We are one-third of the way through the NFL season, and now it is time to know who the leagues contenders are versus the pretenders. The two current favorites in the AFC are the New England Patriots and the Kansas City Chiefs, who played each other in a 43-40 shootout that resulted in a Patriots victory. Both of these teams have high octane and electric offenses, putting up astronomical numbers.
Second year player Patrick Mahomes and the Chiefs offense are averaging 37 points per game this year, and Tom Brady’s offense is averaging 31 ppg, ranking first and fourth in the league. However, their defenses have struggled, ranking 20 (Pats) and 22 (Chiefs) in points allowed per game, which would concern me down the road for both teams due to the fact that they rank in the bottom three of team defensive sacks. But with these offenses, I believe they are the current leading favorites in the AFC in what could be a rematch to decide who goes to the final game of the year.
The question is, where will it be played? The team that gets the one seed to clinch homefield advantage throughout the playoffs will go to the super bowl.
Other notable teams to look out for in the AFC include most of the AFC north, with the Pittsburgh Steelers, Baltimore Ravens, and Cincinnati Bengals. Of these teams, the Ravens have by far the best defense, which ranks first in yards per game and points per game.
The Steelers’ offense is flying high after early struggles, as Ben Roethlisberger and Antonio Brown lead what is probably the second or third best offense in the AFC. This division is going to be a grinder to find out who gets to go to the playoffs, but I think the Steelers and Ravens are contenders and the Bengals are pretenders.
Other AFC teams to look out for are the LA Chargers at 4-2 who can contend well with Kansas City for the division, and the Houston Texans riding a four game winning streak as the Jacksonville Jaguars have plummeted to the point that their quarterback, Blake Bortles, might have lost his starting job, becoming pretenders.
In the way more powerful NFC, the two top teams and offenses are the undefeated LA Rams, led by MVP candidates Jared Goff and Todd Gurley, who rank third in points per game, and the New Orleans Saints led by Drew Brees, who recently joined Brady as the only two active quarterbacks in the league with 500 career touchdowns. The Saints’ offense is as good as ever, and it’s defense is also playing well, allowing the lowest rushing yards per game in the league. In their division they have to contend with the Carolina Panthers, who could win the division as well.
I see both these teams as contenders, but former MVP Matt Ryan and his Atlanta Falcons have stumbled out of the gate with their horrible defense, making them pretenders, but I wouldn’t be shocked if they start to bounce back. I think other teams that are going to contend include the Minnesota Vikings in the NFC North who will beat out the Packers for a second straight season.
I think the Packers are a team that runs on Aaron Rodgers, so if he doesn’t play his best they lose and because of that they are pretenders. I think the Seahawks are reemerging as a good team that could contend for a wild card spot later in the season, but not much more with the Rams in their division.
The NFC East is still up for grabs, as the only team above .500 right now are the Washington Redskins who, if they can stay healthy, can be contenders. In the same division the former champions are attempting to recover from a super bowl hangover as the Eagles don’t look like the same team overall at 3-4.
I said it earlier in the year that the Rams will face the Vikings to go to the Super Bowl, and I still believe in that unless the Saints have anything to say about that. The AFC will depend on where the Patriots end up.
If New England clinches the one seed and homefield advantage, the dynasty will go for their second championship in four years. The one team that will worry Patriot fans will be the Ravens and their strong defense.