Getting to a Super Bowl is much different than being good during the regular season. We have seen many great regular season teams falter when the playoffs roll around, and some teams that don’t perform that well during the season but excel in the playoffs. Here are the 13 teams ranked in order from best chance to worst chance to make the Super Bowl as of week 12.
Detroit Lions
No team in the league looks better than the Lions do right now. Their offense, led by Jared Goff, looks unstoppable. Their defense gets better every week, even after losing Aiden Hutchinson, and their confidence just keeps on growing. They look to be the most complete team in the NFL.
Kansas City Chiefs
Well, they aren’t going undefeated this season, but they’re still an elite team, and come playoff time, they will still be the favorites, I’m sure. The offense hasn’t been great this season, but Patrick Mahomes can win any game, in any situation, and he will get his RB Isiah Pacheco back this week.
Philadelphia Eagles
Jalen Hurts and Saquon Barkley have this Eagles team flying high. They are on a huge win streak and playing elite football on both sides of the ball. Following their win on TNF against the Commanders, they control the NFC East and quietly sit only one game behind the Lions for the best record in the NFC.
Buffalo Bills
Josh Allen and company moved to 9-2 on the season after beating the Chiefs and have established themselves as a legitimate threat to run the table in the AFC. The problem is, Allen can’t beat Mahomes in the playoffs, at least he hasn’t yet.
Baltimore Ravens
They lost a tough one to the Steelers in week 11. Their offense is as good as it gets with Lamar Jackson and Derrick Henry, but their pass defense has been one of the worst in the entire league. They need to improve upon that come playoff time because they do have an elite run defense.
Green Bay Packers
They haven’t been great this season and they have dealt with injuries to Jordan Love, but the Packers remain one of the best teams in the NFC and would be leading both the NFC West and South. They will likely have to settle for a Wildcard spot, though, and win three road games to get to the Super Bowl.
Pittsburgh Steelers
They lost a tough one in Cleveland on TNF this week, but the weather and it being a short week definitely played a factor. Russell Wilson has settled in, and they are still in first place in the AFC North. This is an elite defense that is getting a lot more production from their offense since Wilson took over from Fields.
San Francisco 49ers
They are only 5-5, but they have so much talent and are good enough to end the season 11-6 or even 12-5. Christian McCaffrey is back, and they should have Kittle back next week, too. On paper, they’re the best team in the NFC West, and once they are in the playoffs, Brock Purdy has shown he can win.
Los Angeles Chargers
Their defense has been one of the best in the NFL this season. They run the football well, have a great head coach, and their QB, Justin Herbert, is a star. They have all the makings of a great team and will only continue to improve as they play more under Harbaugh. Running the football well and playing great defense is a recipe for success in the postseason.
Houston Texans
They are getting healthier and have the potential to be a top team in the league. They haven’t played their best football yet this season, but CJ Stroud has shown he can be elite, and they’re fortunate to play in the least competitive division in the NFL. They will be in the playoffs, just not sure they have what it takes to contend with the top teams in the AFC.
Minnesota Vikings
The Vikings would be winning other divisions in the NFC. You may even be surprised to see them this low on the list, considering they are 8-2, but they really haven’t looked good for a few weeks now and have been lucky that they have played bad teams. Their passing defense is weak, and Sam Darnold has been inconsistent since his hot start. I don’t trust Darnold to get it done in the playoffs.
Denver Broncos
They have one of the best defenses in the NFL, and their offense has come alive lately. Rookie QB Bo Nix has put himself in the Rookie of the Year conversation, and the Broncos have put themselves in the playoff conversation after nearly beating the Chiefs in week 10 and dominating the Falcons in week 11. I like this team, but won’t bet on a rookie QB taking his team to the Super Bowl.
Washington Commanders
They looked great for 7 weeks, but the Commanders have fallen on harder times as of late. They barely beat the Bears and a horrible Giants team and have lost two straight against good teams. They can win against non-playoff teams but only have one win against a current playoff team (Cardinals early in the season). Jayden Daniels hasn’t been as good lately and it’s a big reason why their offense hasn’t been either. They should still make the playoffs, but this is a team that will likely lose in the first round.