NFL midseason contenders and pretenders among teams with best records
Kansas City Chiefs (7-1) – NFL Contenders
This is another entry that isn’t surprising, as of course the defending Super Bowl champions are contenders to win it again this season. The Kansas City Chiefs started the season 4-0, slipped up against the Raiders, and then won three straight games and look like their regular selves.
The scary part about the Chiefs this year is that Patrick Mahomes hasn’t had to win games for them. He’s not always throwing for 400+ yards and five touchdowns (though he did so against the Jets) and the Chiefs are still winning games pretty handily.
Their defense has had its moments and still isn’t great against the run, but they force turnovers and rank third in points allowed per game. The way they played against both the Ravens and Bills shows they’re able to slow down good offenses and those are the kind of teams they’re going to see in the playoffs.
While it’s incredibly tough to make it to (and win) back-to-back Super Bowls, the Kansas City Chiefs sure look up to the task this season. They’re most definitely contenders because outside of the Steelers, it doesn’t look like they have a ton of true competition on the AFC side of things.
New Orleans Saints (5-2) – NFL Pretenders
The New Orleans Saints have been a weird team this season. They’re 5-2 despite not having Michael Thomas for the last month and Drew Brees definitely looks to be on his last leg as a starting quarterback in the NFL. The secondary has really had its fair share of problems as well and considering the NFL is a passing league now, that makes it tricky for a team like the Saints come playoff time.
Even still, the Saints are 5-2 and currently second in the division since the Bucs have one more win due to not having their bye week yet. New Orleans has a huge game this weekend against Tampa Bay and that game could very well decide who wins the division and gets to host a playoff game.
The Saints are winning games, but their offense isn’t much without Alvin Kamara and their defense is very hit and miss. Throw in that Brees is declining and the receiving options are scarce and I just don’t see New Orleans making it deep into the playoffs this year.