The Kansas City Chiefs once again reached the mountaintop, finishing the 2023 season as Super Bowl champions. Can they repeat, though, winning the organization's fourth Lombardi trophy? It won't be easy. Several teams are looking to overtake Kansas City, including the San Francisco 49ers.
Jeffri Chadiha of NFL Media ranked the teams most likely to replace the Chiefs as Super Bowl champions in February. While the Niners made his list, four teams rank higher than the Bay Area squad. They are the Cincinnati Bengals, Philadelphia Eagles, Buffalo Bills, and New York Jets.
Why the Jets? It's Super Bowl or bust for former 49ers defensive coordinator Robert Saleh's squad. His team made a big splash trading for Aaron Rodgers, and anything short of a title will be a disappointment.
The 49ers might have ranked higher on Chadiha's list if there had been more stability at quarterback. Once again, San Francisco entered the offseason with uncertainty at the most critical position in the game.
Last season's rookie sensation, Brock Purdy, is recovering from his March 10 surgery to repair the tear of the ulnar collateral ligament (UCL) in his right elbow, an injury suffered in the NFC Championship Game. That leaves Trey Lance and Sam Darnold battling for offseason reps, looking to solidify themselves as a potential Week 1 starter should Purdy not be medically cleared by then.
While he still has much to prove, Purdy has shown he can play at the NFL level.
"This team was supposed to belong to 2021 first-round pick Trey Lance by this point," wrote Chadiha, "but Purdy proved he had the moxie and talent to lead a championship-caliber group when his opportunity arrived. He just needs to show that his surgically repaired right elbow won't be an issue once he's back on the field."
Still, it's tough to ignore the plethora of talent on both sides of the football. Any quarterback would love to throw the football to playmakers like Deebo Samuel, Brandon Aiyuk, or George Kittle. They would love to hand the football off to the versatile Christian McCaffrey.
There is no shortage of star power on defense either, with names like Nick Bosa, Fred Warner, and Talanoa Hufanga punishing opposing offenses. The NFL communist was impressed the unit got even better this offseason, poaching defensive tackle Javon Hargrave from the Philadelphia Eagles.
"Let's be honest: That NFC title game would've been far more competitive had the 49ers been at full strength," Chadiha admits. "That should be enough motivation to push them through this season and give them a shot at a much happier ending than they received in 2022."