Last season, the Cincinnati Bengals came from nowhere to make it to the Super Bowl. This year, one of these three NFL teams could be a dark horse contender.
It’s not always the favorites that we see make it to the Super Bowl, which is what makes the NFL so much fun. Just last season, the Cincinnati Bengals came out of nowhere to make it to the title game.
Not long before that, the Philadelphia Eagles shocked everyone when they defeated the New England Patriots after making a run with a backup quarterback. Throw in the year Kurt Warner took the Arizona Cardinals to the big game and it’s not crazy to think someone can surprise us again in 2022.
With that being said, here’s a look at three dark horse Super Bowl contenders as we enter Week 13.
NFL 2022: 3 Darkhorse Super Bowl contenders
3. New England Patriots
It’s still odd seeing the New England Patriots at the bottom of the AFC East after years of dominance. But just because they’re in fourth right now doesn’t mean they’re a bad team. They’re also not facing an insurmountable deficit in their sudden powerhouse division.
At 6-5, they’re just two games behind the Miami Dolphins and Buffalo Bills. They’re also only one game behind the New York Jets, who also currently have the No. 7 seed — which is the final spot in the playoffs.
New England is sitting at eighth but there’s reason to believe they can be much better down the stretch. Despite a loss in Week 12, they saw Mac Jones finally put it all together against Minnesota. They also have some winnable games against the Arizona Cardinals and Las Vegas Raiders.
The real test will be their three divisional games, including two against the Bills. If they can find a way to win those matchups, they may do enough to get in. If they do, they have a stellar defense and a coach who knows how to win. That makes them contenders every time they step on the field.