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As we move into the month of December and enter the final four games of the regular season, the leaders are starting to separate themselves from the rest of the NFL pack. We have a pretty good idea of who’s going to be in the playoffs. Now we have to start separating the legitimate Super Bowl contenders from the rest of the league.
Here are the top 12 contenders to bring home a Super Bowl title this NFL season.
12) Tennessee Titans
One can’t ignore the Titans, who have reeled off six wins in their last seven games. However, there are a few cautionary signs about them. Only one of the wins during their recent stretch — a 23-20 victory over the Baltimore Ravens — was over a potential playoff team. Their loss was a blowout defeat to the Pittsburgh Steelers. For the season, they have allowed more points than they’ve scored, which may be representative of where they’re really at. Still, at 8-4 — and powered by a strong backfield pairing in DeMarco Murray and Derrick Henry — they can’t be completely dismissed.
11) Baltimore Ravens
They say defense wins championships, and by that adage alone, the Ravens have to be considered. They have allowed the third-fewest points in the NFL, though they’ll likely feel the loss of cornerback Jimmy Smith. The Ravens will more or less go as far as quarterback Joe Flacco and the offense can take them. It’s worth noting that Flacco has been a Super Bowl winner, though he had more weapons around him at that point in his career. If they can get competent play from Flacco, they have a real chance to do damage. Their issue is they just have to score enough points.
10) Atlanta Falcons
It’s far too soon to dismiss the reigning NFC champions. The talent that nearly won this team a Super Bowl a year ago is still in place, even if they haven’t been quite as good this season. The combination of Matt Ryan, Julio Jones, and Devonta Freeman is an extremely dangerous three-pronged attack. The defense remains in the top half in terms of points per game allowed, though they could stand to be a little bit sharper. The trick will be beating elite teams; they’ve knocked off the Seattle Seahawks on the road, but the Minnesota Vikings, Carolina Panthers, and New England Patriots have all gotten the better of them this season. That will obviously have to change, especially in a loaded NFC South.
9) Seattle Seahawks
The Seahawks were supposed to fade after losing Richard Sherman and Kam Chancellor to season-ending injuries. Instead, they seem to have stabilized, and they delivered an emphatic 24-10 win over the Philadelphia Eagles to re-establish their credentials. Russell Wilson is playing great football, but the key will be ensuring that their injury-riddled defense keeps it together. After all, we didn’t even mention Cliff Avril’s injury. If they can continue to stand tall — and Bobby Wagner will do his best to make sure that happens — the Seahawks are a legitimate Super Bowl contender.
8) Jacksonville Jaguars
Speaking of mean defenses, the Jaguars are helping set the standard in that department. No team in the league has allowed fewer points than Jacksonville, which has been suffocating opponents all season. They even managed to pick off Ben Roethlisberger five times earlier in the season. Jacksonville’s quarterback play is the question. Blake Bortles has been less than convincing at QB. The Jags will have to lean on Leonard Fournette and hope Bortles can keep the mistakes to a minimum. If that happens, they have a real chance to go far in the postseason.
7) Carolina Panthers
This isn’t the same Carolina team as it was two years ago, but the talent is still there. Despite his inconsistency early in the season, Cam Newton is turning things around and has not thrown an interception in his last four games. The Panthers have wins at New England and against Atlanta, and there are a lot of playoff-tested guys on this team. Certain aspects have to be better — their tackling, in particular, was really bad against the New Orleans Saints. Ultimately, though, the game-changing talent is here. Consistency and living up to it will be key.
6) New Orleans Saints
The Saints, who have never leaned heavily on the running game during the Sean Payton era, now have one. The emergence of Mark Ingram and Alvin Kamara has given New Orleans the third-most rush yards per game in the league. That has taken some pressure off Drew Brees, who isn’t the be-all end-all of the New Orleans offense anymore. With all that in mind, their 9-3 record is no surprise. The defense needs to be good enough, but the offense can win games on their own.
5) Los Angeles Rams
It’s safe to say the Rams have arrived much sooner than many would have expected them to. They boast an outstanding offense led by Jared Goff, who has really broken out this year. It’s supplemented by Todd Gurley, who has also bounced back from an underwhelming 2016. The defense is top ten as well, which means the Rams have a dangerous, well-rounded team. They haven’t faced a ton of quality opposition, though they did beat the Dallas Cowboys when they still had Ezekiel Elliott, as well as the Jaguars.
4) Pittsburgh Steelers
The Steelers will always be the Steelers. They’re strong on defense, which, as usual, will carry them in the playoffs. On offense, they have Ben Roethlisberger in charge of things, and he’s surrounded by two of the NFL’s elite weapons in Le’Veon Bell and Antonio Brown. It’s an extremely dangerous combination, and they’re playing amazing football right now. The team’s toughest remaining games — against Baltimore and New England — are both at home. That means there’s a very real possibility this team could enter the playoffs having not lost since the beginning of October.
3) Minnesota Vikings
People will continue to wonder whether Case Keenum is really this good, but the bottom line is that Keenum is playing like he’s this good. The Vikings’ solid offense has lots of playmakers around him, but the defense is the backbone of the team. This is a unit that has made the Atlanta Falcons and Los Angeles Rams look extremely ordinary this season. Minnesota, more than any other team, has shown a proven ability to beat other quality teams. This is easily their best chance at a Super Bowl since Brett Favre was under center, and maybe even longer than that.
2) New England Patriots
The Patriots will always be there, and after a shaky start to the season, they appear to have ironed out a lot of flaws. The defense that struggled so mightily early on has improved tremendously. Since Oct. 1, no team has hung more than 17 points on them. Tom Brady is still playing as well as he ever has. It’s so difficult to bet against the Patriots once the playoffs roll around, and Bill Belichick looks like he has his team poised for another run toward the promised land. The Pats are playing great ball and have won eight straight.
1) Philadelphia Eagles
Is this the year? Doug Pederson has engineered a remarkably quick turnaround in the City of Brotherly Love. A lot of that comes down to Carson Wentz, the second-year quarterback who may well claim MVP honors when the season concludes. Their balanced rushing attack is led by LeGarrette Blount and the newly-acquired Jay Ajayi, while Wentz himself is a mobile threat. The defense has been great, having allowed the third-fewest yards in the league. Only the Ravens have more interceptions. The Eagles look like they could be the complete package, but they’re a bit untested in the playoffs, and their loss to Seattle has raised some questions.
More must-reads:
- NFL MVP Watch: Tom Brady continues to soar
- Carson Wentz leads all NFL players in Pro Bowl votes
- The 'NFL Comeback Player of the Year' winners
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