NFL Teams To Watch Out For Next Season

The NFL season comes to a close tonight when Super Bowl LII is over. Either New England or Philadelphia will be crowned, obviously. But what teams could make a surprise trip to a Super Bowl in the near future?

• San Francisco 49ers: With an array of draft picks, plenty of cap space, and an unexpected candidate for franchise quarterback (in a good way!), the 49ers could take advantage of a weakened NFC West and book their flights to Atlanta by rallying around Jimmy Garoppolo and a budding defense. Their schedule will be tough to navigate around, however.
  
• Detroit Lions: All great teams and dynasties have a successful system in place. Teams like the Alabama Crimson Tide in football, the New England Patriots, and the San Antonio Spurs have a set way of operating to ensure long timelines of prosperity. New coach Matt Patricia (who is the defensive coordinator for the Patriots in Super Bowl 52) is already establishing a system consisting of his guys, many of which have either come from Syracuse or from Patricia's other pit stops.
  
• Chicago Bears: Since Week Four of the 2017 season. the Bears have allowed the second-fewest touchdowns in the NFL with 17 (New England ranked first with 15). Combined with a budding running game anchored by Jordan Howard, the Bears could remind Windy City citizens of the glory days of 1985.
• Houston Texans: A big part of why Houston finished 4-12 and was tied for last in the AFC South was due to injuries. If J.J. Watt comes back better than ever and Deshaun Watson becomes the franchise quarterback the Texans have long awaited for, Houston could rule the roost in the AFC.
• Oakland Raiders: The hiring of Jon Gruden is going to be a major gamble. If Gruden leads the Raiders to a Super Bowl the same way that he led the Tampa Bay Buccaneers to their only appearance, watch for this team to blossom into a force. They have the players to do this, but the coach must not fall flat on his face.

Photo courtesy of the Houston Press