Although the Philadelphia Eagles looked mighty impressive in their run to the Super Bowl championship last season, the road to this season's Vince Lombardi Trophy looks somewhat wide open.
The Eagles could win it all again -- but they have lost a few key contributors on defense, and their vaunted offensive line may take a step back. The Kansas City Chiefs, who won three world championships in five seasons coming into 2024, could continue their budding dynasty, and the Detroit Lions could finally get to and win the big game.
But ESPN personality Mel Kiper Jr. is going with a different team to win football's grand prize. On a recent episode of SportsCenter, he boldly proclaimed that the Baltimore Ravens will emerge victorious in Super Bowl LX this winter.
"This is their year, the Ravens are going to win the Super Bowl this year," Kiper said, via Athlon Sports. "Lamar [Jackson] stay healthy and no freakish plays that end the game... It's the best team talent-wise in the National Football League."
This may sound like a hot take to plenty of NFL fans, especially given the Ravens' annual flameouts in the playoffs. However, one could argue that the team has been inching closer and was simply a victim of bad fortune last season.
It faced the Buffalo Bills in the divisional round, and had it not been for a dropped pass by tight end Mark Andrews during a two-point conversion attempt, it may have ended up playing the Chiefs for the AFC championship.
In 2024, Jackson had a career-best effort. The star quarterback threw for 4,172 yards and 41 touchdowns while leading everyone in passer rating and QBR, and he also added 915 yards and four touchdowns on the ground.
An argument could be made that he, and not Bills quarterback Josh Allen, deserved to win the regular season MVP award. Jackson, of course, has already taken home two such awards.
At running back, Derrick Henry has given Baltimore a very potent threat who efficiently eats up many snaps each week, and wide receiver Zay Flowers is slowly developing into a stud. This year, future Hall of Fame WR DeAndre Hopkins has joined the team and is hoping to finally get a ring.
Ravens coach John Harbaugh has always centered his teams around defense, and that defense will give the squad a chance to win almost every week.
The narrative building around Jackson is that he cannot win that one big game to get over the hump. If the Chiefs have some issues, and if the Eagles are either complacent or a bit deficient, that could open the door for the Ravens to win their third Vince Lombardi Trophy.
For more on the Ravens and general NFL news, head over to Newsweek Sports.
Related Articles
2025 NEWSWEEK DIGITAL LLC.