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Super Bowl contenders from the NFC
#1 - Arizona Cardinals
At the end of Week 13, as talk turned to who the Super Bowl contenders were and who they were not, people focussed primarily on the flavors of the week. There was talk of Bill Belichick rediscovering his touch.
There was talk of Tom Brady and the Buccaneers, the perennial Super Bowl contenders, and justifiably so. The focus was on Patrick Mahomes and the Chiefs climbing their way back into contention.
But with all the brouhaha about the supposed new favorites as Super Bowl contenders, cold-hard statistics point to only one team being head and shoulders above the rest. The Arizona Cardinals have slipped from the consciousness of many observers ever since they stopped being the only undefeated team in the NFL.
But their 10-2 record is the best across both conferences and they won 33-22 against the Chicago Bears in their Week 13 outing. Their only losses this season have been against fellow Super Bowl contenders the Green Bay Packers and an ugly loss to the Carolina Panthers that could be considered an aberration.
#2 - Tampa Bay Buccaneers
Nothing screams Super Bowl contenders more than Tom Brady. The perennial champion and the reigning Super Bowl champions are doing just as well as they had been expected to do this season and are many bookies' favorites.
They have scored 377 points on offense this season, more than any other team in the NFL, and have won their last three games. They defeated the Atlanta Falcons 30-17 in their Week 13 matchup and look primed to go all the way back.
Their trickiest fixture comes next week in the form of the Buffalo Bills.They finish their regular season playing games against the Saints, Panthers, Jets and the Panthers again and will be favored to win them all.
Just imagine a Tom Brady versus Bill Belichick Super Bowl!
#3 - Green Bay Packers
The Green Bay Packers had a bye in Week 13 but are still considered one of the Super Bowl contenders this season. When the dust settled this week, their 9-3 record emerged as the second-best in the league this season, tied with the Tampa Buccaneers, trailing only the Arizona Cardinals and better than any team in the AFC.
What has been refreshing for the Green Bay Packers this season is that it has not required superhuman efforts by Aaron Rodgers to win games. Instead, their defense has stepped up and limited scores to where workmanlike performances from their star quarterback have been enough to pull them over the line in many instances.
Such efficiency is a hallmark of Super Bowl contenders, and the Packers have got it in spades. With a smart tactician like Matt LaFleur calling the shots, the Green Bay Packers will be looking to go one better than the last two seasons and make it all the way to the Super Bowl.
