We are now entering the home straight of the NFL regular season and there is still a lot up in the air over which teams will win the divisions or make the playoffs. Some of the favorites at the beginning of the year have already fallen away, while others have prevailed until this point at the very least.
The Super Bowl betting online markets have been incredibly busy in the last few months. But there are still some very important games to be played. Most people concentrate on predicting the winner of the Super Bowl, so we are going to take a look at which teams are most likely – in our opinion – to make it Glendale, Arizona as the AFC and NFC champs.
AFC Update
Before the season started it was the common understanding that the Buffalo Bills would finally end the hurt and win the Super Bowl thanks, mainly, to Josh Allen developing into the kind of quarterback that can beat anyone. That has largely come true as far as Allen goes – and the Bills have looked the part so far.
An early loss to the Miami Dolphins was seen as a momentarily blip, albeit one that could come back to bite in the race for the AFC East. Everything was looking good until week nine when the Bills lost to the Jets after a turnover on downs on the final drive. Buffalo then blew a double-digit lead for the second week in a row with a loss to a resurgent Minnesota. Now the Bills might not even win the division.
The Chiefs, Chargers and the Broncos were the other fancied teams before week one. The less said about those last two, the better. But Patrick Mahomes is still keeping Kansas City in with a chance of another Super Bowl appearance. A loss to the Bills in week six was seen as an indicator of how the AFC Championship game might go. But since then things have mostly been good.
An overtime win against the Titans after Kansas City’s bye week showed that this team is ready to go all the way and beating the Chargers just consolidated the belief that the AFC West will once again belong to the Chiefs. Miami, Baltimore and Tennessee will all feel as though they are in with a chance, but it does feel like another shoot-out between the Bills and Chiefs is on the cards.
Figure 2 Can the Vikings better the Eagles?
NFC Update
The entire league has been a little crazy this year. But the NFC has been even weirder than the AFC. The New York Giants have followed the Jets in making the Empire State a football hotbed again – and the Philadelphia Eagles were the last team to lose an undefeated record as late as week ten when they lost to Washington, who currently holds the bottom place in the division.
The Eagles now seem like they could go all the way and there doesn’t seem like many teams can keep up with them to get that all-important first round bye in the playoffs. There are a few tough games in the remaining weeks of the season though – and it is already clear that this year is far from predictable.
The number one challenger to the Eagles’ dominance in the conference has turned out to be from the NFC North. Even without Davante Adams, the Green Bay Packers were considered the top pick for the division when Aaron Rodgers agreed a new deal. But he is currently struggling in vain to achieve a winning record for his team, while the Vikings surge ahead.
Minnesota started the season well, losing out only to the Eagles in its first nine games. But pundits have been quick to point out that the majority of the victories have come with slender winning margins. A blowout home loss to the Cowboys in week 11 now has Vikings fans a little worried. But a relatively easy schedule run-in should see Minnesota safely in the playoffs.
Our Picks for the AFC and NFC Championships
There is still a lot of football to be played. But if we were to put our money on the AFC and NFC champs right now we would go with the Chiefs and the Eagles. That means more misery for the franchises from Buffalo and Minnesota. But no one ever said that this sport was easy.
