NFL Playoffs 2021: Contenders and pretenders with all 14 teams

Green Bay Packers running back Aaron Jones (33) runs for a gain against Chicago Bears inside linebacker Roquan Smith (58) during their football game Sunday, Jan. 3, 2021, at Soldier Field in Chicago, Ill.Dan Powers/USA TODAY NETWORK-WisconsinApc Packvsbears 0103210201djp /

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NFL: Contenders and pretenders for all 14 playoff teams

Kansas City Chiefs, Indianapolis Colts (Photo by David Eulitt/Getty Images) /

2021 NFL Playoffs Contender: Kansas City Chiefs

It’s really tough to repeat as Super Bowl champions, but the Chiefs have put themselves in a good position to do just that. They locked up the No. 1 seed and the AFC’s only first-round bye with their 14-2 record and Patrick Mahomes is still the quarterback of the Chiefs, which is why they’ll always be the favorite in nearly every game they’re playing in.

There are some worries with the Chiefs, namely their inability to put opponents away late in the game, but as long as Mahomes is the quarterback, Kansas City is a contender for sure.

2021 NFL Playoffs Pretender: Indianapolis Colts

Once again, we have a No. 1 seed as a contender and a No. 7 seed as a pretender. The Colts had a good season, but they’re too inconsistent to make a deep run in the playoffs. At times, their defense is tremendous, other times, they’re giving up over 40 points and struggling to stop anyone.

The offense is fine and if Jonathan Taylor plays as well as he has been over the last month, the Colts could make some noise. Considering their first game is in Buffalo, however, it seems unlikely that Indy is going to win three road playoffs to make the Super Bowl.

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