Now that we are halfway through the 2022 NFL regular season, it’s about time we start looking at the playoff picture. It’s incredible that the NFC East has three teams that have six or more wins, that the Seattle Seahawks are leading the NFC West and that the Minnesota Vikings have a 4.5-game lead over the Green Bay Packers in the NFC North. Will it stay this way, or are things bound to change?
Below, we will sort out the contenders and pretenders in the NFL. We will discuss all eight division leaders, and then the other teams that have the best records in the NFL. There are a few interesting teams that we won’t discuss here such as the Atlanta Falcons, San Francisco 49ers, Los Angeles Chargers and Cincinnati Bengals, but here are 12 teams right in the thick of the playoff race that we perceive to be either contenders or pretenders.
Contenders
The Bills have been the odds-on favorite to win Super Bowl LVII for some time now, and that hasn’t changed … even after their Week 9 loss to the New York Jets. Josh Allen did not look like himself on Sunday, as he threw for 205 yards, zero touchdowns and two interceptions. The Bills are prone to have one or two of these losses a year. Remember when they lost to Urban Meyer and the Jacksonville Jaguars on the road last season? Statistically, the Bills still have the No. 1 offense in the NFL, and the No. 4 defense. The Bills are also 3-0 vs. current division leaders, beating the Baltimore Ravens, Kansas City Chiefs and Tennessee Titans. They face another division leader this week in the Vikings. There is one concerning unknown: Allen’s elbow injury is worrisome.
Kansas City Chiefs (6-2, 1st in AFC West)
The Chiefs are perennial contenders with Patrick Mahomes under center, although they didn’t exactly “wow” NFL fans in prime time in Week 9. Mike Vrabel showed up with a rookie quarterback and zero wide receivers and took the Chiefs to overtime. Still, Mahomes leads the NFL in passing yards (2,605) and passing touchdowns (21) this season. He’s on pace for an NFL single-season record 5,535 passing yards, and JuJu Smith-Schuster is rising to the occasion as his new No. 1 target. Plus, it’s hard not to be intrigued by the addition of Kadarius Toney. The Chiefs may be prepared to play their best football, as Andy Reid’s squad has won 23 straight games in November and December.
Kansas City statistically has the No. 2 offense behind…
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