The New England Patriots are the two-time defending AFC champions, but not many experts are picking Tom Brady and Co. to win their sixth Super Bowl in franchise history.
Not everyone has made their Super Bowl LIII predictions yet. Some people wait until the matchup is set, while others wait until the Divisional Round. The early predictions don't include many people favoring the Patriots, however.
This could be the result of the Patriots' inconsistent play this season, which led to an 11-5 record -- the team's worst since 2009 when it went 10-6. New England ended the season in fine form, though, crushing the Buffalo Bills and New York Jets by a combined score of 62-15 to secure the No. 2 seed in the AFC playoffs and a first-round bye.
The Patriots will play at home in Gillette Stadium for the Divisional Round at the very least. They were the league's only undefeated (8-0) home team in the regular season, so you have to like their chances of advancing to the AFC Championship Game for the eighth consecutive year.
Brady also has a sizable edge in playoff experience over the rest of the AFC quarterbacks, and three of them will be making their postseason debuts over the next two weeks.
Here are some early Super Bowl predictions from experts around the league.
Sporting News: Saints
CBS Sports: Chargers
FiveThirtyEight: Saints
Louis Riddick, ESPN: Bears
LaDainian Tomlinson, NFL Network: Chargers
David Carr, NFL Network: Saints
Albert Breer, MMQB: Saints
Robert Klemko, MMQB: Chiefs
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