This article has gone from 10 teams last week to 8 teams this week. All 8 of these teams have what it takes to play in the big game, and we have listed the reasons why each of them can get there.
Detroit Lions:
They bounced back from a tough loss to the Bills in week 15 and played great football against the Bears on the road in the cold. They have a huge Week 18 matchup against the Vikings looming. It is going to be a great matchup and could decide the winner of the NFC North and who gets the number one seed in the NFC. If they can get that number one seed, they position themselves to get to the Super Bowl.
Kansas City Chiefs:
The Chiefs won again. The offense looked better than it has, as well. They are likely going to be the number one seed in the AFC playoffs, and although they lost to the Bills this season, it was in Buffalo and come playoff time, do we really think anyone can beat them?
Buffalo Bills:
They seemed to have a letdown game at home against a bad team after playing two very tough road games. Still, they pulled it out against a division rival. Having to probably go through KC, in KC to get to the Super Bowl is going to be tough though.
Minnesota Vikings:
They won a huge road game against a Seattle team that really needed a win, and they continue to surprise everyone. This team is 13-2 and have a chance to play for the division and NFC top seed come week 18. If they can actually get the number one seed, anything is possible.
Philadelphia Eagles:
They started well but really fell apart after Jalen Hurts left the game. You can blame the loss on that, but the Eagles lost because their defense let them down. Although they forced 5 turnovers, they also allowed over 30 points, including a TD in the final seconds. Jalen Hurts needs to get healthy and the defense needs to figure out what went wrong.
Baltimore Ravens:
The game was close early against the Steelers, but the Ravens proved to be the much better team in this game. Their defense made big plays, and Lamar, Henry, Flowers, and Andrews all showed up in a big way for them. They are going to be a tough team to beat in the AFC playoffs whether they are a wild card team or division winners.
Green Bay Packers:
They are pretty much locked into the 6th seed in the NFC due to the Lions and Vikings both being so great. Still, this is a team that can beat anyone on any week, and they will look to show that in week 17 against the Vikings.
Los Angeles Rams:
They have withstood key injuries but are getting healthy at the right time. They have won 8 out of their last 10 games and are in first place in the NFC West. They can clinch the division with a win in week 17, rest up in week 18, and get ready to host a wild-card game because they would be division winners.