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 10 teams ranked in order from best chance to worst chance to make the Super Bowl as of week 13.
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.
Buffalo Bills
They had their bye this week, but after beating the Chiefs in week 11, they remain right here in the number two spot. They could potentially still get home field throughout the playoffs and that would give them a much easier road to a Super Bowl.
Kansas City Chiefs
They lost in week 11 and barely beat the Panthers in week 12. They are still one of the top teams, but not laying a beat down on the Panthers has me wondering if this team is good but not great. Still, come playoff time, it’s hard to imagine them losing. Some could argue they should be ahead of the Bills, but 3-peating is tough!
Philadelphia Eagles
This is the only team in the NFC that I think can beat the Lions. If the game is in Detroit, though, I don’t think anyone can beat the Lions. They have been to a Super Bowl with this core, minus Saquon. Either way, the Eagles are a complete team this season. Their defense is playing at a very high level, and Jalen Hurts and Saquon Barkley are both having phenomenal seasons.
Green Bay Packers
The Packers remain one of the best teams in the NFC and would lead both the NFC West and South. However, they will likely have to settle for a Wildcard spot because no one is catching the Lions. In week 12, they destroyed a beat-up 49ers team. They turned things on in the postseason last year and made things very interesting.
Baltimore Ravens
Their pass defense has been an issue this year, but their offense is elite, and so is their run defense. They won a massive MNF matchup against the Chargers, and their pass defense looked better. They have the talent to go all the way.
Minnesota Vikings
Like the Packers, 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 9-2, but they have been lucky that they have played bad teams. Their passing defense is weak, and Sam Darnold has been inconsistent since his hot start. They are finding ways to win, though, and that’s what it takes to win in the playoffs.
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.
Pittsburgh Steelers
They have fallen after their week 12 loss to the Browns but still remain in the top 10. That loss was on a short week, in a crazy blizzard, in a divisional game against a Browns team that has had success against the Steelers in Cleveland over the past few years. They have a championship-caliber defense and a QB who has been to Super Bowls.
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, dominating the Falcons in week 11, and surviving a week 12 trap game against a divisional opponent.