The second after the Kansas City Chiefs won another Super Bowl, the countdown began to LIX in New Orleans.
The NFL is the league that never stops, and there are serious contenders throughout the AFC and NFC hoping to prevent Patrick Mahomes, Travis Kelce, Andy Reid and the Chiefs from becoming the first franchise in history to pull off a Super Bowl trophy three-peat.
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The Buffalo Bills and Minnesota Vikings are still 3-0, while the Seattle Seahawks and Pittsburgh Steelers are the undefeated surprise teams.
Jayden Daniels also had a rookie performance for the ages, barely missing a pass while the Washington Commanders trolled the 0-3 Cincinnati Bengals.
After a chaotic week that knocked the Los Angeles Chargers and Tampa Bay Buccaneers off this list, here is talkSPORT's look at the top 10 Super Bowl contenders on the long road to the Superdome on February 9, 2025 in New Orleans.
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10. Pittsburgh Steelers (3-0, last week: unranked)
Justin Fields has been the answer in Pittsburgh.
The discarded Chicago quarterback is also making the Bears look bad, while putting up better numbers than Caleb Williams.
No one truly understands how head coach Mike Tomlin is able to keep winning with the Steelers, who are undefeated without an injured Russell Wilson.
But Pittsburgh's defense and old-school system are 3-0 entering Week 4.
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9. New Orleans Saints (2-1, last week: 7th)
Derek Carr's perfect start hit a late fourth-quarter roadblock against Saquon Barkley and the Philadelphia Eagles.
But the Saints still impressed, trading punches with Philly and almost moving to 3-0.
Jason Bell believes that Patrick Mahomes and Travis Kelce can overcome loss of Kansas City Chiefs ‘heart’ Isiah Pacheco with Taylor Swift as their secret weapon
New Orleans holds a plus-59 point differential and has offense to spare.
Now, head coach Dennis Allen must keep the Saints moving upward in a tough NFC.
8. San Francisco 49ers (1-2, last week: 4th)
The good news for San Francisco is that the 49ers aren't the Jacksonville Jaguars.
The other news is that one of the best teams in the NFL is 1-2 through three games and showing wear.
Injuries are dragging down the 49ers, but so is inconsistent play.
Brock Purdy's passing yards aren't as important to San Francisco as racking up weekly wins, which is what the 49ers must get back to.
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7. Philadelphia Eagles (2-1, last week: 6th)
Nick Sirianni said what the Eagles are doing is "unsustainable."
But Philly looked strong again by prevailing in New Orleans, and Barkley has been an impressive early-season fit with Jalen Hurts.
Sirianni is right overall, though.
Penalties and turnovers won't lead the Eagles back to the Superdome for the Super Bowl.
Philly still has another level to reach and Washington, not Dallas, could be a threat in the NFC East.
6. Houston Texans (2-1, last week: 2nd)
The C.J. Stroud train was derailed by Brian Flores.
Stroud's uncanny weekly ability to carve up NFL defenses always felt a little too good to be true.
It was in Minnesota, where the second-year QB struggled all game and threw two interceptions in a humbling 34-7 defeat to the Vikings.
The AFC South still belongs to the Texans, especially with Indianapolis and Jacksonville failing to impress.
Stroud will learn from his Minnesota mistakes -- and he doesn't have to deal with Flores' relentless defense every week.
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5. Baltimore Ravens (1-2, last week: 10th)
The best 1-2 team in the NFL.
And Lamar Jackson looked like an MVP again last week as the Ravens embarrassed the Dallas Cowboys for three quarters.
Baltimore is too good not to win weekly.
It took three weeks for the Ravens to record their initial victory of 2024.
A Week 4 test against the Buffalo Bills is now must-watch TV.
4. Minnesota Vikings (3-0, last week: unranked)
Give credit where credit is due, and the Vikings deserve all the credit.
Sam Darnold has been one of the best QBs in the NFL.
Flores has been a defensive monster.
Even Justin Jefferson seems happy.
Minnesota rivals Buffalo as the hottest team in the league.
No one was predicting the Vikings would be 3-0 entering Week 4.
In a good way, everyone was wrong.
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3. Detroit Lions (2-1, last week: 3rd)
Detroit keeps winning, but it hasn't been easy.
The Lions beat Arizona by seven points and the Los Angeles Rams by six.
But with Dan Campbell and Jared Goff continuing their winning ways in 2024, it's hard to argue against Detroit's Super Bowl potential.
Still, a few winning blowouts would go a long way for the Lions.
2. Buffalo Bills (3-0, last week: 5th)
LeBron James said it all with one tweet.
"I really like watching Josh Allen play football!" The King posted.
He was watching Allen and the Bills destroy the Jaguars 47-10 on Monday Night Football, and it was easy to praise Buffalo.
If the AFC Championship was played right now, it would be easy to pick the Bills.
1. Kansas City Chiefs (3-0, last week: 1st)
This is the closest the Chiefs have been to losing their top spot.
They're still undefeated and still the reigning champs.
But Andy Reid's crew has won three games by a combined 13 points, while Patrick Mahomes has acknowledged he needs to play better.
Then there's Travis Kelce, who has a weak 69 yards through three games.
Kansas City must find its form in the upcoming weeks, with tough contests against the Chargers, Saints and 49ers on the schedule.
If not, the Chiefs are sliding down the Super Bowl list.
