Way-too-early Super Bowl LIX predictions

An annual tradition.

The Super Bowl ends, and all 32 NFL teams post the number of days till next season’s kickoff on social media.

What better way to follow it up with a Super Bowl 59 prediction of my own before free agency or the draft?

Let’s take a look at the early contenders, followed by my prediction for next year’s big game in New Orleans.

San Francisco 49ers: The Favorites

Despite the heartbreaking-loss on Sunday, the 49ers remain the favorites to win Super Bowl 59 for good reason.

Brock Purdy will still be on his rookie contract, which is a huge luxury for a team likely looking to add pieces this offseason. His deal will only count $1 million against the cap.

While looking for additions, the 49ers general manager John Lynch will not be too concerned with keeping many important assets from the roster that just made a run to the Super Bowl.

San Francisco has only three starters and a few depth pieces who will enter free agency this offseason.

The most notable free agents: edge rusher Chase Young, wide receiver Jauan Jennings and center Jon Feliciano. They all will be testing the market in mid-March barring extensions leading up to that point.

They will be in the business of finding a new defensive coordinator after head coach Kyle Shanahan announced the firing of Steve Wilks on Wednesday, citing the partnership not being the correct scheme fit.

Kansas City Chiefs: Back-To-Back-To-Back?

After becoming the ninth repeat Super Bowl champion on Sunday, the Chiefs quickly shifted their focus on the 2024-25 season.

A “three-peat” is on their mind as they look to become the first team in the history of the league to win three-straight championships.

It is often said that it is hard to beat a team multiple times, to repeat as a champion and for this matter, winning three-in-a-row.

It is generally more factual that it is hard to win in the NFL, period.

Team A defeating Team B in the first two games prior to a third matchup does not make it any more difficult for Team A to defeat Team B for the third time. It is just simply difficult to win all three games because it is hard to win in this league.

The same theory applies to a Super Bowl champion.

Sure, it may be slightly harder to repeat because teams mark their calendars for the matchup with the defending champs or some players on the championship team may get a little complacent.

However, those all seem to be fairly minor when trying to predict the overall outcome of a game. The pure talent of a team looms larger, especially when talking about the Chiefs and Patrick Mahomes.

If Kansas City finds itself a star receiver alongside tight end Travis Kelce, defenses will be in even bigger trouble than they were the previous two seasons.

Houston Texans and Green Bay Packers: The Wild Cards

After discussing the two Super Bowl 59 favorites who just played in Super Bowl 58, let’s focus on two teams that both made noise in this year’s playoffs before falling short in the Divisional Round.

Both Houston and Green Bay played the role of the underdog (according to Vegas oddsmakers) in their first-round upsets of Cleveland and Dallas.

The two aforementioned teams had quarterbacks starting their first full season and playoff game in 2023, and there is no reason to think both will not continue to take leaps forward in 2024.

With Houston bringing Tank Dell and Nico Collins back and $57 million in cap space to fill holes on the defensive side of the ball, specifically the secondary, the sky's the limit for second-year signal caller C.J. Stroud and the Texans.

Green Bay will almost certainly be overhauling the defense after firing former defensive coordinator Joe Barry and bringing in Boston College head coach Jeff Hafley to fill the role.

A secondary and offensive weapon retooling is needed, but quarterback Jordan Love seems ready to take the next step after his competitive performances late in the regular season and on the road in the postseason.

Super Bowl 59 Way-Too-Early Pick: Kansas City Chiefs over Green Bay Packers

Rocco Pellegrino is a first-year student majoring in broadcast journalism. To contact him, please email rdp5387@psu.edu.