NFL Power Rankings: Final rankings before 2024 regular season

2. San Francisco 49ers

Unless the 49ers end up trading Brandon Aiyuk before the start of the season, which feels unlikely at this point, it’s hard to view what they’ve done this offseason as anything but a net positive. Obviously, just like any team, the 49ers are dealing with some key losses on either side of the football. But for a team this talented to maintain this much continuity?

It’s shaping up to be another special year for Kyle Shanahan and company.

If Kyle Shanahan doesn’t win a Super Bowl as an NFL head coach, it will be one of the biggest travesties in league history. What Shanahan does with personnel and scheming offensively is legendary. He has arguably the best collection of offensive skill talent in the entire NFL. There’s really no reason why the 49ers shouldn’t win the Super Bowl this year unless they croak on the game’s big stage again.

1. Kansas City Chiefs

We all know the Chiefs are the best team in the NFL until proven otherwise. Is there any reason to rank them lower than this unless it’s just for attention? The Chiefs gave more work to Patrick Mahomes in the preseason than we saw from the Falcons and Michael Penix Jr. 

Seriously, why was Michael Penix Jr. not playing in the preseason?

The Chiefs are the most well-oiled machine in the NFL right now thanks to their continuity at key positions. Yes, they’re going to have to overcome the loss of players like L’Jarius Sneed and Willie Gay Jr. (among others), but for the most part, this team remains intact from the one that we just saw win back-to-back Super Bowls.

Can they pull off the impossible and win three in a row? I don’t see any real reason why not. The Chiefs have the best quarterback in the league, the NFL’s version of Michael Jordan. There’s just no way you can count them out. You have to pencil them in to finish at least in the AFC Championship game, and more likely than not, the Chiefs are going to represent the AFC in the Super Bowl.

Correction: An earlier version of this article incorrectly referred to Chicago Bears general manager Ryan Poles as Ryan Pace.