6. Chicago Bears
Wow. What a game. The Chicago Bears now move to 11-4 on the season with their overtime win over the Green Bay Packers on Saturday. Chicago clawed their way back in the fourth quarter and had to recover an onside kick and win the game in overtime.
Caleb Williams made some sensational throws in this one, including the game-tying touchdown and the game-winning touchdown, which was a deep pass to DJ Moore. With the win, the Bears are now two wins ahead of the Green Bay Packers, and it seems like it would take a massive collapse for Chicago to not win the NFC North this year.
It’s truly been a total 180 for the Bears, as first-year head coach Ben Johnson has made quick work of this turnaround and might just be the Coach of the Year at this rate. Chicago absolutely still has some roster flaws, but this team is for real, and if they can hold onto the NFC North lead, they could win a playoff game or two.
5. New England Patriots
New England will have played on Sunday Night Football
The New England Patriots will have played the Baltimore Ravens on Sunday Night Football, and while I think the Patriots are a very good team, I could see a scenario where they lose here, as the Ravens are clearly in a desperation situation and might have to win out to earn a playoff spot.
It is virtually impossible at this point for the Ravens to earn a Wild Card seed, so it might be AFC North title or bust, as crazy as that sounds. Anyway, the Patriots blew a 21-point lead at home to the Buffalo Bills in Week 15, and I think the late-season inexperience from this young squad was showing in the second half of that game.
Mike Vrabel has been an excellent head coach for this team, but there is a degree of ‘house money’ with the Patriots, and I am not sure this team’s ceiling is very high heading into the playoffs.
Drake Maye is going to get a ton of MVP votes this year, but you can see some chinks in the armor with the Pats.