<
>
EXCLUSIVE CONTENT
Get ESPN+

Barnwell: How every NFL team can win Super Bowl 58

ESPN

Let's finish up the preview of the NFL season with my annual look at how each of the league's 32 teams can win the Super Bowl. Obviously, there's only one trophy to go around in the real world, but this preview isn't about depicting what is most likely to happen this season. It's a look at the universe each team might need to populate if it wants to deliver on its hopes and dreams and claim the Lombardi Trophy in February in Las Vegas.

At the end of a long summer when we've all spent months thinking about who will win Super Bowl LVIII, I know what you're thinking: Don't be ridiculous. There are probably six or seven teams that have a shot at winning the title, at best. The Chiefs probably are going to be representing the AFC because that's simply what happens just about every season. There's no point in even talking about scenarios in which two-thirds of the league advances to the championship game, because there's no hope of that happening.

Here's where I have to rely on history. Let's consider some of the teams that exceeded expectations in recent memory:

With that in mind, I'm going to run through each team and the scenario that might lead it to winning the Super Bowl (or at least making a deep playoff run) during the 2023 season. In some cases, the best I can do is paint a picture for a divisional title and hope the team stumbles blissfully through the postseason riding fumble and field goal luck. For many, though, it's possible to imagine a scenario in which everything goes right and the team emerges as one of the best in football.

I'll run from worst to first in order of the expected Super Bowl odds in the FPI (Football Power Index), but I'll also give each team's chance of making it into the playoffs. You probably won't be surprised where things end, but you definitely won't be shocked to see where these rankings start:

Listen: The Bill Barnwell Show archive

Jump to a team:
ARI | ATL | BAL | BUF | CAR | CHI | CIN
CLE | DAL | DEN | DET | GB | HOU | IND
JAX | KC | LAC | LAR | LV | MIA | MIN
NE | NO | NYG | NYJ | PHI | PIT | SF
SEA | TB | TEN | WSH

32. Arizona Cardinals

Chance to win Super Bowl LVIII: Less than 0.1%
Chance to make the playoffs: 4.4%