The Philadelphia Eagles are the reigning Super Bowl champions and one of the favorites to get there and win it again. But the NFL is a competitive league full of parity, and the Eagles know as well as anyone that they’ll face challenges from all comers in their efforts to retain the title. Of course, certain teams are going to be bigger threats than others.
The NFC is loaded with talent, and even if the Eagles get through that, a number of AFC teams are hungry for redemption and ready to make a Super Bowl run of their own. With that in mind, here are ten teams most likely to trip up the Eagles on the way to the big game.
10) San Francisco 49ers
Ready for a dark horse pick? Jimmy Garoppolo is being relied upon to turn around the franchise, and the truth is that it may be a year or two too soon for the Niners. Still, Garoppolo went a perfect 5-0 down the stretch as the team’s starter last season, and the addition of Richard Sherman should give the defense an edge. A playoff spot is certainly feasible this season. From there, who knows what could happen?
9) Los Angeles Chargers
The Chargers finished hot in 2017, and they look poised to potentially wrest control of the AFC West from the Kansas City Chiefs in 2018. After that, all bets are off. Philip Rivers is an experienced quarterback with a lot of success, and if Keenan Allen and Mike Williams stay healthy, he’ll have the weapons to do damage. That doesn’t even include Melvin Gordon at running back. Young pass rushers Joey Bosa and Melvin Ingram have already come into their own. There’s an immense amount of talent here, and the Chargers have to be considered a dark horse for 2018.
8) Green Bay Packers
As long as Aaron Rodgers is healthy, the Packers can win any game they’re playing in. He may have lost his favorite target in Jordy Nelson (something that bothered him), but the fact is Rodgers was still at his best when healthy last season. Whether they can get to a Super Bowl largely depends on a young and overhauled defense under new coordinator Mike Pettine. Green Bay has been aggressive in trying to fill holes there this offseason, but it’s still a work in progress. Still, don’t count out Rodgers. He alone makes them a team to watch; he just has to stay on the field.
7) Jacksonville Jaguars
It’s very easy to forget that, with less than ten minutes remaining in the fourth quarter of last year’s AFC Championship, the Jaguars led the New England Patriots 20-10. The Patriots ended up scoring a pair of late touchdowns to turn things around — not without controversy from Jacksonville’s perspective — and left the Jaguars wondering what could have been. They were very close to playing for the Super Bowl themselves. If their defense performs again this season, there’s a very real chance they could get there again, even moreso if Blake Bortles takes a small step forward.
6) Atlanta Falcons
The team that should have won it two years ago remains a team that could at least contend for it in 2018. The Falcons are still loaded with talent offensively, though their point tally dropped last season. The play of Atlanta’s defense, particularly the pass rush, will also be key, as will turning all their offensive yardage into scoring. If they play offense like they did in 2016, watch out for them.
5) Los Angeles Rams
No NFL team has been more aggressive in making the moves to get to a Super Bowl than the Rams have been this offseason. After winning 11 games and the NFC West, they went and got Marcus Peters and Aqib Talib to boost the secondary. Ndamukong Suh was added to form a fearsome pairing with Aaron Donald — as long as the latter’s holdout ends at some point. Brandin Cooks is the talented new name on offense, and he should help quarterback Jared Goff continue to progress. The pieces are in place for the Rams to make a real go of it in the NFC.
4) New Orleans Saints
The Saints had a spot in the NFC Championship waiting for them before Marcus Williams’ awful error against the Vikings. They’re certainly no worse this year, and with Drew Brees at the helm and Alvin Kamara’s star rising, they’ll be in good shape to make another run at it. The fact is, the 2017 Saints were generally a very young team, and what happened in Minnesota can be a learning experience for them. As long as there’s no hangover from it, they’ll be competing among the best once again.
3) Pittsburgh Steelers
Nobody is poised to compete with the Steelers in the AFC North, so they’re well on their way to what should be a pretty straightforward playoff bid. They have Ben Roethlisberger, Antonio Brown, and a sturdy defense even without Ryan Shazier, who won’t play in 2018. They could have easily taken on the Patriots in the AFC Championship last season, but their defense let them down against Jacksonville. It’s hard to see something like that happening again. The Patriots aside, they may be AFC favorites.
2) Minnesota Vikings
Minnesota fell flat in the NFC Championship last year, as the Eagles made Case Keenum look ordinary on their way to the conference title. This year, the Vikings have upgraded. Kirk Cousins should be even better under center than Keenum was, and they already had the league’s top-ranked defense last year. Now they have a franchise quarterback and hopefully a healthy Dalvin Cook to pair with a talented group of receivers. There are no clear weaknesses in this Vikings squad. They look much more well-positioned to give Philadelphia all they can handle if they cross paths in the playoffs again.
1) New England Patriots
No team is in better shape to dethrone the Eagles than the team that came so close to beating them in the first place. A few plays either way and the Patriots could have won the Super Bowl again, but timely defense gave the Eagles the win. That won’t sit well with Tom Brady, who will be extra motivated to right that wrong. They struggled on defense in the Super Bowl, but Dont’a Hightower’s return after an injury-riddled 2017 should help that unit. The offense will be sound as long as Brady is healthy. They’ve had drama and reports of friction all offseason, but that’s never really slowed down the Patriots before. Don’t expect it to start now. The rest of the league — the Eagles included — must be on alert.
