2013 NFL Predictions: An Early Look at Super Bowl XLVIII Sleepers

2013 NFL Predictions – An Early Look at Super Bowl XLVIII Sleepers: Although the start of the 2013-14 NFL season is still months away, workouts and minicamps are already in full swing. Thanks to April’s draft and free agency, rosters for many franchises look a lot different heading into the upcoming year than they did at the end of last season. For some teams, that’s a good thing. For others, it could mean a long. However, somewhere between the preseason Super Bowl favorites and the teams that will likely be contending for the top pick in the 2014 NFL Draft sit the teams that have a chance to have a special season if a couple of things fall in place or if a couple of players take the next step. These potential sleeper teams could yield big payouts for bettors if they do indeed make surprise Super Bowl runs, especially if the pick is made before the season even begins. With that in mind, here is a closer look at a few teams that have the potential to be the surprise winners of Super Bowl 2014.

Sure, it took a herculean performance from Adrian Peterson to get the Minnesota Vikings into the playoffs last year, but the defending league MVP might actually be even better with a full year to recover from knee surgery. Meanwhile, Minnesota upgraded the defensive line and secondary with a pair of first-round picks and signed receiver Greg Jennings to give quarterback Christian Ponder a go-to target. At the end of the day, the Vikings are going to ride Peterson as far as he can carry them, but if Ponder can progress at all, they could grind and pound their way to a championship.

The defense is still kind of a mess, but the New Orleans Saints should be a heck of a lot better this year thanks to the return of head coach Sean Payton. For one, Payton and quarterback Drew Brees have created a devastating passing attack, and with the combo reunited, the Saints should be able to outscore a lot of their defensive deficiencies. Perhaps more importantly, the return of Payton marks somewhat of an end to the Bountygate scandal that clearly had the entire time flustered for most of last year. A little more stability and a little less drama should go a long way to helping a team that was a perennial playoff contender until last year return to form.

Armed with a stout defense that features a defensive front that led the NFL in sacks with four or fewer rushers last year, the Cincinnati Bengals used the draft to upgrade the offense. They added Tyler Eifert in the first round, and he could team with incumbent Jermaine Gresham to form a New England-style combination and take a little pressure of star receiver A.J. Green. Cincinnati followed by grabbing versatile, speedy running back Giovani Bernard to add a little big-play potential to the ground game. Throw in a solid offensive line, and the Bengals have all the pieces to return to the playoffs for a third straight year and maybe make a title run.

Assuming quarterback Robert Griffin III is actually on track to play in Week 1 of the regular season, the Washington Redskins are going to be a dangerous team. After all, Griffin and running back Alfred Morris teamed up to lead the NFL’s best rushing attack as rookies last year, and Washington also owned a top-five defense against the run in 2012-13. Being able to run the ball on offense and stop the run on defense is always a nice foundation for success. Not to mention the fact that the Redskins will get back their top pass rushers Brian Orakpo and Ryan Kerrigan back from injury after both players missed most of last year. If Griffin is anywhere close to 100 percent, Washington has a puncher’s chance against anyone.

While it might seem a bit disrespectful to put the defending Super Bowl champion Baltimore Ravens on the list of sleepers and not the list of favorites, they did lose a lot in the offseason. Emotional leader Ray Lewis retired, and fellow linebacker Dannell Ellerbe was lost in free agency. Baltimore also lost future Hall of Fame safety Ed Reed, pass rusher Paul Kruger and veteran receiver Anquan Boldin. Needless to say the Ravens will be replacing a lot of key parts, but they still have some solid offensive pieces in place, including running back Ray Rice and quarterback Joe Flacco. Baltimore always seems to find a way to get into the playoffs and can’t be counted out, but repeating as champs amid so much roster turnover won’t be easy.

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