Dark horse Super Bowl contenders
By: Jake Rajala
There are always dark horse squads that come away with a Super Bowl victory. Whether Eli Manning upsets Tom Brady or Nick Foles takes down the GOAT, there is always underdog success. With that said, I’m going to unfold five dark horse Super Bowl contenders.
Denver Broncos
Sean Payton and the Denver Broncos are widely seen as the third-best AFC West squad. Don’t let that fool you. They have a genius head coach in Sean Payton, who is a Bill Parcells disciple. They also carry Patrick Surtain on defense, who just happened to win DPOY. If it wasn’t for a blocked field goal, the Broncos would have beaten the Chiefs in their first meeting, as well!
Seattle Seahawks
Sam Darnold may not have Kevin O’Connell anymore. Nonetheless, he has a new, creative play-caller in Klint Kubiak. Furthermore, he has a new WR by the name of Cooper Kupp. They also have MVS, who was one of the best deep threats in the NFC last season. On defense, they added Demarcus Lawrence, who is their best pass rusher in a couple of years.
Houston Texans
I don’t love the weapons on Houston, but CJ Stroud can uplift his weapons with his arm talent. Joe Mixon is battling an injury, but they still have Nick Chubb at RB. Let’s not forget about their talent on defense. they have arguably the best edge rushing tandem in Danielle Hunter and Will Anderson. They also brought in CGJ, who had six interceptions last season!
New Orleans Saints
Patrick McAvoy of SI rightfully said the Saints could be the biggest dark horse team in the league. He praised the reigning Super Bowl Champion Kellen Moore as one of the key reasons. On offense, the Saints have one of the best young tackle tandems with Taliese Fuaga and Kelvin Banks Jr. On defense, it appears that Carl Granderson and Chase Young are ready to take another step forward.
Indianapolis Colts
Anthony Richardson gives me Tim Tebow vibes. Although, I believe Richardson is a more powerful, explosive runner. Jonathan Taylor is still an elite RB, even though he’s in the shadow of Saquon Barkley and Derrick Henry. They carry DeForest Buckner, Kwity Paye, and Charvarius Ward on the other side of the ball. They are my second AFC South team to make the list.
Honorable Mention:
Tampa Bay Buccaneers
The Bucs are a borderline Super Bowl contender. I will say they’re a dark horse because Baker Mayfield hasn’t cemented himself as an elite QB quite yet. They are still good enough to surprise foes, especially with Mike Evans and Chris Godwin. They have also won the NFC South in each of the last four years.
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