5 Super Bowl contenders ahead of Week 13 of 2021 NFL season
The 2021 NFL season has taken fans on a wild ride so far. Week 12 brought even more surprising results as teams thought to be contenders took home a tough loss.
But through it all, a few teams have remained firmly entrenched as top Super Bowl contenders. These five NFL teams seem to be getting stronger and have Super Bowl contention set in their sights.
5 NFL Super Bowl contenders after Week 12
#5 - New England Patriots
The New England Patriots look like their old selves again. Week 12 brought what was supposed to be a brutal NFL showdown with the Tennessee Titans. Instead, the Patriots blew the doors off of them via a 36-13 scoreline.
The exciting part of the game was that the Titans managed to run the ball for 270 yards. But it didn't matter as Mac Jones picked apart the Tennessee defense. Meanwhile, the Patriots' defense held Ryan Tannehill to 93 yards on the day.
Mac Jones: 123.2 passer rating in Week 12
1st among all QBs 🎯 https://t.co/fj8Lj8y67g
The win puts the Patriots at 8-4 for the year and sets them atop the AFC East. When the NFL season began, it seemed like the Buffalo Bills would quickly run away with the division. Yet the Patriots have rattled off six consecutive wins and show no signs of slowing down.
Their biggest test comes in Week 13 on Monday night. They are taking on the Bills in Buffalo for the right to hold the AFC East lead. The two teams will also meet again the day after Christmas.
New England has proven to be a legitimate Super Bowl contender to this point. Taking down the Bills in Week 13 could make them a favorite.
#4 - Kansas City Chiefs
The Kansas City Chiefs did not even play in Week 12 and still make this list as they enter Week 13 atop the AFC West with a 7-4 record. The Chiefs went into the bye week riding a four-game winning streak that most recently featured a 19-9 domination of the Dallas Cowboys.
The key for Kansas City is Patrick Mahomes looking like his old self again. He threw for 406 yards and five touchdowns back in Week 10 against the Las Vegas Raiders and is at 25 on the season. So for all the talk of Mahomes struggling, he is still near the NFL lead in passing touchdowns.
It is hard to count this team out until we see evidence of significant regression with our own eyes. And it's not just deterioration, such as a 3-4 start to the season. This Chiefs team led by Mahomes will have to have an early playoff exit for the NFL world to lose faith indeed.
The Chargers fall to Denver and the Chiefs maintain sole possession of first place in the AFC West heading into SNF.
Next up is a Sunday night NFL showcase against the Denver Broncos, who are one game back in the division at 6-5. The Broncos, Raiders and Los Angeles Chargers all sit at 6-5, one game behind the Chiefs. Kansas City will play all three divisional opponents in the coming three weeks, so they will get a chance to prove that they are a top Super Bowl contender.