Super Bowl predictions:
The Saints look to be the favorites, but we think others could make noise, too.
USA TODAY’s NFL writers predict which team will win Super Bowl LIII:
Nancy Armour
Saints: Drew Brees has been masterful this season, and you can be sure he knows this might be his last best chance for another Super Bowl ring. But what makes New Orleans so formidable is that its defense is equally capable of winning a game. It’s going to be tough enough to shut down the Saints on one side of the ball. Both is too tall an order. Especially if you have to do it in the Superdome, where the Saints will be until the Super Bowl.
Nate Davis
Saints: Barring catastrophic developments, it’s hard to envision the Saints not reaching the Super Bowl given the home-field advantage they enjoy at the Superdome and lack of a dominant NFC force that appears capable of beating them in New Orleans. And with such a balanced offense on a micro level and balanced team on a macro level — the Saints’ defense is wildly underrated — I’d also take them against the AFC’s best in Super Bowl LIII.
Jori Epstein
Bears: The Rams’ 54-51 November win against the Chiefs looked like a Super Bowl matchup. Then the Rams met the Bears and the Chiefs met the Seahawks. Defense still threatens in the NFL. Even the Saints fell prey to the Cowboys. Add the Bears’ clock-controlling to a Khalil Mack-led unit that has wreaked havoc to the tune of 50 sacks and 27 interceptions this season? After a 33-year drought, Chicago brings home another title.
Mike Jones
Saints: As several of the elite teams have seemed to wobble down the stretch of the season, the Saints have maintained their effectiveness, and entering the playoffs, they look like the most complete team: prolific and versatile on offense led by a future Hall of Fame quarterback (Brees) and opportunistic on defense. They’re equipped to go toe-to-toe with any team in the postseason and win.
Michael Middlehurst-Schwartz
Saints: New Orleans was my preseason pick to hoist the Lombardi Trophy, and the team didn’t waver much in 2018. Above all, the Saints have a balance and diversity of skills that allow this group to persevere and win in different ways. Sean Payton and Brees are 5-0 together in home playoff games, and the coach-quarterback pairing have a strong shot at their second title.
Jim Reineking
Patriots: New England has as clear a path as any team. Having bunkered into their customary first-round playoff bye, the Patriots are well-positioned to make a serious run at a ninth Super Bowl appearance in 18 years. The Chiefs might own the AFC’s No. 1 seed but haven’t won a home playoff game in a quarter century.
Lorenzo Reyes
Rams: The first-round bye is such a big help, especially given the shaky health of star running back Todd Gurley, who has missed the last two games with a knee injury. And even though the Rams had that two-game losing streak in the middle of December, I’m expecting them to continue the offensive efficiency they displayed in the regularseason finale. The two biggest obstacles in their way: winning a potential NFC title game in New Orleans and keeping up with whoever would come out of the AFC; my guess is that it will be the Chiefs. But I’m sticking with L.A., my preseason pick, in a shootout.