With the NFL season just about half over, it’s time to start predicting and sorting out the contenders from the pretenders.
Colts QB Peyton Manning calls signals at the line of scrimmage. (Photo provided by Lucas Rodgers) Most people would throw the Broncos, Vikings and Cowboys into the elite category, but I’m not convinced any of them are legitimate Super Bowl contenders.
The Broncos have a lot of talent and have played well so far, but they’ve been overachieving and the Ravens proved it with a 30-7 drubbing.
The Vikings clearly have plenty of talent as well, but Favre got out to a good start last year with the Jets only to miss the playoffs. The Vikings have established such a strong lead in the division that they’ll be able to hang on, but with a tough schedule the rest of the way, Favre will wear down, and they’ll back into the playoffs.
Same thing with the Cowboys: they have Super Bowl talent. But they do this every year – play very well early, establish expectations, and then fall on their faces late in the season. Until they prove otherwise, I can’t put them in the elite category.
Now for the Contenders.
Right now, there are six teams that have legitimate Super Bowl hopes. They are the Colts, Saints, Bengals, Steelers, Patriots and Eagles.
The Eagles have been showing that they can score from anywhere on the field with weapons such as Desean Jackson, Jeremy Maclin, Brent Celek and Brian Westbrook. Their defense is no slouch either, especially with the acquisition of middle linebacker Will Witherspoon and ball hawk Asante Samuel.
The Patriots ... are the Patriots as usual. They play very solid defense with a unit that’s ranked sixth in league. They also have plenty of play makers in the form of Randy Moss, Wes Welker and a stable of solid running backs. Not to mention they still have Mr. Clutch himself, Tom Brady.
The Steelers are doing their usual thing. Once again they are ranked in the top 10 in defense and are now sporting the league’s sixth ranked offense behind quarter back Ben Roethlisberger, who, let’s not forget, already has two championships in his young career.
The Bengals, on the other hand, are in fairly unfamiliar territory, having only been to the playoffs once in this decade. Although they don’t have very flashy rankings, they’ve just been finding ways to win tough football games against teams like the Steelers, Packers, Bears and Ravens.
The Saints seem to be the sexy pick to go all the way, and with good reason. They have the leagues top ranked offense, and a defense that seems to make big plays at big moments. Not to mention they have one of the best quarterbacks in Drew Brees and are stocked with talented weapons for him to utilize.
The team that seems poised to win it all this year is the Indianapolis Colts.
Perennial pro-bowler Peyton Manning leads a team of well balanced athletes with young talented players and battle tested veterans. The Colts are second in the league in points scored and first in points allowed. Also, many of the Colts players have been together for a number of years, most notably Reggie Wayne and Dallas Clark, Manning’s two favorite targets.
We can expect them to be playing against the Saints in what will surely be a very high scoring Super Bowl between the game’s two best offenses.
However, the games aren’t played on paper and both of these teams have a long way to go with plenty of tough competition to get through first.
Expect the other elite teams to make a push to play on football’s biggest stage. Also, don’t sleep on the Giants, Ravens, Bears or Packers just yet.
Contact Tim Brennan at
communitarian@mail.dccc.edu
