As the long, eventful NFL season comes to an end, many fans are already looking forward to the draft, training camp and eventually the start of next season. Minutes after the Seattle Seahawks beat up on Peyton Manning's Denver Broncos, football analysts began to rank the favorites for next year's Super Bowl winner. Many have similar teams expected to compete for the opportunity to play in next year's Super Bowl. After winning it all this year, the Seahawks are obviously contenders to repeat. So are the San Francisco 49ers, who came so close to taking down the Seahawks in the NFC Championship game.
The Denver Broncos and New England Patriots are also expected to contend as Peyton Manning and Tom Brady return for another year to play quarterback for their respective teams. It isn't fun to talk about the teams that are supposed to reach the Super Bowl each year because most of the time it is pretty obvious to pick the favorites at the beginning of the year.
That is why I am going to give you three sleeper teams that did not even make the playoffs this year, that will have a shot to make the playoffs next year, and maybe even the Super Bowl.
Atlanta Falcons
The Atlanta Falcons were a common pick to reach the Super Bowl from the NFC at the start of the season. Injuries to their two top receivers, Roddy White and Julio Jones, their running back, Steven Jackson, and multiple defensive players contributed to the Falcons' terrible season. Matt Ryan did not help as well, as he went through one of the toughest years of his career. Football fans in Atlanta, however, should be excited for the start of next season. The team will have its two star receivers healthy for the first time since week 5 against the Jets. Ryan is also expected to have a bounce back year and return to the player he was when he led the Falcons to the NFC Championship game just one season ago. With a top five pick to add to an already stacked roster, the Falcons should once again be major players in the NFC South, and could make a run at a spot in the Super Bowl.
St. Louis Rams
The Rams are so close to being a really good team. This organization, which has not made the playoffs in 10 years, has rebuilt their team through smart trades and smart draft picks. The Rams were able to obtain three first round draft picks when they traded their number two overall spot in the 2012 NFL Draft to the Washington Redskins, who eventually selected Robert Griffin III. Now, the Rams are in a very similar situation. Sitting once again in the number two overall spot of this year's draft, the Rams could pull off a similar deal that could land them more future draft picks. Add those to a team that finished 7-9 with Kellen Clemens as their staring quarterback, and the Rams will be back in the playoffs in no time. Sam Bradford will return next year to a team that has become dominant on the defensive side of the ball, and has gradually improved on the offensive side of the ball. The Rams could be a very surprising team by the end of next year.
Detroit Lions
I've been waiting for the last couple of years for the Lions to finally reach their potential and dominate the NFC North. This year was their best chance when both Jay Cutler and Aaron Rodgers went down with injuries for extended periods of time. With the amount of talent on both offense and defense, a year ending without reaching the playoffs was a complete embarrassment for the Lions. The team fell apart down the stretch of the season, losing six of their last seven. A large part of the blame should be, and was placed on the Head Coach, Jim Schwartz, who was fired the day after the season ended. With a new head coach, and a new mindset in place, things will be better for the team next year. Matthew Stafford will have a career year throwing to Calvin Johnson and Reggie Bush, the defense will dominate behind Ndamukong Suh, and the Lions will finally win their division and make a run at the Super Bowl.
– By Brian Chavkin
