NFL team-by-team guide: Who are the Super Bowl contenders?

Patrick Mahomes, Christian McCaffrey and Lamar Jackson will aim to star in the 2024 NFL season

The new NFL season is almost upon us as once again 32 teams enter the campaign full of hope of winning the Super Bowl in New Orleans in February.

And thanks to the NFL Draft and salary cap, teams can quickly go from zeroes to heroes, from also-rans to contenders, so the season always throws up a few surprise packages.

The one constant in recent years has been the Kansas City Chiefs, who with quarterback Patrick Mahomes have won back-to-back Super Bowls and three in the past five years.

No team has ever won three Super Bowls in a row and the contenders are lining up to knock the Chiefs off their perch, with regular challengers joined by ambitious outfits led by superstar young quarterbacks.

So here’s a snapshot of all 32 sides in the NFL and their chances of going all the way this season – listed in finishing order and their regular-season record from the 2023 campaign.

Mahomes has won three Super Bowls in six seasons as a starter

Kansas City Chiefs (11-6)

Super Bowl winners

The NFL’s new dynasty have appeared in four of the past five Super Bowls, winning three, with only two overtime defeats preventing them from reaching the last six in a row. Head coach Andy Reid knows how to support QB Patrick Mahomes and balance the rest of the side perfectly – so they remain the team to beat.

Travis Kelce and Taylor Swift will keep them in the headlines off the field, while they could get a new legion of fans in Wales should Louis Rees-Zammit land a roster spot.

Player to watch: Patrick Mahomes

Dominating like Tom Brady but in a mesmeric style that has redefined the position. Watch out for a behind-the-back pass he's been perfecting in pre-season…

San Francisco 49ers (12-5)

Super Bowl runners-up

The 49ers have to deal with blowing a 10-point Super Bowl lead against the Chiefs for the second time in four years, but they remain one of the most talented and well-balanced sides in the NFL. With contract problems though, their ‘window’ for success could be closing soon.

Player to watch: Christian McCaffrey

The all-action running back had 2,000 total yards and 21 touchdowns last season as a league MVP finalist. QB Brock Purdy may get more headlines but ‘Run CMC’ is their main threat.

Detroit Lions (12-5)

Jared Goff, Amon-Ra St Brown and Sam LaPorta are just three of Detroit's high-powered attack

Championship Round

After decades in the doldrums they are now genuine contenders. Lost a 17-point lead in the NFC title game, but a first Super Bowl appearance is now in their sights thanks to head coach Dan Campbell's turnaround.

Player to watch: Amon-Ra St Brown

The Lions became just the second team to have four players score 10+ touchdowns last year. One of the best attacks in the league is led by their lightning receiver.

Baltimore Ravens (13-4)

Championship Round

The best team in the regular season by some distance were denied a Super Bowl spot by a tough home loss to the Chiefs. They added dominant running back Derrick Henry to their MVP quarterback Lamar Jackson to try to go one better.

Player to watch: Lamar Jackson

A two-time MVP and a one-man highlight reel - the Ravens will be challengers as long as he stays fit, as injuries have derailed their season before.

Buffalo Bills (11-6)

Divisional Round

Still one of the best teams in the league but always losing to the Chiefs (three times in the past four play-off campaigns) puts a limit on how far they can go – especially with Josh Allen losing his two best receivers and their division looking a lot tougher in 2024.

Player to watch: Josh Allen

He’s won four straight divisional titles and produced some superhuman play-off efforts with his cannon of an arm and driving runs.

Houston Texans (10-7)

Houston Texans head coach DeMeco Ryans and quarterback CJ Stroud had a stellar first season together

Divisional Round

They had the top offensive and defensive rookies last year with CJ Stroud and Will Anderson starring in a thrilling play-off run by this entertaining outfit. Adding a star receiver in Stefon Diggs to help Stroud avoid the dreaded 'sophomore slump' is a smart move. They'll be a fun watch again.

Player to Watch: Stefon Diggs

Former Bills receiver Diggs has six straight 1,000-yard seasons and is on a one-year deal to prove he can do it again.

Tampa Bay Buccaneers (9-8)

Divisional Round

After sneaking into the play-offs by winning an awful division, they hammered the Eagles and matched the Lions for three quarters, so should probably be a bit more respected than they are in most rankings after four straight post-seasons.

Player to watch: Baker Mayfield

A career year for the much-travelled quarterback that earned him a $100m contract and chance to prove it was no fluke this year.

Green Bay Packers (9-8)

Can Jordan Love carry on the Packers tradition of superstar quarterbacks?

Divisional Round

The youngest team in the NFL finished 6-2 to make the play-offs, beat Dallas and then just came up short in San Francisco – earning QB Jordan Love a huge new deal and head coach Matt LaFleur some long-awaited plaudits. And they’ll improve this year.

Player to watch: Jordan Love

From Brett Favre to Aaron Rodgers to Love, Green Bay have cracked the QB code but Love still has to prove himself worthy of that bumper contract.

Dallas Cowboys (12-5)

Wildcard Round

Top scorers in the NFL and a third straight 12-win season counted for nothing as Dallas crashed and burned in the play-offs yet again – meaning it is just five post-season games won since their last Super Bowl success in 1996. Head coach Mike McCarthy and quarterback Dak Prescott are in the last-chance saloon this season but still have a team loaded with talent.

Player to watch: Micah Parsons

Not many defensive players can run games, but Parsons is a freak athlete with freakish footballing ability – he dominates games from wherever he lines up.

Miami Dolphins (11-6)

Wildcard Round

After a red-hot start, their season fizzled out and they lost a frigid Kansas City play-off game to extend their wait for a first post-season victory since 2000. They will score plenty of points but since only one of their 11 victories came against a side with a winning record, the jury’s still out.

Play to watch: Tyreek Hill

Speedy receiver Hill can genuinely score from anywhere and, never shy, claims he could beat Olympic 100m champion Noah Lyles in a race.

Cleveland Browns (11-6)

Wildcard Round

Despite an injury-ravaged squad having to start five different QBs, something not done for 40 years, Cleveland made the play-offs behind a stellar defence led by Myles Garrett. They’ll again be as good as it gets defensively but just need more from QB Deshaun Watson to become genuine contenders.

Player to watch: Deshaun Watson

Cleveland handed Watson $230m fully guaranteed in 2022 but he has played just 12 games since and shown only flashes of his ability – that needs to change this year.

Los Angeles Rams (10-7)

Wildcard Round

A one-point play-off loss in Detroit was tough - and losing Aaron Donald, arguably the NFL's greatest ever defender, to retirement will be even harder to deal with. Matthew Stafford can still fling it and they did win it all just a couple of years ago, so should not be written off.

Player to watch: Puka Nacua

He smashed rookie receiving records last season, including his huge 181-yard game in the play-offs, and expect more of the same this year if fully healthy.

Pittsburgh Steelers (10-7)

Wildcard Round

Head coach Mike Tomlin somehow maintained his record of never having a losing season with last year’s squad, but new QBs Justin Fields and Russell Wilson are not huge upgrades. They will be a classic Pittsburgh team this season – hard-hitting defence and run heavy in attack.

Player to watch: TJ Watt

The first player to lead the league in official sacks for three different seasons, TJ Watt causes complete havoc and will be a major reason for any Pittsburgh success.

Philadelphia Eagles (11-6)

Wildcard Round

From a 10-1 start, the Eagles collapsed to lose five of their last six, and then got blown out by the Bucs in the play-offs to leave boss Nick Sirianni clinging to his job. That was a big surprise from what is still a hugely talented squad, so we should expect a bounce back.

Player to watch: Saquon Barkley

An intriguing move from divisional rivals New York – the star running back will be desperate to prove a point.

Cincinnati Bengals (9-8)

Joe Burrow is one of just two quarterbacks to have beaten Patrick Mahomes' Chiefs in the play-offs - Tom Brady is the other

When Joe Burrow plays a full season, the Bengals are contenders - he made one Super Bowl and came within a game of another in two completed campaigns. He missed seven games last season and the Bengals missed the play-offs.

Player to watch: Joe Burrow

His huge confidence and swagger is only matched by his talent, but that wrist injury will be a huge worry.

Indianapolis Colts (9-8)

Rookie QB Anthony Richardson played in just four games last season, looking spectacular at times as a running threat, but whether he can stay fit for the season is the huge question tempering expectations.

Player to watch: Jonathan Taylor

The 2021 rushing champion has had injuries and contract issues the past two years, but everything points to a comeback this season.

Jacksonville Jaguars (9-8)

Another team to collapse, the Jags lost five of their last six to hand the division title to Houston and miss the play-offs altogether. The emphasis has been to toughen up on defence to ensure that doesn't happen again.

Player to watch: Trevor Lawrence

Their number one overall draft pick has been solid if unspectacular in his first three seasons - the Jags still handed him a huge new deal this summer. Now he has to earn it.

New Orleans Saints (9-8)

A real puzzle of a team, the Saints had a +75 points differential but could not win the close games, and one of the oldest rosters in the league had little wiggle room over the summer due to salary cap issues.

Player to watch: Derek Carr

Their $150m QB finished well but mainly against bad teams, so much like their salary cap he has not got much room to manoeuvre before the pressure builds on his position.

Seattle Seahawks (9-8)

Replacing 72-year-old Pete Carroll with 37-year-old Mike Macdonald as head coach gives Seattle a youthful outlook - and their new boss put together a fearsome defence in Baltimore, but this looks like a rebuilding year.

Player to watch: DK Metcalf

Their huge receiver needs to produce more dominant displays to help QB Geno Smith elevate his play again.

Denver Broncos (8-9)

Winning eight games was a success for coach Sean Payton but that looks the ceiling again as they struggle to still pay off the failed Russell Wilson experiment. Defence was a real issue last year and it's hard to see where they'll improve.

Player to watch: Bo Nix

First-round draft pick Bo Nix has been named as the 13th starting QB in Denver since Peyton Manning left in 2016. He should work well with Payton but don't expect too much.

Las Vegas Raiders (8-9)

Young head coach Antonio Pierce is focusing on defence as the Raiders try to find their way forward, and the entertaining Gardner Minshew at QB should provide some highlights in what looks another tough year in Vegas.

Player to watch: Davante Adams

A genuine superstar receiver, if Minshew can get him the ball he can still make things happen.

New York Jets (7-10)

If anything, the hype is greater than last year after Aaron Rodgers' injury just four plays into last season's opener. There's now no room for error with one last throw of the dice on the 40-year-old QB. There's talent all around him and an elite defence, so everything is set up for a Super Bowl run.

Player to watch: Aaron Rodgers

Who else? The Jets have built a great squad but make no mistake, Rodgers has to play to a high level for the full season to pull it all together.

Chicago Bears (7-10)

Caleb Williams was the top pick in the 2024 NFL Draft for the Chicago Bears

Another team on the hype train are Chicago, who have loaded up on an array of offensive talent up to help number one draft pick Caleb Williams end the Bears' 14-year wait for a play-off win. Fans in the Windy City can hardly contain themselves.

Player to watch: Caleb Williams

He may not dominate from the start, but he has talent, style, and the character to be Chicago's first real star QB.

Atlanta Falcons (7-10)

Selecting QB Michael Penix Jr in the first round of the draft would not raise any eyebrows - if the Falcons hadn't just splashed out $180m to sign Kirk Cousins. It's a real puzzler that will dominate their entire season.

Player to watch: Kirk Cousins

Coming off a serious injury, Cousins will now be under pressure right from the off, with Penix lurking in the background.

Minnesota Vikings (7-10)

Rookie QB JJ McCarthy suffered a season-ending injury in pre-season, but even with him not too much was expected - bar trying to be a nuisance to Detroit, Green Bay and Chicago in their division.

Player to watch: Justin Jefferson

The team's big star, he'll only have Sam Darnold throwing him the ball, but such a talented receiver can still produce jaw-dropping plays.

Tennessee Titans (6-11)

A new coaching staff and plenty of upheaval means anything is possible for the Titans, but it's a wait-and-see approach - especially in what is a sneaky tough division.

Player to watch: Will Levis

Four touchdowns on his debut and a comeback against Miami were highlights, but he showed plenty of rough rookie QB edges. There is talent there though.

New York Giants (6-11)

They regressed last year and might take a step even further back if their big-money gamble on QB Daniel Jones, who is coming back from a torn ACL, backfires.

Player to watch: Daniel Jones

The New York media market is brutal. Jones has been so-so in his career so needs to hit the ground running this season, or else...

Los Angeles Chargers (5-12)

Respected coach Jim Harbaugh is expected to finally convert some of the Chargers' promise into results, with the Bolts on a lot of sleeper lists for the season.

Player to watch: Justin Herbert

As long as he overcomes a foot injury, Herbert can finally add more wins to the stats he produces - as his QB talent has never been in doubt.

Washington Commanders (4-13)

Dan Quinn coached the excellent Dallas defence so is a good head coaching hire. If he gets a similar tune in Washington to add to exciting rookie QB Jayden Daniels, the Commanders can do something of a Houston from last year.

Player to watch: Jayden Daniels

Picked second behind Caleb Williams just gives Daniels that extra chip on his shoulder - and his pre-season form has been eye-catching.

New England Patriots (4-13)

Jerod Mayo is in a tough spot replacing the legendary Bill Belichick - who at least produced two losing seasons to make it just a touch easier to follow. It's a settling in year for Mayo though.

Player to watch: Drake Maye

Third off the board in the draft, Maye has the equally unenviable task of trying to become a regular Patriots starting QB. He won't start straight away and looks very much a project.

Arizona Cardinals (4-13)

A poor record but the Cards at least played tough at times and there are signs of hope at least on the offensive side, with exciting QB Kyler Murray back from injury.

Player to watch: Marvin Harrison Jr

The Cards were lucky that the three teams above them in the draft needed QBs, so they could grab a receiver thought of as a true generational talent.

Carolina Panthers (2-15)

Trading for Bryce Young resulted in just two wins and Chicago getting Caleb Williams this year, and watching CJ Stroud flourish after passing on him in the draft will not have helped matters in Carolina - where there are still big gaps in the squad.

Player to watch: Bryce Young

He had little help last year but should find a bit more this season. That has to result in wins though, given the pressure associated with being a number one pick.