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.
2. Washington Commanders
For some reason, the Washington Commanders thought going after Carson Wentz was a good idea, despite having a front-row seat in the NFC East as he wore out his welcome with the Philadelphia Eagles two seasons after signing a massive extension. Wentz then joined the Indianapolis Colts, where an apology was issued by the coach to the owner for vouching for him.
That came after they unloaded him on Washington, where he was 2-4 as the starter. His second win was in his final start as they defeated the Chicago Bears but that was in a 12-7 snoozefest which included just 99 yards for the former No. 2 overall pick.
Washington finally turned to Taylor Heinicke over the next six games and he’s gone 5-1 with a win over the best team in the NFL — they knocked off Philly in Week 10, the only franchise to hand the 10-1 Eagles a loss. The second-best record in the NFC belongs to the Vikings at 9-2, and that’s the one team to beat Heinicke, securing a 20-17 win in Week 9.
Much like the Patriots, the Commanders find themselves in a strong division as their 7-5 record has them in last place, one-half game behind the Giants. They’re unlikely to catch the Eagles or even Dallas, but they don’t have to. In fact, the NFC overall hasn’t been too impressive and the Commanders are No. 7 in the conference right now, a half-game ahead of Seattle for the final playoff spot.
Should they be able to sneak into the tournament, they can be a lot of fun — and can be a tough out. Heinicke brings an electric style of play and has no fear. Players with that combination can often catch fire, and that might be all it takes for them to make a run.
1. Cleveland Browns
Admittedly, this is the longest of long shots out there. But stranger things have happened.
Entering Week 13, the Cleveland Browns are just 4-7, and the idea that they can make the playoffs feels almost laughable. That is until you really look at what they accomplished without starting quarterback Deshaun Watson.
Cleveland is fifth overall in yards on offense and 11th in scoring. They accomplished this thanks to a dominant running game, which is fifth in the NFL, and a decent aerial attack which has them 15th in passing yards. With Watson coming back, they’re going to get better at moving the ball through the air, and they’ll also improve when it comes to passing touchdowns as they’re 23rd in the league right now with just 12.
That change would have been a huge difference for them in the first 11 games. Cleveland had just two losses by more than eight points — at the hands of the Miami Dolphins and New England Patriots. They had one loss to the Buffalo Bills by eight points. Then there were four losses by three points or fewer.
This includes the meltdown against the Jets, the loss to Atlanta where Brissett threw a pick on the final drive, and then there was the atrocious pass interference call against Amari Cooper that cost them a touchdown in the three-point loss to Baltimore.
Another thing that stood out early is how tough the schedule was. They took on just four teams with losing records — but one was the Tampa Bay Bucs with Tom Brady ‚— and had to play four teams that are considered top Super Bowl threats in Miami, Cincinnati, Buffalo, and the Ravens.
Going forward, they have three teams with losing records in their final six games as well as three divisional games — and they’re currently 2-1 in the AFC North. It’s not crazy to think they can go 6-0 or 5-1, and if they do, they could sneak into the playoffs and be a team to watch.