As We Near the NFL Halfway Point, We Look At Who The Pretenders and Contenders Are So Far.

The NFL season has flown by. In the blink of an eye, we’re about halfway through the season. Some teams, like the Detroit Lions or the Baltimore Ravens, have continued to dominate in the regular season. Other teams, like the Jacksonville Jaguars and Dallas Cowboys, have disappointed their fans considering the expectations they had in the preseason.

There’s still another half of NFL football to be played. Anything can happen, and it’s impossible to predict where these teams will be when it’s time for the playoffs. Yet, it’s always fun to speculate and make bold predictions. I will examine a group of NFL teams and determine if they are contenders or pretenders.

Denver Broncos

After starting the NFL season with back-to-back losses, it was easy to write off the Broncos. This was a year where the most important priority was the development of rookie quarterback Bo Nix. I don’t think anyone expected them to be in playoff contention. In fact, before the season had even started, the Bronco’s roster was ranked the worst in the NFL.

By the look of things, this was supposed to be a lost year for the franchise. Well, heading into week eight, the Denver Broncos are 4 – 3 and held the seventh seed in the AFC.

Looking at playoffs, seeding halfway through the season isn’t the smartest thing to do, as any NFL season can be unpredictable. Likewise, the 7th seed isn’t a very hard spot to get to in a very competitive AFC. However, it’s the way that the Broncos have accumulated these wins that makes me believe in their post-season aspirations.

Dominating Defense

The Broncos have always had a relatively good defense, excusing a 70-point blunder from last year. This year, they’ve stepped up and have been dominant in getting pressure on the opposing quarterback. Their pass rush has also been dominant this season, as they’re allowing only 6 yards per pass attempt and have a touchdown-to-interception ratio of 6:5.

The only question mark for the Broncos is their offense. Nix has solid fundamentals and is underrated as a dual-threat quarterback. Unfortunately, the passing game has left a lot to be desired. Despite the poor quarterback play, the Broncos are in a groove.

Fortunately, he is still a rookie, and despite his age, he’s still getting adjusted to the NFL. He’s already made history, as he became the only rookie QB in Broncos history to win three consecutive games. The future looks bright in Denver, and they look to break their eight-long season drought of postseason play.

After getting routed by the Ravens, the outlook for the rest of the season doesn’t look as promising as it did a week ago. They now sit at 5 – 4, and if they want any chance at making it to the postseason, they’ve got to finish off November strong.

San Francisco 49ers

The San Francisco 49ers are a team used to success. In the past five years, they have been to multiple Super Bowls and NFC Championship games. They have a very talented roster and lucked out with the emergence of quarterback Brock Purdy.

However, they’re sitting at just 4 – 4, good for second in their division and 11th overall in the NFC. Last year, they only lost five games, and midway through the NFL season, they already have four losses on the year.

Purdy has had some stellar games and has overcome the injury bug that has infested the 49ers’ roster. Unfortunately, I think the damage has already been done, and their Super Bowl window is closed, at the very least.

Injury Woes

Before the season had even begun, running back Christian McCaffrey was dealing with issues all off-season. The reigning OPOY has yet to play a single snap this season, and he was a big contributor to that 49ers offense. Another problem in the off-season for the 49ers was the contract extension of wide receiver Brandon Aiyuk.

Aiyuk was one of their premier wide receivers alongside Deebo Samuel, who got his new contract very soon into the NFL off-season. McCaffrey also signed a 2-year extension, leaving Aiyuk behind. This led to a whole lot of off-season drama, which included trade rumors, IG posts, and holdouts.

This all led to Aiyuk getting the contract he wanted despite holding out for the majority of the summer. This drama led to a lack of production from Aiyuk due to not conditioning properly, and he didn’t look like the same player he once was. To make matters even worse, he tore his ACL in a loss to the Chiefs, ending his season after so many hurdles to keep him on the team.

It’s still possible that the 49ers can make it to the playoffs. They’re very well-coached, and despite all the injuries, they still have one of the most talented rosters in the NFL. However, that’s why I believe they are pretenders this year.

Despite all their talent, I don’t believe they have what it takes to win a Super Bowl. I simply believe that this is not their year to win it all, and if not now, then when? They will soon have to pay Purdy, and they only have so much money to spend.

Minnesota Vikings

The Vikings have surpassed everyone’s expectations this year. They started the year blazing with a 5 – 0 start but have lost in back-to-back weeks since then, and I am beginning to have my doubts about this team.

I think that it’s nearly impossible for them to miss the playoffs at this point. They’ve shown that their offensive firepower and defensive schemes are enough to take care of teams. Likewise, their schedule does them a lot of favors, and it’s easy to visualize the wins accumulating for them.

I think they’re a pretender because, despite their impressive record, I do not trust them in a playoff setting. Quarterback Sam Darnold has been playing the best football of his career, and their defense has been able to shut down notable QBs such as Jordan Love and CJ Stroud. Yet, I still don’t see them making it very far into the NFL post-season.

They bolster a lot of talent and have shown they’re able to hang with one of the league’s best teams in a close loss to the Detroit Lions. It was their loss to the Rams last week that got me thinking if they could make it far into the playoffs.

They won against the Colts to improve to 6 – 2, but this win doesn’t move me either.

Chicago Bears

Staying in the NFC North, which may be the best division in the NFL at the moment, I want to talk about the Chicago Bears being legit contenders. They have a record of 4 – 4.

Every week, it seems like quarterback Caleb Williams settles more and more into that offense and gets more comfortable playing at the NFL level. Similar to the Broncos, the Bears have an amazing defense led by a rookie QB. The main difference is that Williams looks far better in comparison to Nix, and the record reflects that.

If Williams continues to improve his game, and the defense continues to play at the level they’re playing, I don’t see why the sky isn’t the limit for this team. The only gripe I have with them is that they’re competing in the best division in football. They have bunches of talent, but overall, their roster isn’t anything to write home about.

However, I think if they were willing to make some blockbuster trades, this team could make it out of the NFC. This is all contingent on the play of Williams, and this is a lot to expect out of a rookie. Yet, I think he has already shown so much potential that I think the Bears will be contenders for years to come.

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