At the time of this writing, the NFL season is halfway through, with Week 10 officially behind us.
This marks a good time to check in and see which teams are actual Super Bowl contenders, and which teams are just pretending to have a real shot at the Superbowl.
The first contender is the Washington Commanders. It has been a long time since the Commanders could be called a contender for the Superbowl. They are the second-best team in the NFC East going into Week 11 and they are looking red hot.
A lot of this is thanks to their new rookie quarterback, Jayden Daniels. He has a stunningly high completion percentage for a rookie at 68.7% going into Week 11, the 9th highest in the NFL. He also only has two interceptions, the fewest turnovers from a rookie since the 90s.
Terry McLaurin has also had a big impact on their success. He has already caught nine touchdown passes this season, only one away from his career high. He has also had four 100+ receiving-yard games this season, which is also only one more game away from a career-high.
Both McLaurin and Daniels have played a big role in the Commanders being able to perform in the red zone.
The first pretender is the Houston Texans. The Texans have been looking rocky losing three of their last four games since starting the season 5-1.
CJ Stroud has only had two touchdowns in the previous four games after having 10 in the first six games of the season. With teams having had more time to analyze Stroud’s play with him no longer being a rookie, teams have had an easier time shutting him down.
The team is riddled with important injuries, with Stephon Diggs out for the season, and Nico Collins still hurt.
The only thing keeping the Texans from drowning at the moment is Joe Mixon, who is averaging 93.6 rushing yards, third-most in the NFL.
It is sad to see them struggling after having such an explosive season last year.
The second contender is the Philadelphia Eagles. The Eagles had a very rocky start to the season, beginning the season 3-2, with head coach Nick Sirianni on the hot seat.
However, since their early Week 6 bye, they have been on an amazing 5-0 run, turning things around immensely.
Quarterback Jalen Hurts has had 14 touchdowns and only one turnover since the bye.
Saquon Barkley is out here doing backward hurdles, and he has the second-highest rushing yards in the league (991).
Their defense has also shown up, Since Week six, they are first in the NFL in total defense (214.5 ypg), passing defense (141.0 ypg), rushing defense (73.5 ypg), defensive points allowed per game (11.0), and sacks (16).
They have emerged at the midpoint of the season as true contenders.
The second pretender is the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. The Buccaneers’ offense has been struggling without their top two receivers, Mike Evans and Chris Godwin, but their main problem is on the defensive side.
The Bucs have allowed 31.3 points per game over a six-week stretch, one of the highest in the NFL right now.
They are fourth in the NFL in blitz rate, but they are only 16th in pressure rate. Because of this layout, that means a defensive lineman is out in coverage, leaving the defense to get beat easily.
As the season enters its crucial second half, these contenders and pretenders can easily rise and fall. It is unpredictable what may happen with injuries or just plain bad luck, which is why these teams can rise or fall faster than you can say football.
