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More Super Bowl pretenders after Week 13
#3 - Cincinnati Bengals
The Cincinnati Bengals are next up on our list of Super Bowl pretenders. There was a time earlier in the season when they were being touted as the real deal. They looked to be on their way to the AFC North title with those around them faltering, and were looking like the best team in the AFC with a 5-2 record after beating the Baltimore Ravens.
But since then, they have lost to the lowly New York Jets and have been blown out by both the Cleveland Browns and the Los Angeles Chargers, the latter coming this week. In both games, the defense allowed 41 points, and a team with such a leaky defense can only be classified among Super Bowl pretenders. Their current record stands at 7-5, and they have to improve significantly to be considered serious again.
#4 - Los Angeles Rams
The Los Angeles Rams have been built to win. Matthew Stafford has been brought in, Odell Beckham Jr. has joined, Von Miller is in town and none of them combined have helped the Rams become anything other than Super Bowl pretenders. Earlier in the season, when they defeated the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, there were high hopes that they would go on to win it all this season.
It might seem odd to put them on this list of Super Bowl pretenders considering they won in Week 13, but their last three wins have been against the Jacksonville Jaguars, the Houston Texans and the Detroit Lions; the three most hapless teams in the NFL right now.
Every time they have come up against a genuine challenger, they have fallen short, their last three losses coming against the Tennessee Titans, the San Francisco 49ers and the Green Bay Packers. Their current record of 8-4 puts them behind the Arizona Cardinals, to whom they also lost earlier in the season.
#5 - Las Vegas Raiders
Finally, on this list of Super Bowl pretenders, we come to the Las Vegas Raiders. Las Vegas is the city of luck, but it does not seem to be rubbing off on the Raiders. They now have a 6-6 record in a season that began 5-2. Their only win was against the Dallas Cowboys in overtime in that intervening stretch.
They lost to the New York Giants, the Kansas City Chiefs, the Cincinnati Bengals and most recently to the Washington Football Team in Week 13. There are mitigating circumstances in losing Jon Gruden and Henry Ruggs in the middle of the season, but they cannot change the reality on the ground. While they might yet make the playoffs, they are firm Super Bowl pretenders at this point.
