5 Super Bowl pretenders heading into NFL Week 6

The NFL's Super Bowl contenders are starting to show their true colors through six weeks of the 2021 season.

Similarly, teams with fatal flaws are starting to be exposed. In this article, we look at five teams that have winning records heading into Week 6 — but do not have what it takes to go all the way to the Super Bowl.

5 teams who are Super Bowl pretenders heading into Week 6

#1 – Kansas City Chiefs

Patrick Mahomes is a magician, but there's only so much the Kansas City Chiefs star quarterback can do to keep his team's Super Bowl chances afloat. The turnovers are mounting, with 10 in their last 13 quarters played, and an injury to Clyde Edwards-Helaire has damaged an already ill-functioning running game.

Mahomes was outpassed 315 to 272 yards by Josh Allen in the Chiefs' 38-20 loss to the Buffalo Bills last week, a performance that leaves the Bills as Super Bowl favorites from the AFC. The Kansas City defense is now second in the NFL in most yards conceded.

Mahomes' extraordinary ability shone through during the Chiefs' past two AFC Championship campaigns but, on both Super Bowl runs, Kansas City had to produce unlikely comebacks on multiple occasions to claim wins by fine margins. The way this 2-3 team is currently operating, they may fall on the wrong side of those close games in the 2021-2022 season and playoffs, if they make it that far.

#2 – Cleveland Browns

Baker Mayfield showed a lot of guts in the Cleveland Browns' 47-42 loss to the Chargers. The Browns came up short in a shootout but Mayfield made a series of big plays in Week 5, and there's every chance the former number one overall pick has what it takes to lead this team to the Super Bowl – when fully healthy.

Mayfield says the torn labrum in his non-throwing shoulder "shouldn't" affect his play, but all it would take is one crunching sack and that problem could get significantly bigger.

The Browns are driven by their ground attack, and Mayfield's play is currently complimenting Nick Chubb and Kareem Hunt through the air, but question marks remain over how effective Mayfield is in clutch situations.

That will be amplified if Mayfield's injured shoulder gets worse over the next 10-12 weeks. Mayfield will come unstuck if he needs to outduel Josh Allen or Lamar Jackson in the playoffs.

3 more teams who will fall short of a Super Bowl challenge

Here are three more teams that have a winning record through Week 6, but do not have enough in the tank for a Super Bowl campaign.

#3 – Tennessee Titans

Derrick Henry is a phenomenon and there's a strong chance he will become the NFL's first rusher to produce back-to-back 2,000-yard seasons. But this Tennessee Titans offense is entirely reliant on the star rusher. What condition will Henry be in come the postseason if he continues to carry the load to the extent he has?

The only time this season that quarterback Ryan Tannehill has been asked to throw the ball more than 40 times was in the Titans' 27-24 loss to the New York Jets, where the offense did not function well. They went five for 19 on third downs and allowed seven sacks.

The passing attack is not operating at the level of Tennessee's last two playoff runs and, unless Henry can continue to carry the team on his shoulders deep into the postseason despite his astronomical workload, then the Titans are not going to the Super Bowl.

#4 – New England Patriots

It was once a pregone conclusion that Bill Belichick and the New England Patriots would be Super Bowl contenders year on year. Of course, times have changed in Foxborough, and now the 2021 Patriots team is average at best. Rookie quarterback Mac Jones has made a nice start to life in the NFL, but this team is currently relying on placekicker Nick Folk to keep them in games.

Belichick has built a reputation for being able to outscheme opponents, but even in victory, it has been a struggle through a 2-3 opening to the season. It may be Belichick's greatest achievement if he can lead this team to a Super Bowl.

#5 – Green Bay Packers

There's no doubting that, in terms of individual play, Aaron Rodgers is one of the best quarterbacks to have ever stepped on to an NFL field. But for the past 10 seasons since their last Super Bowl triumph, the Green Bay Packers have come up short in the playoffs (or in the regular season on two occasions) and it seems there are still too many limitations in this team.

While many have brushed off the season-opening self-destruction against the Saints, the Packers were a missed field goal away from defeat against the Cincinnati Bengals in Week 5. The NFC is far more open than the AFC, but it's hard to see the Packers toppling the Buccaneers, Cowboys or whichever team comes out on top of the NFC West, to reach the Super Bowl.