The two teams starring in this article should not come as a surprise to anyone. They were on top for all of last year and they are likely to be on top for years to come barring any major injuries.
AFC: Kansas City Chiefs
There is nothing that can be said about the Chiefs that hasn’t been said already.
They had the best record in the AFC last season (tied with the Chargers, their division rivals from Los Angeles) at 12-4. The Chiefs are made up of arguably one of the best offenses to take the field in recent years. Patrick Mahomes had an outstanding season, and among his many accomplishments were throwing for 50 touchdowns and having the second most passing yards among quarterbacks. He lit up all areas of the field with wide receivers Tyreek Hill and Sammy Watkins, and tight end Travis Kelce.
Kelce is easily the best in league at his position and Hill is in the top five for his. Their defense is strong, too, considering Mahomes and team gets off the field so quickly, often leaving the defense with little time for rest.
Special teams is led by Harrison Butker. While he is not one of the best kickers, he does pretty good with the opportunities provided to him.
Like most teams, there are flaws. As always, the defensive and offensive lines can use some tightening up. The defense was not highly ranked in most categories, coming in at 24th in ESPN’s rankings. Their offensive line also needs to allow Mahomes more time to work his magic. For the larger part of last season, they could rely on Kareem Hunt when Mahomes didn’t have time but that won’t be the case this year, but it won’t be enough for people to deny the greatness of this team.
NFC: Los Angeles Rams
This team was also tied for best in their conference with the New Orleans Saints, who they narrowly beat out to play in the Super Bowl last year. Each team had an impressive 13-3 record. The Rams, in fact, were the latest team to lose their undefeated status to none other than the Saints. Quite frankly, the Saints almost took the Rams’ spot as the best team on paper, but the recent departure of Mark Ingram meant the Rams edged them out. That’s not to say that Alvin Kamara isn’t a great running back on his own but compared to Todd Gurley, he falls slightly short.
Holding down the Rams’ quarterback position is Jared Goff who, like Mahomes, has one heck of an offensive line. He proved it last season coming in sixth for most touchdowns and fourth in yards thrown. He’s got Todd Gurley on the ground at running back and an impressive trio of wide receivers in Brandin Cooks, Robert Woods and Cooper Kupp. There is some concern as to how Kupp will return after the torn ACL he suffered last season and there may be cause for worry, but Gurley and Cooks are easily in the top in their respective categories, even if Kupp isn’t.
Greg Zuerlein, the kicker for the Rams, is easily in the top five in the league for his position.
The Rams tight ends aren’t exactly something to write home about but like most in their position, Tyler Higbee and Gerald Everrett each manage a couple of touchdowns a season. They are by no means in the top of their position, but they do a decent overall job.
The Rams’ defense will take a hit with Ndamukong Suh suiting up in Tampa Bay, but Aaron Donald seems more than capable to fill his shoes, leaving their biggest flaw in their offensive line.
Although, considering their success, that cannot be all that bad.
In case you missed it, these two teams had a Monday Night Football showdown in November of last season, ranking as one of the highest scoring games of all time (54-51 Rams). It proved that these teams weren’t just good on paper. They were good on the field, too.
