With the 2019 NFL season at its midpoint, our analysts revisit/revise their Super Bowl LIV forecasts.
WHO WILL WIN SUPER BOWL LIV?
New England Patriots (8 votes)
Judy Battista: Patriots over Packers. Even Aaron Rodgers cannot puncture the Patriots‘ secondary.
Charley Casserly: Patriots over Saints. Sticking with my preseason prediction, word for word: With two weeks to prepare, Bill Belichick stymies the Saints‘ offense, and Tom Brady — helped by a strong power ground game — does enough in the fourth quarter to win another Super Bowl. It is Belichick’s seventh, breaking the all-time record for NFL championships/Super Bowls won by a head coach. A fitting accomplishment for him, and incredible way to cap the 100th year of the NFL!
Jeffri Chadiha: Patriots over Saints. New England rides a record-setting defense to its seventh championship under Bill Belichick.
Dan Hanzus: Patriots over Saints. The Pats cap a season that’s historic even by their lofty standards. Sean Payton and Drew Brees have all offseason to wonder why nothing worked.
Willie McGinest: Patriots over Saints. Call me a homer, but until Bill Belichick and Tom Brady retire, the Patriots will be there at the end.
Adam Rank: Patriots over Eagles. Tom Brady gets Super Bowl No. 7 — and he even catches a pass in this one!
Marcel Reece: Patriots over Packers. Tom Brady avoids getting sacked by the Smiths (Za’Darius and Preston) — thanks to a strong performance by New England’s offensive line — and Julian Edelman reaps the benefits by being named Super Bowl MVP for the second straight year.
Jim Trotter: Patriots over Saints. It will come down to the final minute, which means a third straight year of playoff heartbreak for New Orleans.
New Orleans Saints (6 votes)
Brian Baldinger: Saints over Patriots. The Saints are coming off not one but TWO soul-crushing postseason defeats. For a team that has continued to get better and better, though, the third time is a charm.
Jeremy Bergman: Saints over Patriots. Ctrl-V from August: The Quadragenarian Quarrel comes one year late and right on time. Tom Brady outgains Drew Brees, but Alvin Kamara‘s three scores are enough to lead New Orleans to its second South Beach Super Bowl title in just over a decade.
Ali Bhanpuri: Saints over Patriots. In a high-octane matchup featuring two of the best football strategists and quarterbacks of all time, as well as two of the NFL’s top defenses in 2019, it’s the Saints‘ unrivaled two-headed monster at RB1 and WR1 that make the difference.
DeAngelo Hall: Saints over Patriots. The Patriots‘ struggles in South Beach follow them to the Super Bowl, as the Saints do everything in their power to keep New England uncomfortable. Alvin Kamara, Michael Thomas and the New Orleans defense help Drew Brees ride off into the sunset with a second Lombardi Trophy.
Kevin Patra: Saints over Chiefs. No need to change a word from my preseason forecast: The Saints‘ defense, led by Cameron Jordan, puts the clamps on Patrick Mahomes and the Chiefs‘ high-wire offense, allowing Drew Brees to hoist his second Lombardi Trophy.
Joe Thomas: Saints over Patriots. This is the most complete Saints team of the Sean Payton era, and Drew Brees gets his second Super Bowl victory in a low-scoring affair featuring two of the best defenses in the league.
Kansas City Chiefs (3 votes)
Brooke Cersosimo: Chiefs over Saints. Oof! I really whiffed on my preseason Super Bowl prediction (Falcons over Chiefs), but I’m here to redeem myself. Andy Reid wins his first Super Bowl title 15 years after his first Super Bowl appearance, thanks to a masterful game plan and Patrick Mahomes‘ lights-out performance. The Saints suffer a third straight year of postseason pain, which prevents Drew Brees from retiring.
Dan Parr: Chiefs over Saints. I’m sticking with my preseason prediction of Kansas City winning the title, but I’m ditching the Rams for the Saints as the team that will fall to Patrick Mahomes and Co.
LaDainian Tomlinson: Chiefs over Packers. Two of the best offenses meet in South Beach, but it’s Andy Reid’s experience that leads the Chiefs over first-year coach Matt LaFleur. Reid’s preparation and creative game plan allows Patrick Mahomes to feast and outplay his veteran counterpart, Aaron Rodgers.
San Francisco 49ers (3 votes)
Tom Blair: 49ers over Chiefs. Nick Bosa and Co. do just enough to limit Patrick Mahomes, while Kyle Shanahan schemes his way past Kansas City’s D.
Gregg Rosenthal: 49ers over Chiefs. San Francisco’s historic defensive line breaks Andy Reid and Kansas City’s collective heart anew.
Steve Smith Sr.: 49ers over Patriots. The understudy (Jimmy Garoppolo) defeats his former mentor (Tom Brady). Both teams boast great defenses, but Jimmy G puts the 49ers in field-goal range the same way Tom The Teacher did to win his first Lombardi Trophy.
Green Bay Packers (2 votes)
Gennaro Filice: Packers over Chiefs. My preseason pick — Eagles over Chiefs — remains feasible, with Philly showing signs of life during a 31-13 beatdown of the Bills in Buffalo. But I’m intoxicated by Apex A-Rodge. The heart wants what the heart wants.
James Jones: Packers over Ravens. The only thing that has changed since my preseason prediction is the losing team in this game. The rest stays the same: The Matt LaFleur-Aaron Rodgers marriage is on full display, allowing Titletown to claim another Lombardi Trophy in the NFL’s 100th season.
Oakland Raiders (2 votes)
David Carr: Raiders over Packers. The Raiders put everything together in the second half of the season, building momentum heading into January. Jon Gruden leads his crew past several AFC powerhouses and prevents Titletown from adding to its trophy total. Instead, the Raiders bring a championship back to Oakland in their farewell season.
Akbar Gbajabiamila: Raiders over 49ers. It’s the Battle of the Bay in South Beach. Jon Gruden’s Raiders fly under the radar while Kyle Shanahan’s 49ers sit on a pedestal, and that plays into Gruden’s favor. He claims his second Lombardi Trophy and becomes the first head coach to win with two teams.
Dallas Cowboys (1 vote)
Gil Brandt: Cowboys over Patriots. I picked Dallas to win on Hall of Fame Weekend, and I’m not changing now. Ezekiel Elliott will prove to be the difference for the Cowboys.
Seattle Seahawks (1 vote)
Marc Sessler: Seahawks over Bills. Buffalo’s improbable rumble toward destiny hits a snag on the biggest stage, as Russell Wilson throws for a pair of scores and runs for two more in Seattle’s 28-10 triumph. A week after the win, Seahawks bully Jadeveon Clowney accepts a role in Michael Mann’s MIAMI VICE: MIDNIGHT WATERS, a redux to his 2006 semi-hit, this time focusing on a band of pro-Castro rebels attempting to run guns off the perilous coast.