1. Chase Elliott
Chase Elliott road a hot streak in the playoffs last season, winning three of his five races of the season in the last five races of the year, to his first Cup Series championship. Things are only likely to get better for Elliott in 2021 thanks to a completely overhauled Cup schedule that includes seven road course races, when last year only had two. Elliott is far and away the best road racer in the Cup Series right now and has won the last four consecutively. I wouldn’t be surprised if Elliott won five of the seven road course races this season. The only thing he’ll have to watch out for is only one of those road events is in the postseason.

2. Kevin Harvick
Kevin Harvick was clearly the best driver in NASCAR last season with a season high nine wins, 20 top-5s and 27 top-10s. But with the way the playoffs are sometimes the best driver in the sport doesn’t even qualify for the Championship Four and Harvick finished the season fifth in the point standings. I see no reason for Harvick and his Stewart-Haas Racing team to back off this season, though winning nine races in a year is probably not going to happen again.

3. Denny Hamlin
Denny Hamlin is without a doubt the greatest active driver in NASCAR without a championship and I don’t think it’s even close at this point. In fact, he may have surpassed Mark Martin as the greatest bridesmaid in NASCAR history. With 13 wins in the last two seasons, he’s been right on the cusp of getting that title, but I have him coming up just short once again this season.

4. Kyle Busch
Last season was certainly the most challenging of Kyle Busch’s tenure with Joe Gibbs Racing. It looked like he’d have the first season of is career without a win, until he finally found Victory Lane at Texas at the end of the season. It was shocking to see a guy who likely has more talent than any other driver in the garage to struggle without practice sessions. I think Busch will get back to his winning ways this season, after all he averaged 5.4 wins in the five seasons prior to last year.

5. Martin Truex Jr.
It honestly feels weird having Martin Truex Jr. outside of my top four given the last few seasons he’s had on the track. Never has a driver gone from disappointing to Hall of Famer as quickly and as late in a career as Truex has. Winning only a single race last season after winning four or more in the previous four seasons was kind of a shocker, but he still had 14 top-5 finishes. It seems highly likely he’ll be in contention.

6. Joey Logano
Joey Logano is perhaps the most aggressive driver in the Cup Series, which works for him often and sometimes works against him. He’s won a race every season since 2011 and most years wins multiple times. Honestly, you can flip-flop him here with Keselowski, whom I’ve placed one spot below him, but I’ll give Logano the sixth spot because he’s won a title more recently.

7. Brad Keselowski
Brad Keselowski has won at least three races in every season since 2015 and has won a race in every season of his career, except for his rookie year. He finished second last season to champion Chase Elliott, although I’m not sure how many will even remember that. He’s always going to be in the hunt.

8. Ryan Blaney
Ryan Blaney seems like the driver most likely to make the next big step and possibly compete for a championship. He’s won a race in each of the last four seasons, but never multiple races in a year. That’s the next thing I need to see from him. I just can’t put him above the first seven drivers on this list, six of whom are former champions.

9. Kyle Larson
Kyle Larson is a major question mark for me as he missed most of last season after being fired by Chip Ganassi Racing and all of his sponsors after being suspended for dropping a racist slur during an iRacing event. Hendrick Motorsports signed him this off-season and Larson has certainly be on fire driving in dirt events. I was shocked to see former Cup stars like Dale Earnhardt Jr., Dale Jarrett and Jeff Burton predicting him to make the Championship Four this year. I truly don’t know where those predictions are coming from. But I would expect to see him in the playoffs.

10. Alex Bowman
Alex Bowman has won one race in each of the last two seasons and I expect he’ll get at least one more win this season to qualify for the playoffs, but he hasn’t shown me yet that he’s capable of making it to that final four championship race yet.

11. William Byron
William Byron got his first career Cup Series win last year at Daytona in the cutoff race to qualify for the playoffs. I think more wins are likely to start coming for the 23-year old, but at this point he’s probably only the fourth best driver on his own team at Hendrick Motorsports.

12. Kurt Busch
Kurt Busch is a consistent driver. He’s won at least one race since the 2013 season (and every year but 2015 when he won twice) he wins exactly one race – that’s good enough for the automatic clinch into the playoffs. He simply doesn’t win enough to be a champion though at this stage in his career. His best playoff finish in those last seven years is seventh.  

13. Matt DiBenedetto 
Matt DiBenedetto has been on the cusp of winning his first career Cup Series race a couple of times over the last two seasons. I just feel like 2021 is going to be the year for him to finally make Victory Lane and clinch a playoff spot. He was able to point his way into the playoffs last season. DiBenedetto has extra incentive to win this year to show prospective teams he can do it as he’s on a one-year contract with Wood Brothers Racing and will be replaced in the ride by 2020 Xfinity Series champion Austin Cindric for 2022.

14. Christopher Bell
Christopher Bell had a rough rookie season last year driving the now defunct No. 95 for Leavine Family Racing, but 2020 was likely the hardest season to be a rookie in the Cup Series with practice sessions being wiped out due to COVID-19 protocols for the majority of the year. He’s been promoted to Joe Gibbs Racing for 2021 and I think we’ll see the talent that came through in the Xfinity Series and Camping World Truck Series and the Cup Series has added a dirt race at Bristol this season and Bell is an expert on the surface and could see his first Cup win at the track.

15. Aric Almirola
Aric Almirola has made the Cup Series playoffs the last three years, pointing his way in the last two seasons without a win, but hasn’t had much success in the playoffs being eliminated in the first round those last two seasons. I think he’ll likely earn enough points to get himself there again.

16. Chase Briscoe
I don’t typically like projecting rookies to make the NASCAR playoffs because it doesn’t often happen, but I’m going to go out on a small limb and say Chase Briscoe gets into the 16-driver field. His Stewart-Haas Racing teammate Cole Custer made it last year as a rookie by winning a race and I think Briscoe should be even better. Briscoe had a terrific Xfinity Series campaign in 2020 winning nine races before being promoted to the Cup Series.

by Julian Spivey
Can you imagine getting to see Michael Jordan take on LeBron James in an NBA Finals or perhaps a matchup of Greg Maddux facing Mike Trout in a World Series?
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Rarely do you get to see all-time greats of different eras matchup in a championship game, but in Super Bowl LV this weekend between the Tampa Bay Buccaneers and the defending champion Kansas City Chiefs we have such a matchup. The G.O.A.T (or greatest of all-time) Tom Brady is quarterbacking the Buccs, in his first season with the team after an entire career of making and winning Super Bowls with the New England Patriots, and he’s still one of the best gunslingers in the league at 43-years old. The Chiefs have the best and most exciting active player in the league leading their team to its second straight Super Bowl in quarterback Patrick Mahomes, who’s already a league MVP and champion at just 25-years old.

This is an all-time matchup, possibly the greatest quarterback matchup in Super Bowl history, but that’s kind of hard to nail down as there has not been a shortage of hall of fame quarterback matchups in the history of the Super Bowl. Some lived up to expectations and others were incredibly lopsided like Joe Montana’s San Francisco 49ers lambasting John Elway’s Denver Broncos 55-10 in Super Bowl XXIV in 1990. I hope for NFL fans everywhere Super Bowl LV is much closer than that game.

I would say this year’s QB matchup is certainly the best since at least 2011 when Aaron Rodgers and the Green Bay Packers defeated Ben Roethlisberger and the Pittsburgh Steelers in Super Bowl XLV. No offense meant to the QB matchup of Brady (with the Patriots at the time) and Russell Wilson of the Seattle Seahawks in Super Bowl XLIX, but I think Mahomes has had a better early career than Wilson had.

Some other genuinely great QB matchups in Super Bowl history include Drew Brees (New Orleans Saints) vs. Peyton Manning (Indianapolis Colts) in 2010, Tom Brady (Patriots) vs. Kurt Warner (St. Louis Rams) in 2002 (the game that started Brady’s hall of fame resume), John Elway (Broncos) vs. Brett Favre (Green Bay Packers) in 1998, Troy Aikman (Dallas Cowboys) vs. Jim Kelly (Buffalo Bills) in 1993, Terry Bradshaw (Pittsburgh Steelers) vs. Roger Staubach (Dallas Cowboys) in both 1976 and 1979 and you can’t forget Super Bowl I in 1967 when Bart Starr’s Green Bay Packers defeated Len Dawson’s Chiefs. Joe Montana against Dan Marino isn’t too shabby, of course, either, but that one turned out a lot like Montana versus Elway.

I have more giddy anticipation for Super Bowl LV this weekend than I think I’ve ever had in more than a quarter-century watching Super Bowls. That anticipation is almost completely due to this all-time matchup of getting to see Brady against Mahomes. The greatest against the guy who could one day be the greatest (though Brady’s 10 Super Bowls are almost likely unmatchable – he’s made more Super Bowl appearances than any team in S.B. history except for the Patriots and they only went to two games prior to Brady being on that team).

As much as I’m psyching up this matchup and game for myself it basically means it’ll have to be a barn-burner to the end for it to live up to these high expectations – but it gives me some hope in a year that’s been mostly hopeless.

Brady vs. Mahomes is a once in a lifetime championship matchup. In the words of Bart Scott, “CAN’T WAIT!” 

by Julian Spivey
Super Bowl LV has the makings of an instant classic, especially with the quarterback matchup featuring the greatest of all-time Tom Brady for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers and the greatest in the game today Patrick Mahomes for the Kansas City Chiefs. Brady is in his record 10th Super Bowl. Mahomes is in his second straight trying to lead the Chiefs to being the first back-to-back champions since Brady’s New England Patriots almost two decades ago.
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Let’s just say if this game only manages to be just good, it might actually be a letdown. But where do these two teams stack up on paper? Where are the advantages for each squad? Let’s find out …

Quarterback:
As I said in the opening paragraph Tom Brady is the G.O.A.T. and Patrick Mahomes is the greatest currently in the game. Brady has way more experience in the big game, but the 25-year old Mahomes already has a championship ring of his own and did so in dramatic comeback fashion last year against the San Francisco 49ers, as he and his team seem accustomed to doing. Brady simply does not have big game jitters and it truly doesn’t seem Mahomes does either. So, does the advantage go to the old veteran or the young buck? I have to go with Mahomes just based on being the best the game has right now. Mahomes is also the single most talented player I’ve ever seen in more than two decades of watching the NFL. He does stuff on the field nobody else does. Maybe Brady and the Buccaneers will outsmart Mahomes, but we’ll have to wait for Sunday to find out.

Edge: Chiefs

Running Back:
I’m honestly not sure what to do here … this one is so close. In doing research for this article, I’ve looked at breakdowns from multiple experts and they seem just as torn on which team has the edge at running back as I do. Some have said the Chiefs, while other prefer the Buccaneers. If I’m going on season-long advantages I choose the Chiefs whose standout rookie Clyde Edwards-Helaire had a terrific season rushed for 803 yards and likely would’ve topped 1,000 without a hip and ankle injury, that kept him out of the team’s first playoff game before he returned against the Buffalo Bills in the AFC Championship game in which he only had six carries for seven yards, though did score a touchdown. The Buccaneers have been using a tandem of Leonard Fournette and Ronald Jones that’s worked well for the, especially in the playoffs with Fournette particularly, who has scored touchdown in all three of the Buccs playoff games thus far. I also have to worry about a rookie like Edwards-Helaire possibly having hitters. I’m going to lean toward Tampa Bay having the advantage here.

Edge: Buccaneers

Wide Receivers:
The Chiefs number one receiver Tyreek Hill is the most talented receiver in this game. I’m confident in that. Potentially the fastest receiver in the league Hill completely alters defenses and had a huge year with 17 touchdowns and 1,399 yards from scrimmage. But the Buccaneers receiver corps in general is better than the Chiefs as a whole. The Buccs leading receiver Mike Evans had his seventh consecutive 1,000 yard receiving season this year. The Buccs’ no. 2 guy Chris Godwin had seven touchdowns and 840 receiving yards in 12 games, whereas the Chiefs no. 2 guy Sammy Watkins hasn’t played yet in the playoffs due to a calf injury but hopes to suit up for the big game despite having limited practice. The Buccs third option at receiver is Antonio Brown, one of the game’s most talented receivers when he’s not letting his mouth and ego get in the way. He’s got a bit of the injury bug himself having missed the NFC Championship against the Green Bay Packers with a knee injury but should be good to go. Mecole Hardman can break some big plays for K.C. with his speed, so he could be a guy to watch.

Edge: Buccaneers

Tight End:
Travis Kelce is the best tight end in the NFL. I really don’t even think it’s close at the moment either. He’s Mahomes no. 1 target at all times and even with defenses knowing this full-well going into games he’s rarely ever stopped. Kelce’s 1,416 receiving yards this season are the most all-time for a tight end. Buccaneers tight end Rob Gronkowski, who came out of retirement to re-team with Brady this season, is a no-brainer hall of famer once his career is done for real, but he seems to be playing more of a blocking role for the Buccs this season. Cameron Brate seemed to be Brady’s main tight end target in the playoffs, but a back injury has him limited.

Edge: Chiefs

Offensive Line:
The biggest gap at any position between the Chiefs and Buccaneers seems to be at offensive line. The Chiefs have been decimated by players on the O-Line opting out of the season due to COVID-19 and injury, with their Pro Bowl tackle Eric Fisher going down to a torn Achilles in the AFC Championship. The Buccaneers have the advantage everywhere on the O-Line, except for maybe right guard where veteran Stefan Wisniewski is holding down the fort. Patrick Mahomes might be doing an awful lot of scrambling in the big game, which he seems really adept at but after suffering a concussion in the Chiefs first playoff game is probably something fans of the team don’t want to see much. Ndamukong Suh, Jason Pierre-Paul and others are definitely going to be gunning for him knowing the state the Chiefs O-Line is currently in. It might even be one of the biggest stories of the game.

Edge: Buccaneers

Defense:
The defenses of the Buccaneers and Chiefs are remarkably close, which could definitely make for a close game. The Buccs had the ninth best defense in the league this season when it came to giving up points allowing 22.3 per game. How close are the Chiefs? They were tenth in the league allowing 22.4. Yeah, it’s that close. The Buccaneers have a better defensive line led by Ndamukong Suh, though the Chief’s defensive end Frank Clark is an imposing figure too. The Buccs also have a better linebacking corp. So, Tampa has the advantage when it comes to trying to get to the quarterback and stopping the run game. The Chiefs have the advantage in the secondary, led by veteran safety Tyrann Mathieu, which is good for them because the Buccs are such a threat in the passing game. I hate ties, but occasionally they happen in the NFL (but not the Super Bowl, of course), but I can’t give one of the defenses an edge over the other.

Edge: Push

Special Teams:
Chiefs return man Mecole Hardman is one of the fastest guys in the league and could be exciting to watch. He’ll definitely have to keep his nerves under wraps though, he had a huge muffed punt in the AFC Championship against Buffalo that gave the Bills an advantage early. When it comes to the kicking game Harrison Butker for K.C. is one of the best in the game with one of the biggest legs – though sometimes gets the yips on the chip-shots. Ryan Succop, who used to play for the Chiefs, had one of the best seasons of his career for the Buccaneers going 28-for-31 in field goal attempts. I don’t expect either Butker or Succop to have any big issues.

Edge: Chiefs

Coach:
What a year for the old guys, right? Bruce Arians of the Buccaneers is the third oldest coach in the NFL at 67 (behind 69-year old Pete Carroll of the Seattle Seahawks and 68-year old Bill Belichick of the Patriots). Andy Reid is the fifth oldest coach in the league at almost 63. These guys have been around the block a time or two. This will be Reid’s third Super Bowl in his coaching career (he’s 1-1). It’ll be Arians’ Super Bowl debut as a head coach, though he was an assistant in two with the Pittsburgh Steelers. I have to go with Reid for the edge though simply because he’s won the big game before (just last year).

Edge: Chiefs

It’s interesting to note that this will be the second matchup of the season between these two teams. They met up in week 12 and it was a doozy of a game with the Chiefs winning 27-24. The Chiefs dominated time of possession in that game by more than 13 minutes but couldn’t put the game away as the Buccaneers roared almost all the way back scoring 14 in the fourth quarter.

Prediction:
One of the hardest things to do in sports these days is seemingly win back-to-back Super Bowls, but the Chiefs have, in my opinion (and I realized how the Steelers began the regular season), have been the best team in the league all year and the team to beat. I’m expecting (or at least really hoping) for a tight game all the way through and it might come down to a big play or two late, but I think the Chiefs are going to repeat.

Chiefs over Buccaneers 

​Super Bowl LV is Sunday, February 7 at 5:30 p.m. central standard time on CBS.