The 2024-25 Super Bowl Pressure Rankings (Texans Included)

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Where does your favorite team place on the rankings for pressure to win the Super Bowl this season?

You’re welcome for the earworm. Anyway, we currently reside in the “dead zone” of the NFL calendar, when there is not a lot of real NFL news or action. Thus, we have time for speculation and thinking about the season. One area to think about is figuring out “who is under the most pressure to win the Super Bowl this year.” Some teams come into a season with greater expectations than others, justified or not.

Hence, we offer the Super Bowl Pressure rankings, looking at teams entering the 2024-25 season under the most pressure to win it all. A major caveat is that the pressure index is not necessary meant to equate who is the favorite. Depending on where a franchise is in its lifecycle/competitive phase as well as the pressure of the fanbase, a team with less talent might be under more pressure to win vs a team with more talent, but perhaps under less overall pressure to win it all. Also note, all ranking are based on subjective factors, so if there is some disagreement, that is expected. With that, the categories of teams and rankings:

Just Avoid Going 0-17 This Year

Denver Broncos: After Payton TKO’d Wilson to win control of the franchise, Denver decided on a massive rebuild. They are setting records for largest amount of dead cap money and their off-season moves were that of a team not looking at immediate success. Fans may forgive a bad season now, but with cap space opening up and draft capital returning next off-season, they are expected a better future starting in 2025-26.

Not Suck (No particular order)

All of these teams are lumped together, mainly as they are trying to break in new QBs (Chicago, Washington, New England), rebuild around some talent on the roster (Arizona) or as they try to figure out just what they are doing and where they are going in (football) life (Titans, Giants). Some are high on the future for Chicago, but they said the same thing last season. We’ll just stick with a not suck standard and go from there (ala 2023 Houston). The Giants have major media market pressure, and they were a playoff team two seasons ago, but given their injuries and massive uncertainty at QB, it is hard to view them as anything more than a team that hopes to be better than bad. We’ll see if the Titans can find themselves after the internal power struggles.

Must Contend for the Playoffs (No particular order)

Not obvious playoff candidates, but should things break right, they will be in thick of the playoff chase. A big factor for these teams centers on their QB position. Either there are massive injury concerns (Colts) or concerns about whether the players they have under center will be the right fit to move forward (Raiders, Seahawks, Vikings).

LOL! LOL! LOL!:

Carolina Panthers: By all measures, the Carolina Panthers may be the team the farthest from any legitimate expectation to actually win a Super Bowl, much less playoffs. Yet, you must account for owner David Tepper. Given how he runs the team, it would not be a shock if he actually expects the team to over-perform and bring him a Super Bowl ring this year? Even a Bohemian corporal in a mid-20th century Central European bunker might view him as delusional.

[Note: Almost included the Titans in this category, but they seem to have some semblance of an actual plan, flimsy as it may be. Can’t say the same about the Fightin’ Teppers]

Super Bowl…No, but Your [KITTEN] Better be in the Playoffs!!!! (No particular order)

Notice that the NFC South is HEAVILY represented here. Aside from Carolina, the remaining teams in the division all have ambitions of at least winning the division and getting to the playoffs. The Chargers have Harbaugh, Herbert and legitimate playoff expectations. Maybe they can’t overcome Kansas City, but they should at least be in prime position for a Wild Card. The Steelers are the model of consistency, doing just enough to win and get into the playoffs. After last season’s gag job, Jacksonville must get back to the playoffs, least 2022 be remembered as nothing more than the ultimate fluke.

Legitimate Super Bowl Pressure (ascending rank order)

14. Green Bay Packers: Well, that didn’t take long. Jordan Love appears to have morphed into the next Green Bay franchise QB and then proceeded to take the Packers on a fun playoff run that ended painfully at San Francisco. If Love continues to build on that play and the defensive moves made by the Packers pan out, they will be in the hunt for the Super Bowl for the foreseeable future.

13. Houston Texans: What a difference a season makes. If they avoid the dreaded sophomore slump, Stroud and Anderson look primed to lead the Texans back to the playoffs, fortified by a plethora of new free agents. The Texans seem [KITTEN]bent on taking advantage of Stroud on a rookie contract and Caserio appears to have done his part. Now, about that pesky nightmare of a schedule…

12. Detroit Lions: The new monsters of the North, the Lions broke through in a major way last season, getting to their first conference title game since 1991. Detroit has a lot of talent coming back, they locked up Goff and appear set to be a factor for the next couple of seasons. Will Campbell’s aggressiveness still help or hurt this team? Yes.

11. LA Rams: After one of the worst Super Bowl hangovers in history, the Rams returned to the playoffs. They lost Aaron Donald but appear to have drafted some potential replacements, along with finding a new WR star for the McVay offense. Yet, Stafford is getting longer in the tooth and how much long will McVay want to deal with the stress of coaching? San Francisco will still own the West, but at least LA got a Super Bowl ring since the turn of the century.

10. Kansas City Chiefs: Wait, shouldn’t the two-time defending champions be higher, as no Super Bowl win means a failed season for them? Perhaps. Then again, this is about overall pressure to win the Super Bowl, and factoring the other teams on this list, Kansas City can certainly fall back on its three trophies in five years. Granted, after this off-season (so far), they will just be happy to get back to the field and play the games. They may even have a WR that can catch a ball in the regular season (Hopefully not against Houston, but no personal bias or anything)

9. Cincinnati Bengals: Joe Burrow should be back and fully operational. That brings back the Super Bowl pressure. Playing a last-place schedule should help. If he can stay healthy, Cincinnati should be back in the mix.

8. Buffalo Bills: They had a great four-year stretch, but the Bills seem to be in a reset year, losing a lot of talent this offseason. Yet, any team with Josh Allen under center is going to have pressure to win. With their long-suffering fanbase dealing with so much post-season heartbreak (Wide Right Part Deux, anyone?), the pressure to finally breakthrough with a Lombardi is still quite strong in Upper New York, regardless of the roster makeup.

7. Miami Dolphins: Bad enough with all of the Super Bowl pressure, but now the Dolphins are the holders of the longest gap between playoff wins (2001). Miami suffered a nightmare stretch of injuries to end the 2023-24 season and there are questions about the overall makeup of the team. Yet, they have plenty of talent and if they can avoid the December collapse, the Dolphins should be back. Would probably be better if Miami could actually get a home playoff game or two, but they have to take advantage of this opportunity with the cast they have now.

6. Cleveland Browns: An example of a team whose rating is more pressure-based vs. talent/power ranking. They still have a strong defense, but there are so, so many questions about their quarterback. At his best, Watson can be an MVP candidate. Yet, he can’t stay healthy and Cleveland rode into the playoffs on the strength of a QB who plies his trade in Indy. Given the massive cap hit, Cleveland is stuck with Watson for at least the next 3 years. Can they get their money’s worth? Likely will involve the Browns winning multiple Super Bowls to really justify it, but right now, Cleveland will just take one at a minimum.

5. Philadelphia Eagles: What a brutal way to end a season. Coming off a walk-off Super Bowl loss, the Eagles opened last season 10-1, only to lose 6 of their last 7, including an embarrassing playoff defeat to Tampa Bay. Sirianni must now leverage new defensive coordinators as well as hope that Jalen Hurts can live up to his massive contract extension. Roseman is still a wizard at the draft and acquiring talent, but the Eagles have to translate that talent into on-field success (read: Getting back to and winning another Super Bowl). Oh, and they have to do this without team leader and o-line anchor Jason Kelce. Good luck.

4. San Francisco 49ers: Eventually, the 49ers and Kyle Shanahan will find a way to hold on to a double digit Super Bowl lead…maybe. Yet, the clock is ticking on this iteration of the team. Brock Purdy will soon be ready for his massive pay raise, and when that happens, much of the high-priced talent they’ve surrounded him with is likely to go. McCaffery is still an elite back, but for how much longer can San Francisco expect elite production from him? Will all the WR talent prove a boon…or a bane? They’ve been to 3 Super Bowls since 2012, but it is coming up on 30 years since the last win.

3. Dallas Cowboys: At some point, the Cowboys will reveal what they mean by “All In”. So far, “All In” = “Status Quo”. However, the specter of a massive contract extension for Dak Prescott looms…or maybe Dallas is signaling that this is the last ride for Dak leading Dem Boys. McCarthy is likely on his last chance with the squad. For a team with 3 consecutive 12-win seasons, there is a lot of gloom surrounding the organization. Likely having to do with the fact that the Cowboys have 13 straight playoff appearance without even getting to the conference title game. This iteration of the Cowboys is giving off Houston Oilers vibes. For those that recall the early 1990s Oilers, that is not a good thing.

2. Baltimore Ravens: In one respect, Lamar Jackson validated his massive QB extension, winning his second MVP award. Baltimore showed that they, at times, were the best team in the league. Yet, when they had everything they wanted, to include home-field for the AFC Championship for the first time since Unitas took snaps for the Colts, they folded. A team built on running the ball and a power identity did not use that in its biggest home game. Factor that the team lost its defensive coordinator and one of its top defensive leaders and the Ravens face a lot of questions about missed chances and hangovers. Baltimore should be back in the mix, but will the breaks from last season (pre-Conference Championship) still follow them?

1. New York Jets of New Jersey: Can Rodgers give this squad more than 4 plays this year? For many reasons, the Jets better hope so. Given that the QB spot was the biggest weakness of the team last season, if Rodgers can offer anything close to his late Green Bay form, then the Jets should be back in the playoffs. Yet, the endgame is not a return to the playoffs for the 1st time in 13 years, but winning their first Super Bowl in 55 years. Unfortunately, that title window for Rodgers is really, really tiny. If they can’t get it done this season, then it is likely not happening. The Jets really need this to work THIS YEAR!

So, congratulations Jets. You are the winners of the under most pressure to win the whole thing for the 2024-25 season. Agree or disagree, let your (respectful) take be heard below.