Mel Kiper Jr. Makes Bold Prediction For Super Bowl LX
Newsweek AI is in beta. Translations may contain inaccuracies—please refer to the original content.
Although the Philadelphia Eagles looked mighty impressive in their run to the Super Bowl championship last season, the road to this season's Vince Lombardi Trophy looks somewhat wide open.
The Eagles could win it all again -- but they have lost a few key contributors on defense, and their vaunted offensive line may take a step back. The Kansas City Chiefs, who won three world championships in five seasons coming into 2024, could continue their budding dynasty, and the Detroit Lions could finally get to and win the big game.
But ESPN personality Mel Kiper Jr. is going with a different team to win football's grand prize. On a recent episode of SportsCenter, he boldly proclaimed that the Baltimore Ravens will emerge victorious in Super Bowl LX this winter.
"This is their year, the Ravens are going to win the Super Bowl this year," Kiper said, via Athlon Sports. "Lamar [Jackson] stay healthy and no freakish plays that end the game... It's the best team talent-wise in the National Football League."
Read more: 49ers' Brock Purdy Gets Honest About Christian McCaffrey
This may sound like a hot take to plenty of NFL fans, especially given the Ravens' annual flameouts in the playoffs. However, one could argue that the team has been inching closer and was simply a victim of bad fortune last season.
It faced the Buffalo Bills in the divisional round, and had it not been for a dropped pass by tight end Mark Andrews during a two-point conversion attempt, it may have ended up playing the Chiefs for the AFC championship.
In 2024, Jackson had a career-best effort. The star quarterback threw for 4,172 yards and 41 touchdowns while leading everyone in passer rating and QBR, and he also added 915 yards and four touchdowns on the ground.
An argument could be made that he, and not Bills quarterback Josh Allen, deserved to win the regular season MVP award. Jackson, of course, has already taken home two such awards.
Tom Brady #12 of the New England Patriots celebrates holding the Vince Lombardi Trophy after defeating the Seattle Seahawks during Super Bowl XLIX at University of Phoenix Stadium on February 1, 2015 in Glendale, Arizona.
Tom Brady #12 of the New England Patriots celebrates holding the Vince Lombardi Trophy after defeating the Seattle Seahawks during Super Bowl XLIX at University of Phoenix Stadium on February 1, 2015 in Glendale, Arizona.
Photo by Kevin C. Cox/Getty Images
Read more: ESPN Offers Shocking Future Prediction for Cardinals QB Kyler Murray
At running back, Derrick Henry has given Baltimore a very potent threat who efficiently eats up many snaps each week, and wide receiver Zay Flowers is slowly developing into a stud. This year, future Hall of Fame WR DeAndre Hopkins has joined the team and is hoping to finally get a ring.
Ravens coach John Harbaugh has always centered his teams around defense, and that defense will give the squad a chance to win almost every week.
The narrative building around Jackson is that he cannot win that one big game to get over the hump. If the Chiefs have some issues, and if the Eagles are either complacent or a bit deficient, that could open the door for the Ravens to win their third Vince Lombardi Trophy.
For more on the Ravens and general NFL news, head over to Newsweek Sports.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
San Francisco Chronicle
26 minutes ago
- San Francisco Chronicle
Spike Lee says ESPN won't air his Colin Kaepernick series
ESPN has confirmed it will not move forward with a highly anticipated docuseries about Colin Kaepernick, the former San Francisco 49ers quarterback who ignited a national movement in 2016 by kneeling during the national anthem to protest racial injustice and police brutality. The eight-part series, directed by Oscar-winner Spike Lee, was announced in 2022 and promoted as a first-person account of Kaepernick's journey from NFL star to civil rights figure. But on Saturday, Aug. 16, both ESPN and Lee said the project had been canceled due to 'creative differences.' 'ESPN, Colin Kaepernick and Spike Lee have collectively decided to no longer proceed with this project as a result of certain creative differences,' the network said in a statement. 'Despite not reaching finality, we appreciate all the hard work and collaboration that went into this film.' Lee revealed the news the night before, on Friday, Aug. 15, while attending a fundraiser in Beverly Hills. 'It's not coming out. That's all I can say,' he told Reuters, citing a nondisclosure agreement that barred him from elaborating. The project had already encountered setbacks. In 2023, Puck News reported that Lee and Kaepernick had disagreed over the film's direction, delaying production. ESPN Chairman Jimmy Pitaro was reportedly open to allowing the filmmakers to shop the series elsewhere. Kaepernick, now 37, has not played in the NFL since the 2016 season. The 49ers released him in 2017, citing football-related reasons, though many believe his political activism significantly influenced the league's decision to keep him unsigned. 'Get that son of a bitch off the field right now!' Trump told a crowd at a rally. 'Out! He's fired!' Kaepernick later filed a collusion grievance against the NFL, which was settled in 2019.
Yahoo
30 minutes ago
- Yahoo
NFL Catches Attention With Chiefs-Chargers National Anthem News
Kansas City Chiefs star quarterback Patrick Mahomes is attacking the 2025 offseason with an enthusiasm unknown to mankind after suffering a blowout loss against the Philadelphia Eagles in the Super Bowl six months ago. "I wanted to up my mentality," Mahomes said. "Sometimes you get to camp and you just want to go out there and dominate the day. I want to dominate every single rep. No days off. You have to get better and better every day." The three-time Super Bowl champion and the Chiefs enter the 2025 season as one of the favorites to win it all once again and will start that quest on Sept. 5 against divisional foe Los Angeles at Corinthians Arena in Sao Paulo. NFL Announces Performers for Season-Opener On Thursday, Aug. 14 the NFL announced the performers for the game, revealing Latin pop star Karol G will perform the halftime show. "I'm so excited to be part of YouTube's first-ever NFL live broadcast, it's truly an honor and a moment I'm so proud to be part of," she said in a statement. "I've watched many NFL halftime shows over the years and now having this opportunity to bring my music to this global stage means the world to me. I can't wait to celebrate with everyone in São Paulo and fans all around the world." Prior to kickoff and a curated in-game sound lineup, local Brazilian star Ana Castela will perform the country's National Anthem Hino Nacional Brasileiro alongside Grammy and Emmy nominated American composer and jazz saxophonist Kamasi Washington who will perform the U.S. National Anthem. View the to see embedded media. Fans React to National Anthem Announcement Castela, who boasts more than 16 million followers on Instagram, shared the message from the NFL and received hundreds of comments in the process. "So proud of you 👏👏," one fan said. "THE GREATEST OF BRAZIL 🇧🇷💛," said another. "I wanted her in the main show, but her singing the anthem is going to be beautiful ❤️," added a third. The game kicks off on Sept. 5 at 8 p.m. ET on Catches Attention With Chiefs-Chargers National Anthem News first appeared on Men's Journal on Aug 14, 2025
USA Today
an hour ago
- USA Today
Anthony Hernandez saw enough of Khamzat Chimaev at UFC 319: 'I'll drown him'
Anthony Hernandez got an up-close and personal look at the middleweight division's new kingpin, and it didn't take him long to decide he has what it takes to upend the throne. Hernandez is just a week removed from an utterly dominant main event win over Roman Dolidze at UFC on ESPN 72. The performance he put on was so impressive in Las Vegas that he was in Chicago on Saturday for UFC 319, though not officially as a backup fighter for the middleweight title main event. Still Hernandez (15-2 MMA, 9-2 UFC) was asked for his official thoughts on Khamzat Chimaev (15-0 MMA, 9-0 UFC) and his unanimous decision win over Dricus Du Plessis (23-3 MMA, 9-1 UFC) to take the title in the main event. Chimaev, roughly a 3-1 favorite in the fight, landed 12 takedowns against the champ that led to a total of nearly 22 minutes of control time. And though the strikes he landed never were of major consequence to Du Plessis, he landed more than 500 total strikes, mostly short shots on the canvas, at nearly 93 percent total accuracy. But Hernandez told ESPN he's got the formula to make Chimaev's reign one and done. "Congratulations to him. It was a f*cking pretty boring fight – I'm not going to lie," Hernandez said. "But call me for the (next title) fight. I can wrestle, I can do jiu-jitsu, I can stop all the sh*t, and I can shut him down. With my gas tank, I'll drown him, man – I promise. I'll make him f*cking work. "So call me – keep me in mind, guys, and I think you'll have a new f*cking Mexican-American champion." Hernandez has won eight straight fights. Six of them have been stoppages, including four for post-fight bonus awards. In the past 18 months, he has bonus-winning finishes of Roman Kopylov, Michel Pereira and Dolidze, plus a decision over Brendan Allen. The Pereira and Dolidze wins came in UFC main events. Chimaev said earlier in UFC 319 fight week that if he won the belt, it would be likely he'd want to fight on the UFC's return to Abu Dhabi in October.
