With The First Pick
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Super Bowl LV: Ranking the top 5 NFL AFC contenders

By Nicholas McGee

MIAMI, FLORIDA - FEBRUARY 02: Patrick Mahomes #15 of the Kansas City Chiefs celebrates after the Chiefs defeated the San Francisco 49ers in Super Bowl LIV at Hard Rock Stadium on February 02, 2020 in Miami, Florida. The Chiefs won the game 31-20. (Photo by Focus on Sport/Getty Images)
MIAMI, FLORIDA - FEBRUARY 02: Patrick Mahomes #15 of the Kansas City Chiefs celebrates after the Chiefs defeated the San Francisco 49ers in Super Bowl LIV at Hard Rock Stadium on February 02, 2020 in Miami, Florida. The Chiefs won the game 31-20. (Photo by Focus on Sport/Getty Images) /
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FOXBOROUGH, MASSACHUSETTS – JANUARY 04: Head coach Bill Belichick of the New England Patriots looks on during the the AFC Wild Card Playoff game against the Tennessee Titans at Gillette Stadium on January 04, 2020 in Foxborough, Massachusetts. He looks to get back on top of the NFL with another Super Bowl appearance. (Photo by Maddie Meyer/Getty Images)
FOXBOROUGH, MASSACHUSETTS – JANUARY 04: Head coach Bill Belichick of the New England Patriots looks on during the the AFC Wild Card Playoff game against the Tennessee Titans at Gillette Stadium on January 04, 2020 in Foxborough, Massachusetts. He looks to get back on top of the NFL with another Super Bowl appearance. (Photo by Maddie Meyer/Getty Images) /

Fans of teams across the NFL will be dreaming of an appearance at Super Bowl LV come the end of the 2020 season, here we rank the AFC contenders.

The NFL Draft is well in the rear-view mirror and we know the makeup of the schedule for the 2020 NFL season, though we cannot be quite sure when and where the games will be held. Despite those doubts, fans are sure to be spending the long offseason dreaming of Super Bowl glory for their team.

But which sets of fans can afford to have genuine title aspirations in the coming season?

In the AFC, there is a clear gulf after the two teams viewed as the class of conference lacking strength in depth.

Here we rank the top five Super Bowl contenders in the AFC.

5. New England Patriots

In the post-Tom Brady era, the AFC East looks like a coin-flip between the Patriots and the Buffalo Bills, who went close to stunning New England in Foxborough last season.

The Bills have the edge in terms of offensive talent and can claim to have the same caliber of defense as New England, but where the Patriots continue to have the advantage over the rest of the division is in coaching.

Buffalo head coach Sean McDermott deserves great credit for the job he has done in turning around the Bills while Brian Flores displayed significant promise in his first year at the helm of the Miami Dolphins.

Yet it is Bill Belichick who remains the class of the division when it comes to head coaches, and he leads the way by a wide margin.

Few outside of New England anticipate Jarrett Stidham succeeding in becoming an immediate success as Brady’s replacement. Given the limited snaps he has taken to this point in his career, it is near-impossible to know what to expect from the former Auburn star.

What can be predicted, however, is Belichick continuing to put his team in positions to win. He has done that throughout his career and, with an extremely talented defense at his disposal, the Patriots – even with the toughest schedule in the NFL – still stand out as the AFC East team most likely to contend for a trip to the Super Bowl in a top-heavy conference.

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