checklist, the Commanders are the one who progressed probably the most from 2023 to 2024, and with the fitting strikes, they’re the one with the capability for an additional big leap in 2025.
Submit-imperial chaos
After all, dynasties aren’t required for any sport to be nice – the truth is, some would say that open competitors is the perfect. If the Chiefs can’t put their offense again collectively, if the Eagles regress to the imply, if the Ravens and Payments simply keep the place they’re, and if the Commanders don’t take that subsequent step, we could possibly be in for a comparatively lengthy stretch of non-repeat and new Tremendous Bowl winners, which we had from Tremendous Bowl XLIII (the Pittsburgh Steelers on the finish of the 2008 season) by way of Tremendous Bowl 50 (the Denver Broncos on the finish of the 2015 season). When trying again at that period, there was nothing much less particular in regards to the time – it’s simply that there was no clear and apparent ruler of the NFL.
