Are Bills 'Way-Too-Early' 2025 Super Bowl Contenders?
Super Bowl LVIII is rapidly approaching. It's a bittersweet Sunday for many NFL fans, especially Bills Mafia, who saw their beloved Buffalo Bills suffer more postseason heartbreak at the hands of the Kansas City Chiefs.
With Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes aiming to top Brock Purdy's San Francisco 49ers and be crowned Super Bowl champions in Las Vegas for the second straight season, the other 30 teams are now looking ahead to next year's Super Bowl.
Sports Illustrated decided to look ahead to the top 10 non-championship teams that have the best odds of playing in the Super Bowl in 2025.
The Bills make the list of contenders who could advance to Super Bowl LIX in New Orleans. Here's why:
Josh Allen
© Jay Biggerstaff-USA TODAY Sports
"The Bills aren’t quite seen as pretenders like the Dolphins and Cowboys, but they had another early postseason exit this year—and still haven’t gone to the Super Bowl in the Josh Allen era," writes SI. "But Buffalo is in a good spot because of the draft hits from GM Brandon Beane."
Allen is fresh off arguably the best season of his career in 2023 while leading his team on an unlikely late-season run to a division title and a playoff win. He is also a finalist for this year's AP Most Valuable Player award.
The Bills are well over the cap and have 22 impending free agents so next season's roster could look a lot different, but SI makes the case that the Bills have hit the jackpot with recent draft classes.
"With Allen’s contract eating most of the salary cap, the Bills hit on running back James Cook, tight end Dalton Kincaid and wide receiver Khalil Shakir. Many young defensive players also showed improvement, and the unit should have a bounce-back season with a more healthy roster. But Buffalo could still look to move a few contracts, including Stefon Diggs," continued SI.
Surprisingly, the team at the top of the list is the Cincinnati Bengals, who finished fourth in the AFC North this season. The reasoning is that a healthy Joe Burrow gives the Bengals the best case for advancing to next year’s Super Bowl.
Next up for Buffalo is the Pro Bowl. The Bills are sending three players to Orlando. Diggs, who was named an alternate for Cleveland Browns receiver Amari Cooper, joins left tackle Dion Dawkins and running back James Cook.
