The race to win the Super Bowl in the 2020 NFL season is taking shape. The Kansas City Chiefs are looking like a solid option to make another run for the Vince Lombardi Trophy after their success earlier this year, although there are other strong contenders.
The Baltimore Ravens have looked promising once again in the early stages of the campaign, while the Pittsburgh Steelers are enjoying a brilliant start to their term. In the NFC Conference, the Seattle Seahawks, with Russell Wilson playing at an MVP-level, are on course for a run. The Green Bay Packers and the Tampa Bay Buccaneers are challengers as a result of the performances of Aaron Rodgers and Tom Brady, respectively.
It would be no surprise to see any of those teams lift the Lombardi Trophy come the end of the season. However, the NFL does like to throw up surprises now and then – with teams making charges towards the end of the year to win it all. We’ll now look at some underdogs that could defy the odds to win the Super Bowl.
Arizona Cardinals
The Cardinals have bared their teeth as contenders for the Super Bowl by ending the Seahawks’ unbeaten start to the campaign. Kliff Kingsbury’s men held their nerve in a tense battle with their NFC West rivals, defeating them in overtime courtesy of a field goal from Zane Gonzalez.
Kyler Murray proved that he is more than capable of going score-for-score with the best quarterbacks in the league, matching the exploits of Wilson on the field. The 23-year-old has taken the next step in his progression, although there will be slight concerns over the number of interceptions thrown this term. However, Murray is an electric player and certainly has the potential to guide the Cardinals to a Super Bowl.
Whether it happens this season remains to be seen. Murray is working with a lot of talent in his receiving corps, beginning with DeAndre Hopkins. The Cardinals made a significant trade move for the wideout in the off-season to secure his services from the Houston Texans. Hopkins has matched expectations with an outstanding start to his tenure. He along with Christian Kirk and ageless Larry Fitzgerald are proven playmakers, which could make all the difference down the stretch. Arizona’s offense makes them a very intriguing proposition.
Their defense could be the limiting factor that halts their charge. The season-ending injury suffered by Chandler Jones robbed the Cardinals of their best pass-rusher. However, there are still quality defenders on the roster, including Haason Reddick who is enjoying a career-year at outside linebacker. Patrick Peterson and Budda Baker are playing at an All-Pro level, while Byron Murphy is another player on the rise. There are the building blocks of a unit that could stun the NFL, but they have to go out and prove it consistently.
Buffalo Bills
The Bills have not reached the Super Bowl since the last of their four-straight defeats in the title game at the hands of the Dallas Cowboys in 1993. Buffalo was outstanding under Marv Levy to reach the Super Bowl in four successive seasons but was never able to get over the hump.
Sean McDermott has given the franchise hope of being able to turn around their fortunes, although they need to end their drought without a playoff win that stretches back to 1995. Quarterback Josh Allen was derided after a difficult rookie season, but he has come to the fore after a solid second year. He has developed his game in his third season and is an outsider in the MVP race, throwing 16 touchdowns to only four interceptions after seven games.
The Bills have good value in the NFL Super Bowl betting markets with the leading sportsbooks, who are offering sign-up offers and bonuses for customers putting wagers on the NFL. Buffalo are in the middle of the pack in terms of their odds at the moment due to recent losses to the Tennessee Titans and the Kansas City Chiefs. However, those Super Bowl odds could change in value if Allen and McDermott conjure a run of results to take the AFC East crown for the first time in 25 years before turning their attention to the top sides of the NFL. With Allen and his playmakers – the Bills have the potential for a championship run.
Playmakers such as Stefon Diggs, John Brown, and Cole Beasley are producing every week and have the talent to make an impact down the stretch. The defense is solid enough, but an improvement will be needed against the elite teams to realize a dream of winning the Lombardi Trophy. Buffalo was down the pecking order in the teams predicted to win the Super Bowl at the start of a term for a reason.
We’ll certainly be keeping an eye on these two underdogs for the rest of the campaign. The seemingly impossible might just happen in the 2020 season.
