By William Kosann
5) Tampa Bay Buccaneers
At number 5 is the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. The Bucs have added Tom Brady (QB), Rob Gronkowski (TE), LeSean McCoy (RB), Leonard Fournette (RB), and Tristian Wirfs (RT) this past offseason. Tom Brady is the winning-est quarterback of all time with 6 Super Bowl rings on his hands from with the Patriots. Rob Gronkowski (“Gronk”) is a 3-time Super Bowl champion with Brady, a 5-time Pro Bowler, and a 4-time First-Team All-Pro player. LeSean “Shady” McCoy was a Super Bowl champion with the Philidelphia Eagles, 6-time Pro Bowler, and a 2-time First-Team All-Pro player. Leonard Fournette was a fourth overall pick in 2017 on the Jacksonville Jaguars and an Consensus All-American at LSU. Finally, Tristian Wirfs was the Buc’s first round pick from Iowa in order to help their offensive line.
With an already dangerous offense with Mike Evans and Chis Godwin, two top 10 wide-recievers, returning veteran coaches Bruce Arians and Todd Boles with their 2nd Year on the Bucs, and big personel changes, the Tampa Bay Buccaneers and looking to have a dominant 2020 NFL season
4) New Orleans Saints
Coming in at number 4 is the New Orleans Saints. The consistent playoff birth team added 2 veteran players with Malcom Jenkins (S) on the defensive end and Emmanuel Sanders (WR) to an already lethal offense. Malcom Jenkins is a former Saint, a 2-time Super Bowl champion with both the Saints and the Philidelphia Eagles, and a 3-time Pro-Bowler. Emmanuel Sanders is a Super Bowl champion with the Denver Broncos and a 2-time Pro-Bowler.
These two additions are huge to the team because they maturity and leadership to the team in a year with no preseason. The smart, veteran players will be impactful to an already Super Bowl roster to possibly help take the Saints to the 2020 Super Bowl.
3) San Fransico 49ers
At number 3 with no surprise is the San Fansico 49ers. The 2019 Super Bowl team has not made many changes. Only additions to the team are some rookie WRs to help out their reciving core. With essential pieces young coach Kyle Shanahan and 21-5 quarterback (as a starter) Jimmy garoppolo, the 49ers are looking to make another run at the title in the 2020 season
2) Kansas City Chiefs
The 2019 Super Bowl champions, Kansas City Chiefs, are looking to get back-to-back Super Bowls. Due to Covid-19, NFL players have the ability to opt. out of the 2020 season, yet the Chiefs return 18 of the 22 starters from their Super Bowl Roster. The team drafted RB Clyde Edwards-Helaire with their first pick in the 2019 draft. Clyde was a College Football champion at LSU and will likely be a breakout star in 2020.
Coming in to the 2020 season, many NFL analysts believe that the Chiefs haven’t even reached their peak as a team. Patrick Mahomes, former NFL MVP and Super Bowl MVP, has even said that he wasn’t able to read defenses until the middle of the last season. Last year he was 11th amongst QBs in completion percentage and 7th amongst QBs in passer rating, meaning that he hasn’t reached his ceiling. The Chiefs are coming into 2020 better than they left in 2019, and they are looking to get back to the Super Bowl.
1) Baltimore Ravens
At number 1 is the Baltimore Ravens. The Ravens this year are a chain with no weak links. They have no holes in their team, and this year they added Calais Campbell, 5-time Pro-Bowler and 1-time First-Team All-Pro player, (DE) to make their average pass rush elite. Furthermore, the Ravens have the easiest ranked schedule for the 2020 season, and they are one of the fewest traveling teams (in terms of milage). Many NFL analysts have the Ravens going 16-0 this season (which has not been done since the 1972 Miami Dophins).The Ravens also have Lamar Jackson, who went from being known as “just a running back” (referring to his lateral ability) to taking the league by storm and winning 2019 NFL MVP, and after losing to the Tenesee Titans in the playoffs, he has a chip on his shoulder to get better and prove doubters wrong.
Inside Sports Journal 