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2016 Super Bowl Predictions: Buffalo Bills or Atlanta Falcons best longshot?

By Dan Salem

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Who’s the better longshot to win the 2016 Super Bowl, the Buffalo Bills or Atlanta Falcons? Great teams on paper coming off average seasons. Its never too early for 2016 Super Bowl predictions. Dan Salem and Todd Salem debate in today’s NFL Sports Debate. Check out more of the brothers in Seesaw Sports Debate on BuzzChomp. Two brothers from New York yell, scream, and debate sports.

TODD:

It’s silly to think that only a couple of teams have a shot at winning the Super Bowl. Each season, we see a handful of unexpected clubs vie for double-digit wins, and we all know that just getting in the playoffs gives anyone a shot at the championship.

So, choosing out of a couple of the possible “unexpected clubs,” who do you like more to win the Super Bowl this year, the Atlanta Falcons or the Buffalo Bills?

Yes, neither team was all that great last season, but they both enter 2015 with supreme strengths.

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Atlanta’s offense should be special. Just 6-10 a season ago, the Falcons may have the best passing attack in their division, something that wouldn’t have been feasible at any prior point with Drew Brees in New Orleans. Matt Ryan is one of the best quarterbacks in the league; the same goes for Julio Jones at wide receiver. Many questions remain elsewhere, but the possibility certainly exists for Atlanta to win the NFC South. And just getting in…well, you know the drill.

As for Buffalo, its strengths are almost a mirror opposite of Atlanta. The Bills have an upper-echelon defense that could be the best in the conference. But their offense is a huge question mark, specifically who will lead the offense behind center. I love Sammy Watkins and Shady McCoy is a special talent, but without a quarterback, it makes it hard to excel.

Is it crazy to think the Falcons are the better bet here? QBs mean so much in this league. A bad defense can almost be overcome. A bad quarterback cannot be. If Buffalo had Matt Ryan and everything else was the same, it would be one of the favorites in the AFC, no question. It doesn’t have Matt Ryan though.

Dec 1, 2013; Toronto, ON, Canada; Atlanta Falcons running back

Antone Smith

(35) runs the ball in for a touchdown during the first half against the Buffalo Bills at the Rogers Center. Mandatory Credit: Timothy T. Ludwig-USA TODAY Sports

DAN:

Super Bowl longshots are not supposed to be such solid football teams, but damn if both the Bills and Falcons look good heading into the new season. It’s easy to love both these teams on paper, but I’m going to buck the trend here in regards to quarterback importance. You can build a team to win with your QB, or you can build it to win as long as he doesn’t screw up. Rex Ryan is in Buffalo and we all know his preference. This time, in this debate, he wins. I’m taking the Buffalo Bills.

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First let me address the Atlanta Falcons, who played in arguably the most annoying and possibly worst division in football last season. No one in the division had a winning record, making it completely up for grabs in 2015. Atlanta looked like they were going to win the division last season, and with their super powered passing offense, should have enough to do so this year.

Matt Ryan to Julio Jones is excellent, but having Roddy White as your second wide receiver and Jacob Tamme at tight end makes the Falcons electric.The running back situation is a bit unproven, and Atlanta’s defense has to show me something before I can trust them. Ultimately this lands them behind Buffalo.

The Bills have managed to assemble a potent offense built around ball control to complement their outstanding defense. If that’s not the ideal Rex Ryan team, I don’t know what is. Sammy Watkins will have Percy Harvin across the field from him. LeSean McCoy will have Fred Jackson as his ‘backup’ and all the Bills need is a quarterback who can limit his mistakes.

Quarterback EJ Manuel is entering his third season, but with only fifteen games under his belt, he’s barely completed a rookie’s worth of time on the field. Manuel is a question mark for sure, but his backup is not. Matt Cassel has been around the block and found success on more than one team. In his last full season as starter, fifteen games for Kansas City back in 2010, Cassel threw 27 touchdowns to only 7 interceptions. He had similar numbers for New England in 2008 and has been an above average quarterback throughout his career.

Fans don’t want to root for an above average guy, but the Bills are an easy longshot pick to win the 2016 Super Bowl with such a quarterback. If Manuel succeeds, wonderful. If he stumbles and Cassel gets the call, that’s good news too. The offensive talent on the Bills is more than enough to get them to the playoffs, and more than enough to catch lightning in a bottle on their way to a Lombardi Trophy.

The odds are in Rex Ryan’s favor that one of his quarterbacks can game manage. One of them can limit their mistakes and let the defense win things for Buffalo. He also has a superstar running back, meaning the Bills’ offense can eat up clock. All of this equals playoff success. The Bills are a great longshot for the 2016 Super Bowl.

Dan Salem is a Staff Writer for NFL Spinzone. He’s also Lead Editor, Staff Writer, and Featured Vlogger at BuzzChomp, and a New York Jets Analyst for Pro Football Spot. Follow him on Twitter, Facebook, Google+, or Instagram.

Todd Salem is a Staff Writer for NFL Spinzone. He’s also a Contributing Editor at BuzzChomp, a Featured Columnist at Bleacher Report, and an Analyst for Tipster Labs, among others. Follow him on Twitter.

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