With Super Bowl LIV certainly exceeding all expectations as the Kansas City Chiefs came all the way back to defeat the San Francisco 49ers, Super Bowl LV can only hope to reach such a threshold in February 2021. With the 2020-21 campaign slated to crown the eventual Super Bowl LV Champion, there are definitely a few matchups that would already make for some intriguing football — and the current offseason is barely underway!
With the 2020 NFL Draft having come and gone in addition to the fact that only a few key free agents remain unsigned, it has quickly become apparent as to exactly which teams have actual and legitimate Super Bowl aspirations for next season. Only a handful of teams — if not two or three more — really possess the potential to win it all in 2020-21, though these handful of teams will definitely make for some interesting and more than entertaining Super Bowl matchups come next February.
Kansas City Chiefs vs. New Orleans Saints
It is no secret that the top team from a season ago will enter the upcoming 2020-21 campaign as the team to beat yet again. The Kansas City Chiefs are absolutely loaded and might even be slightly better than they were last year as the heralded AFC West franchise encountered quite the successful 2020 NFL Draft — especially early on.
On the other hand, it appears as though this will be the last go-round for future Hall of Fame quarterback Drew Brees, who always seems to lead one of the most dynamic offenses in all of football. In addition to seeing two insanely prolific offenses going at it to decide Super Bowl LV, who wouldn't want to see Brees go out on top while beating the best en route to doing so?
Kansas City Chiefs vs. San Francisco 49ers
Because last year's Super Bowl LIV lived up to all the hype, and then some, who wouldn't want to see a rematch in February 2021? The Kansas City Chiefs were ultimately — and deservedly — crowned champions when all was said and done, though the AFC West franchise needed a major comeback in the second half in order to down the San Francisco 49ers, who controlled a good portion of Super Bowl LIV. If given the opportunity to do it all over again, would the new-look 49ers be able to slow down the surging Chiefs? Only one way to find out…
Baltimore Ravens vs. New Orleans Saints
Last season, the Baltimore Ravens underwhelmed in a big way come playoff time. Immediately ousted from Super Bowl contention by the red-hot Tennessee Titans following the team's bye week, the Ravens ended the regular season with high hopes as the AFC North franchise produced the best record in the NFL to coincide with quarterback Lamar Jackson becoming the league's MVP.
Ready to do it again this time around, the talented Ravens could find themselves playing in Super Bowl LV if Baltimore can string it together throughout both the regular season and postseason. If the Ravens do manage to reach the Super Bowl next season, it would be the most fun to see Baltimore matchup against an equally high-powered offensive team — why not the New Orleans Saints, who are also looking to send veteran quarterback Drew Brees out as a winner?
Tennessee Titans vs. Tampa Bay Buccaneers
Although one can argue this is the most unlikely of these five Super Bowl scenarios, it can also be argued that this could potentially be the most intriguing. With a ton of backstory here, the Tennessee Titans and Tampa Bay Buccaneers would be welcomed newcomers as neither has reached the Super Bowl in quite some time. However, just because these teams are unfamiliar with one another on a general franchise level, the players and coaches would make this Super Bowl LV matchup more than interesting.
With former New England Patriots quarterback Tom Brady now a member of the Buccaneers, “Tompa Bay” and Tampa “Brady” are officialy in full force. With Brady so used to playing postseason football, it is only natural for the upstart Buccaneers to be gearing up for a successful run in 2020-21. Thanks to Brady's New England ties, a matchup against the Titans would make for some fun and entertaining headlines as Tennessee head coach Mike Vrabel used to play with the future Hall of Fame quarterback with the Patriots. As the two have remained friends, the lead-up to Super Bowl LV between the Buccaneers and Titans would be something — to say the least.
Oh yeah, the Super Bowl is also currently scheduled to take place in…Tampa Bay!
It is also worth noting that is was not too long ago — five years to be exact — that these two teams hit rock bottom and owned the top two picks in the 2015 NFL Draft. However, neither Jameis Winston nor Marcus Mariota serve as the starting quarterbacks of the Buccaneers and Titans, respectively, as Brady and former Miami Dolphins quarterback Ryan Tannehill have since taken over under center.
San Francisco 49ers vs. Baltimore Ravens
What could have been if the Baltimore Ravens didn't collapse in the postseason. Had the Ravens managed to reach the AFC title game against the Kansas City Chiefs, perhaps Baltimore could have given the eventual Super Bowl Champions a game that could have went in either direction.
If the Ravens were able to live up to the hype as the top seed in the AFC heading into the postseason, it would have been interesting to see how Baltimore stacked up against the NFC Champion San Francisco 49ers. Because there's no time like the present, perhaps football fans will get to see this matchup in 2020-21 as both the Ravens and 49ers will surely be toward the top of their respective leagues — if not at the very top.
A pair of well-rounded foes, these two have actually met in the Super Bowl once before with the Ravens coming away with the victory. Like the last time back in 2013, both teams are currently sporting talented groups on not only offense but on defense as well.
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