NFL midseason contenders and pretenders among teams with best records

Green Bay Packers, Davante Adams (Mandatory Credit: Jeff Hanisch-USA TODAY Sports)
Green Bay Packers, Davante Adams (Mandatory Credit: Jeff Hanisch-USA TODAY Sports) /
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Seattle Seahawks
Seattle Seahawks (Mandatory Credit: Joe Nicholson-USA TODAY Sports) /

Seattle Seahawks (6-1) – NFL Contenders

The easiest explanation to give for why the Seattle Seahawks are a contender is because Russell Wilson is their quarterback and he’s playing at an MVP level. The Legion of Boom is long gone in Seattle, but this franchise continues to win big games because of what Wilson can do on the gridiron.

Not only is the Legion of Boom gone, but Seattle’s defense has not been good this year, making what Wilson is doing even more impressive. The Seahawks play in the toughest division in the league and have only lost one game to this point (which came in overtime, mind you).

As long as Wilson is the quarterback of the Seahawks, they’re Super Bowl contenders.

Baltimore Ravens (5-2) – NFL Pretenders

This one might surprise some people because of how good the Baltimore Ravens were last year, but honestly, it shouldn’t. Lamar Jackson hasn’t impressed during the biggest games of his career and his lackluster performance against Pittsburgh this weekend shouldn’t go unnoticed.

Jackson is a stellar football player, but he hasn’t proven that he can win the big games yet. He played poorly in the Ravens’ two big games this season, which were also the team’s only two losses to this point. Also, Jackson is 0-2 in the playoffs.

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Until Jackson can shake off that narrative, he and the Ravens are pretenders right now.