5 Super Bowl pretenders after Week 14 of 2021 NFL season

Super Bowl Pretenders in the AFC

#1 - Baltimore Ravens

Baltimore Ravens v Cleveland Browns

Some would question our selection of the Baltimore Ravens amongst Super Bowl pretenders, but we stand by our decision. Many would argue that having an 8-5 record, which is just one win away from gaining top spot in the AFC, hardly makes them Super Bowl pretenders.

But if that were to come to pass, we would indeed revise our opinion. Right now, based on their current form, it does not look like they are going to leapfrog the Patriots, the Titans and the Chiefs. Their current form is woeful and they have lost their last two games. More importantly, those losses have been to the Pittsburgh Steelers and the Cleveland Browns, two teams that are hardly uprooting any trees of their own.

#2 - Buffalo Bills

Buffalo Bills v Tampa Bay Buccaneers

The Buffalo Bills again feature on our list of Super Bowl pretenders and the reason is simple. They are in an awful run of form. Not only have they lost two straight, they are now two wins behind the New England Patriots in the division. They have lost three of their last four matches. That is a miraculous fall from when they were occupying the top spot in the division.

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Often, in such cases, the blame falls on the quarterback. But in this case Josh Allen has been virtually blameless, and it is the team around him that has to step up. To stop being Super Bowl pretenders and to become contenders would require their defense to step back up to the plate when they are the top unit in the NFL.

They do have the saving grace that their next matches, barring one, are against the Panthers, the Falcons and the Jets, three teams that are also some of the weakest in the NFL. But the bad news is that the other game is against the New England Patriots. Win that game, and we could seriously start to discuss whether it's unfair to call the Bills Super Bowl pretenders.

#3 - Indianapolis Colts

The Indianapolis Colts had a great bye week. They jumped over the Bills after they lost. The Bengals also lost and could not capitalize. That leaves the 7-6 Colts in prime position to make the playoffs and then go and win the whole thing.

But we will still call them Super Bowl pretenders for the simple reason that there are a lot of teams clustered on 7-6 records, all of whom might have a better chance of making it through. The Colts play their next couple of games against the Patriots and the Cardinals, who have the top two records in both conferences. A couple of weeks from now, we will know more about what their actual standing is.