Every fan likes to buy into the hype—whether it’s your superstar QB, that fancy offensive scheme that your new head coach has implemented, or the updated roster that’s “stacked” from top to bottom… But the reality of the NFL is that only one team can achieve the ultimate goal of claiming Super Bowl glory.
We are now about a quarter of the way through the year—and the picture of the season is starting to become clearer.
How about we take around the league and pick out the one GUARANTEED reason that your favorite team won’t win Super Bowl 58 in New Orleans?
What’s stopping your favorite team from winning Super Bowl 58?
Arizona Cardinals: Jonathan Gannon Can’t Cut it
Jonathan Gannon’s game management skills are shaky at best. The Cardinals had four of those critical short-yard situations in Week 4, and somehow, Gannon’s crew managed to overthink it on three of them, opting to pass rather than lean on their burly running back, James Connor.
What’s more troubling is his defensiveness and the lack of accountability he takes afterward. It’s this kind of rigid, uninspired decision-making that tells you all you need to know—Gannon’s just not cut out to lead this team to real success.
Atlanta Falcons: Offensive Efficiency
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While it is a vast improvement over the 2023 edition, the Falcon’s offense still seems to sputter out at all the wrong times, as the squad routinely wastes good field position and has nearly doubled up their touchdown drives, five, with field goal drives, nine.
Baltimore Ravens: Justin Tucker is Washed Up
For years, the Ravens had the luxury of Justin Tucker being the best kicker in the league by a large margin, but this season, it looks like Father Time has finally caught up with him. What a cruel twist of fate it would be to have their season end as the result of a missed kick from one of the best to ever do it.
Buffalo Bills: Weak Run Defense
Obviously, the numbers are skewed, considering how early it is in the season and the astronomical totals that the Ravens racked up against Buffalo in Week 4, but still, this run defense is a major concern. Through four games, they are ranking 30th in the league, allowing 156.5 yards per game, and have gotten gashed—even in games that they’ve won.
Carolina Panthers: Dumpster Fire
I mean… This is a bit of a depressing one. But Carolina is a dumpster fire across the board. The organization doesn’t seem to have a coherent vision or plan—and while they are playing better football on the field with Andy Dalton under center, no one is mistaking them for serious contenders.
Chicago Bears: Caleb Williams
There is no denying that Chicago should still be gassed up about the future with Caleb Williams, but the reality is that he has shown a fair bit of growing pains during his rookie season.
Not to mention, there has never been a rookie quarterback that started and won a Super Bowl.
Even with that defense looking legit, this feels like a tall order.
Cincinnati Bengals: 0 – 3 Start
Well, 2024 has not gotten off to the start the Bengals or their diehard fans would’ve hoped. They’ve finally gotten in the win column, but that 0 – 3 start will haunt them.
Only six teams since 1979 have made the playoffs after starting 0-3, including just one since 2000, and of these squads have won the Super Bowl.
This Bengals team doesn’t look like it has the chops to buck that trend.
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Cleveland Browns: Deshaun Watson
The Browns have talent on both sides of the ball, but the quarterback situation is going to drown them.
Deshaun Watson is supposed to elevate this team to contender status. Instead, he’s become the anchor that’s dragging them down. Until they figure out a way out of this horrendous contract, forget about any real shot at the Lombardi Trophy.
Dallas Cowboys: Mike McCarthy is a Regular Season Merchant
The Cowboys are talented enough to make noise in the regular season, but let’s get real about their ceiling with Mike McCarthy at the helm. He’s the definition of a regular-season merchant—someone who racks up wins when the stakes aren’t as high but crumbles under the bright lights of January.
Denver Broncos: Sean Payton’s Love Affair with Bo Nix
Sean Payton’s been around the block—he’s a Super Bowl-winning coach with a pedigree that can’t be denied. But let’s call a spade a spade, his fascination with Bo Nix is steering the Broncos in the wrong direction.
And now that the veteran head coach has hitched his wagon to Nix, there is no turning back. It is sink or swim!
Detroit Lions: Defensive Depth
The Lions have taken a big step forward, but there’s one glaring issue that could derail their Super Bowl dreams—defensive depth. We have started to see injuries pop up and one or two more critical ones could tip the scales for a unit that came into the season as a question mark to begin with.
Green Bay Packers: Jordan Love’s Health
Jordan Love’s already missed two games this year, and while he looked good upon his return, it’s clear that staying healthy for a full season might be tougher than anyone anticipated.
Malik Willis did a nice job filling in for Love in spite of all the doubters, but it is hard to imagine a world in which he is able to lead them to a Super Bowl win.
Houston Texans: Inexperience
The Texans have a lot to be excited about with a young core that’s brimming with potential, but as talented as C.J. Stroud is at quarterback, it is still just his second year in the league. Houston might be able to navigate that if they had more veterans on the roster or coaching the team, but the roster as a whole is young, and this is just DeMeco Ryans’s second season as a head coach.
Indianapolis Colts: Anthony Richardson Gets Injured
Anthony Richardson’s dynamic ability is what makes this offense tick—his dual-threat nature opens up the playbook in ways a Joe Flacco simply can’t replicate. While the veteran did a nice job filling in yet again, at this point in his career, he is a backup, not a Super Bowl-winning caliber quarterback.
Jacksonville Jaguars: Trevor Lawrence is Broken
The Jaguars tied themselves to Trevor Lawrence in a big way this offseason with that contract extension they gave him, but man, has it been an ugly start?
Lawrence looks like a shell of his former self, and the team has no chance of contending until they can get their number one asset and stop playing like a liability.
Kansas City Chiefs: Wide Receiver Depth
The Chiefs have Patrick Mahomes, and as long as he’s under center, they’re a threat to win it all, but their wide receiver depth is a serious issue. Travis Kelce can only do so much at this point in his career—and with Rashee Rice expected to miss the remainder of the season, this group isn’t looking nearly as explosive as people expected heading into the year.
Las Vegas Raiders: Davante Adams Wants Out
This one is a little bit of a chicken or egg situation, but the reality in Las Vegas is that despite their scrappy head coach and squad, this is ultimately a team that needs to be rebuilt. Now, their top wide receiver, Davante Adams, wants out because of that—and there is just no way that they are serious Super Bowl contenders.
Los Angeles Chargers: Offensive Woes
Jim Harbaugh demands a lot from his quarterbacks mentally, as they need to adjust to his run-heavy schemes. His disciplined approach isn’t something that just happens overnight—especially for a guy like Justin Herbert, who has spent his young career on a more freewheeling team.
There have already been some signs of friction on the offensive side of the ball, and this group does not look Super Bowl-ready.
Los Angeles Rams: Injury Everywhere!
The Rams are hanging onto hope that they can squeeze one more ring out of this core, but let’s face it—injuries are piling up, and it’s hard to see them making a real run. Puka Nacua and Cooper Kupp have already missed time this season, and without both of them on the field, the passing game loses a huge chunk of its firepower.
Miami Dolphins: Tua’s Health
The Dolphins have the kind of offensive firepower that can go toe-to-toe with anyone in the league—but we’ve since learned that this hinges on Tua Tagovailoa staying healthy—and that has been a major challenge for him.
Minnesota Vikings: Sam Darnold Turns into a Pumpkin
Sam Darnold has been one of the best stories of the season so far this year, but it is hard to imagine that the clock doesn’t strike midnight on him at some point this year—and there is an increased likelihood that this happens in a big game, which could cost Minnesota their season.
New England Patriots: In the Midst of a Full Rebuild
The first week of the season came in a shocking win for New England, but they’ve revealed their true colors. They are who we thought they were—so to speak.
And that—is a team that is in major rebuild mode!
New Orleans Saints: Too Much Hinging on Taysom Hill
It’s becoming crystal clear that Hill is the engine behind this unit—his presence adds that unpredictable edge, whether he’s running, catching, or throwing. Without him, this offense loses its spark and struggles to find any rhythm.
He is a great football player but between his strange role and injury history, he is not the kind of player you would want your Super Bowl hopes to hinge on.
New York Giants: Daniel Jones
He hasn’t been horrendous so far this season… and the blossoming connection with rookie wide receiver Malik Nabers is promising, but the Giants have no chance at the Lombardi Trophy with Jones under center. Plain and simple.
New York Jets: Aaron Rodgers vs. Robert Saleh
Rodgers is used to doing things his way, with full control and the freedom to run the offense as he sees fit. Saleh, on the other hand, is a defensive-minded coach who wants discipline and structure, and the two are clearly butting heads on how they want to run the offense.
Philadelphia Eagles: Jalen Hurts Regression
As we saw down the stretch of the 2023 season, Jalen Hurts is continuing to go backward—and he won’t stop turning the football over.
If he can’t regain form, this team is done for.
Pittsburgh Steelers: Commitment to Russell Wilson
Russell Wilson has been called out for being a locker-room cancer, and with the way that Justin Fields is playing and likely going to usurp him, he could transform into a poison pill for this exciting young team rather quickly.
San Francisco 49ers: Christian McCaffrey’s Health
The 49ers have built a roster capable of winning it all, and Christian McCaffrey is the centerpiece that makes this offense truly elite—and the reports around his health status have gotten more and more concerning with each passing week.
Without him, they are just not the Super Bowl favorite that many had them as coming into the season.
Seattle Seahawks: Defensive Woes
The Seahawks have put together an exciting offense that can put up points with the best of them, but the glaring issue that could derail their season is on the other side of the ball—the defense. The hope heading into the year was that the new head coach, Mike MacDonald, could help stabilize this group, but there is a big difference between that and having a squad that is ready to win the Super Bowl.
Tampa Bay Buccaneers: Todd Bowles Leadership
The Buccaneers have talent on their roster, but there’s one glaring issue that’s holding them back—Todd Bowles’ leadership. Bowles is a respected defensive mind, no doubt about that, but when it comes to leading the entire team, unfortunately, that has never been his strong suit.
Tennessee Titans: Quarterback Purgatory
The Titans are trapped in a situation that no NFL team wants to find itself in—quarterback purgatory. Will Levis has shown promise, but the inconsistency has been unbearable for Titans fans.
Mason Rudolph could stabilize the offense, but he has an obvious ceiling.
The Titans, simply put, are stuck!
Washington Commanders: Too Much Youth
The Commanders have been an exceptionally exciting team to start the season. Jayden Daniels looks legit, and things are really coming together… But they are still way too young and and inexperienced to be taken seriously come February.
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