5 Super Bowl pretenders after Week 12 of 2021 NFL season

The holiday season is one fueled by dreams, and the NFL's is no different: as the calendar flips to December, almost every one of the league's 32 teams is either in a playoff spot and the Super Bowl hopes that come with it or within striking distance of them.

Alas, however, like every kid who wanted a PlayStation and ended up with tube socks, disappointment is part of the process, especially in the last week of November.

Which NFL teams have had to put their Super Bowl dreams on hold after Week 12?

Pressure from Jadeveon Clowney did little to shift the Browns' fate in the NFL's Sunday night showcase (Photo: Getty)

Cleveland Browns

Only the star-crossed Browns could allow 16 points or less five times over a six-game stretch and post a 3-3 mark in that full span. Only the Browns, perhaps, could force an NFL MVP candidate like Lamar Jackson into four aerial mistakes and still come up empty. But that's the situation the Browns find themselves in as they try to create consecutive NFL playoff berths for the first time since the late 80s.

Sitting at 6-6, and right behind a logjam for the final AFC wild card spot, the Browns might have a friend in the NFL's schedule-making department. They're about to enjoy a rare December bye week and have an instant opportunity for redemption against the same Baltimore Ravens that beat them on Sunday night. It'll mean nothing, however, if their offense doesn't wake up.

The endeavor became a little more difficult on Tuesday: lead blocker Jack Conklin is out for the season after suffering a torn patella tendon in his first half of action after returning from an elbow injury that required a trip to injured reserve.

The Cowboys were the victims of a Marcus Mariota touchdown during the NFL's Thanksgiving showcase (Photo: Getty)

Dallas Cowboys

It was anything but a happy holiday for the Cowboys, who dropped their third consecutive Thanksgiving contest in heartbreaking fashion. A classic marred by penalties ended with Dallas on the wrong end of a 36-33 overtime shootout against the Las Vegas Raiders. Though the Cowboys (7-4) have picked the "right" games to lose — each of their last three losses have come against AFC competition — November was a concerning stretch for America's Team.

They've dropped three of their last four games and let up a season-worst 509 yards to the Raiders. After forcing 14 turnovers over their first six games, they've taken away only five over the most recent five.

An NFC East title also isn't as assured as it once was: both Philadelphia and Washington are only two games behind the Cowboys in the win column with three matchups remaining against the two rivals.

The pressure's on Justin Herbert and the Chargers as December looms (Photo: Getty)

Los Angeles Chargers

On paper, the Chargers (6-5) should be an offensive juggernaut more than capable of keeping pace in the AFC West. Yet, they've been a roller-coaster since a 4-1 start, having gone 2-4 since and unable to string together consecutive wins since their bye back in Week 7. Last Sunday provided a chance to keep pace with the idle Chiefs and put a fellow divisional chaser in dire straits, but they fell by a 28-13 final to the Denver Broncos. A pair of Justin Herbert interceptions, both landing in the arms of Patrick Surtain II in enemy territory, sealed LA's fate.

Tiebreakers currently bestow the final AFC playoff spot to the Chargers ahead of their divisional brethren from Denver and Las Vegas. Half of their remaining games, one against each foe, serve as an AFC West civil war.

The Vikings will be without running back Dalvin Cook for a good portion of the stretch run (Photo: Getty)

Minnesota Vikings

Sunday's loss to the San Francisco 49ers was painful in more ways than one for Minnesota (5-6): not only did they drop a crucial 34-26 contest against a wild card foe and kill whatever remote chance they had for the NFC North crown, but they also lost one of the NFL's premier playmakers in Dalvin Cook. The rusher is expected to return before the year lets out, but the team will be without one of its most potent weapons for at least the next two weeks.

This loss makes these next three games de facto must-wins. The slate is manageable (at Detroit, Pittsburgh and Chicago) but nothing has come easy for the inconsistent Vikings this year.

A crucial drop from Jalen Reagor (Photo: Getty)

Philadelphia Eagles

Entering Sunday's game, the Eagles were slowly trending toward earning the NFL's "Team You Don't Want to See in the Postseason" trope. They had won three of their last four, the Cowboys were in somewhat of a free fall, and they were facing a Giants team that had just fired its offensive coordinator. Philadelphia had also owned the long-standing NFC East rivalry, having won eight of their last nine against Big Blue and last being swept by the Giants in 2007.

But a third "Miracle at the Meadowlands" wasn't to be, as Jalen Reagor's goal-line drop with 15 seconds to go sealed the Eagles' fate in a 13-7 defeat. The Eagles (5-7) will have a shot at redemption in the Garden State this week, as they'll head right back to battle the New York Jets (1 PM ET, CBS).