Five-year forecast: Which NFL team will…

Every NFL team tries to build a dynasty and win Super Bowls, but only a select few in NFL history have found such consistency. Over the next five years, these are the teams that have the best chance at ultimate success.

 1 Buffalo Bills

As the favorites to win it all in 2022, the Bills are the default five-year window frontrunners. It certainly helps that star quarterback Josh Allen is coming into his own at age 26, with strong weapons that include Stefon Diggs, Gabe Davis, Dawson Knox, and Devin Singletary. The safety duo of Micah Hyde and Jordan Poyer is approaching the twilight years of their careers, but the team has a young defensive core at other positions, including Ed Oliver, Greg Rousseau, Tremaine Edmunds, Tre’Davious White, and rookies Kaiir Elam and Christian Benford.

 2 Kansas City Chiefslo Bills

With outstanding recent drafts, the Chiefs’ future has become more than just superstar Patrick Mahomes. 2021 offensive line draftees Creed Humphrey and Trey Smith solidified the offensive line while running backs Clyde Edwards-Helaire and impressive rookie Isiah Pacheco put that position in fine shape. The defense is now stacked with exciting youth after the additions of L’Jarius Sneed, Nick Bolton, George Karlaftis, Trent McDuffie, and Jaylen Watson in recent drafts. The only two areas that should make fans nervous are left tackle and tight end, as Orlando Brown could enter free agency soon, and Travis Kelce is bound for decline going on age 33.

3  Los Angeles Rams

Matthew Stafford proved to be the missing piece last season, as the Rams won the Super Bowl after falling just short three years earlier. There is some concern the team has sacrificed its future for the current era of success, as the Rams have lacked draft capital after trading for Stafford, Jalen Ramsey, and the departed Von Miller. Nearly the entire core is on the backend of their careers, including Stafford, Ramsey, Aaron Donald, and Cooper Kupp, but the team is highly capable of another championship in their next three-year window with Sean McVay calling the shots.

 4  Baltimore Ravens

Despite the inability to sign Lamar Jackson long-term, the Ravens are in a good place. Head coach John Harbaugh has proven he can win through major roster turnover, and the team has done well to surround Jackson with talent that complements him, including Mark Andrews, Rashod Bateman, J.K. Dobbins, and a strong offensive line. The bigger concern is the age of the defense, with Calais Campbell, Michael Pierce, Justin Houston, and Marcus Peters on the backends of their careers, but the team still does have some exciting defensive youth with Odafe Oweh, Patrick Queen, Kyle Hamilton, and Marlon Humphrey.

 5  Los Angeles Chargers

Justin Herbert already looks like a star, and the Chargers have done more than their fair share to surround him with talent. The offensive line is terrific, led by recent first-round picks Rashawn Slater and Zion Johnson, while offensive weapons Austin Ekeler, Keenan Allen, Mike Williams, and Joshua Palmer should be around for a while. The Chargers have also done well while spending considerable resources on the defense, with Khalil Mack and J.C. Jackson adding to Joey Bosa, Derwin James, and Asante Samuel Jr. Now the Chargers have to prove the great talent can be put in action, currently on a three-year playoff hiatus.

 6  Green Bay Packers

Green Bay’s time is clearly running out as Aaron Rodgers approaches age 40, and is now without much proven wide receiver talent. The revamping of the offensive line has gone well due to strong drafts, and the running back tandem of Aaron Jones and A.J. Dillon is arguably the best in the league. Green Bay continues to hit on the defensive side, with recent additions like Jaire Alexander, Rashan Gary, Darnell Savage, and Eric Stokes, while 2022 first-round draft picks Devonte Wyatt and Quay Walker could be the next in line. The youthful defense will provide stability if Rodgers calls it quits anytime soon, but it won’t make replacing him any easier.

 7  Tampa Bay Buccaneers

The Bucs have gone all-in since the addition of Tom Brady in 2020. That effort was well worth it, winning them a Super Bowl, but the team has big decisions to make when Brady finally departs. In the meantime, they have Chris Godwin and Russell Gage locked up on offense, and a more than ample selection of young defensive stars with Vita Vea, Joe Tryon-Shoyinka, Devin White, Jamel Dean, Carlton Davis, and Antoine Winfield Jr. It will likely take the franchise time to recharge if Brady retires after this season, but the star youth puts the next window sooner than some expect.

 8  San Francisco 49ers

Each season of Kyle Shanahan’s tenure in San Francisco has been feast or famine. The core of the roster is now spectacular, with Deebo Samuel, Brandon Aiyuk, Mike McGlinchey, Nick Bosa, Fred Warner, and Dre Greenlaw likely around for a while. Like many other teams in the second tier, the questions surround the team at quarterback, where Trey Lance has yet to show out and will now miss the rest of 2022 due to injury. The team was able to advance to two NFC Championships with so-so play from Jimmy Garoppolo, so it’s not as if the 49ers have an insurmountable obstacle if they do have to go back to the well at the position.