NFL executives predict next year's Super Bowl matchup
— -- Will the? New England Patriots?be back in next year's Super Bowl, trying to get their sixth championship? What about the Atlanta Falcons? Don't count out the Pittsburgh Steelers, Seattle Seahawks or Green Bay Packers. Or maybe it's time for the Dallas Cowboys, Oakland Raiders, New York Giants or Kansas City Chiefs to make an appearance.
I asked five NFL front-office executives to predict the Super Bowl LII matchup, and three teams in each conference received votes. There was no favorite in the AFC, but an NFC team got 60 percent of the votes.
Check out the results below, along with quotes from each executive.
AFC
New England Patriots: Two votes
No surprise here, as only five AFC franchises and four quarterbacks have made it to the Super Bowl since 2003:? Tom Brady (New England), Ben Roethlisberger (Pittsburgh), Joe Flacco (Baltimore) and Peyton Manning (Denver and Indianapolis). Manning is retired, so that leaves Roethlisberger and Flacco trying to wrestle the AFC title away from Brady.
The Patriots have some big looming decisions in free agency with linebacker? Dont'a Hightower,?tight end Martellus Bennett, cornerback Logan Ryan and defensive end Jabaal Sheard among their unrestricted free agents. Cornerback Malcolm Butler is a restricted free agent.
But the Patriots still have Brady, and they still have Bill Belichick.
What?NFL executives said:?
- "It's hard to not go with the Patriots because they are always in position to go to the Super Bowl. Tom Brady doesn't look as though he has lost anything. The defense is solid. They didn't lose [coordinators] Josh McDaniels or Matt Patricia, and it looks as though [offensive line coach] Dante Scarnecchia is back. What's changed?"
- "The Patriots traded away two of their best defensive players -- Chandler Jones and Jamie Collins -- and they got better on defense. Bill Belichick keeps juggling his roster to find players to execute his schemes. He's a master."
- "The Patriots face some interesting roster decisions, but you figure Bill already has a handle on what he will do if he loses some players. You figure he will get something done with Malcolm Butler, but they might lose Logan Ryan. [Belichick]?might not be able to keep Hightower, but look what he did in replacing Jamie Collins with three different linebacker options."
Pittsburgh Steelers: Two votes
For the past two years, I've felt that the Steelers were the only team that could go into New England -- into Denver when Peyton Manning was the quarterback -- and be able to win. Injuries caught up with them in 2015, and it didn't happen. Against the Patriots in 2016, some of their young players on defense failed to show up.
I don't believe Roethlisberger is retiring.?The 34-year-old quarterback is probably indicating to the organization that the Steelers have a short window to get to the Super Bowl and that they can't let it close.
Running back Le'Veon Bell is a free agent, but Pittsburgh isn't letting him get away. Suspended wide receiver Martavis Bryant has already? applied for reinstatement.
What NFL executives said:?
- "I liked how their defense started to come together in the second half of the season. Their sack totals were among the best in the second half of the season, and they have a lot of young players starting to play at a high level. If they can fix up their secondary, they have a great chance to get back."
- "This could be their year. At the very worst, they will have Le'Veon Bell at the franchise tag. It will be interesting to see if they can get a long-term deal done with Antonio Brown, but he will be there. Their offensive line is very good. They could get Martavis Bryant back."
Kansas City Chiefs: One vote
This might be a little bit of a surprise. Can Alex Smith be the next quarterback to make a Super Bowl from the AFC? Plenty don't agree -- there are even rumblings that the Chiefs could move on from Smith this offseason -- but?one executive picked the Chiefs.
Next up for Kansas City is getting deals done with their top two free agents: defensive tackle Dontari Poe and safety Eric Berry, who said last week that he's "definitely not going to play under the franchise tag this year."
What an NFL executive said:?
"Andy Reid and [general manager] John Dorsey have been doing a great job since 2013. They average three starters a year out of the draft. Reid has done a great job of getting the Chiefs in contention. I give him a shot."
NFC
Green Bay Packers: Three votes
The Packers got the most votes of any team. Quarterback? Aaron Rodgers looked unbeatable toward the end of the 2016 season, but things caught up to the Packers in the NFC Championship Game. Their receiving corps was injured. They battled injuries at cornerback all season and weren't as good at that position. But they have Rodgers, and with Rodgers there is hope.
What?NFL executives said:?
- "I would imagine [general manager] Ted Thompson will be a little more aggressive in free agency. Ted disdains using free agency and loves to build through the draft and undrafted players. But you can sense a lot of people are getting in his ear and suggesting filling some of the holes by signing a few extra veterans."
- "Aaron Rodgers was the game's best quarterback down the stretch, and he should carry that over into next season. Think about it. They were 4-6. Rodgers was in a slump that went back into the 2015 season. Rodgers ran the table until the Atlanta game. He should play the whole season at that high level. Watch out."
- "The Packers need help at running back and on defense. Well, guess what??It's a great draft for running backs and a very good one on defense. That should work in their behalf."
Atlanta Falcons: One vote
Coach Dan Quinn is trying to build a Seahawks-style defense in Atlanta. He's getting there. When they are in nickel, they have four rookies on the field. Those rookies will be more seasoned in 2017. The defense should be better, and they'll have 2016 MVP? Matt Ryan?and an already-great offense. The only thing the Falcons will lose is offensive coordinator Kyle Shanahan.
What an NFL executive said:?
- "It's hard to get back to Super Bowls, but the Falcons have a chance. They pretty much have their offensive starters under contract. The draft will help their defense. Sure, they have to watch out for Carolina and New Orleans in their division, but the Falcons are pretty well set for a good two- or three-year run."
Seattle Seahawks: One vote
The Seahawks were dominant in their Super Bowl runs in 2013 and 2014. They have won only 10 games in each of their past two seasons. In 2015, the Seahawks realized how difficult it was to get to the Super Bowl as a wild card. And this season, they won the NFC West but lost the No. 2 seed and a bye week with a late-season loss to Arizona.
The Seahawks?need to get back to the 12-win level and secure a playoff bye. They rarely?lose playoff games at home.
Seattle must add more pieces to an offensive line that struggled in 2016. Getting back safety Earl Thomas from injury should boost the defense.
What an NFL executive said:
- "You always have to look at the Seahawks being in contention. Many of their core-group defenders are still in their primes between the ages of 28 and 31. Russell Wilson keeps getting better. If they can fix their problems on the offensive line and get consistency in the backfield, they have a great chance to go back."
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