Ranking Super Bowl 2023 contenders Chief

With only four weeks left on the 2022 NFL regular season schedule, it's officially OK to start thinking about the playoffs. At least one team is already locked into the postseason, and a few more could punch their tickets in Week 15. But which of the top teams are actual Super Bowl contenders? And which of them is best positioned to hoist B.J. Upton Jersey the Lombardi Trophy in February?We're glad you asked. Below, we've ranked the 11 teams most capable of making a championship run. Basically, every team with at least eight wins got automatic consideration here, but a few with seven also made the cut.Not in the running entering Week 14: (7-5-1), (7-5-1), (7-6), (7-6), (7-6), (6-7), (6-7), (5-8), (5-8), (5-8), (5-8), (5-8), (5-8), (5-8).11. (8-5)Mike McDaniel can scheme his way to the dance, and speed alone guarantees them a touchdown or two. But , improved as he may be, remains a limited pa ser when push comes to shove. For employing big names like and , their defense is also more mercurial than you'd like. 10. (7-6) has fallen a bit closer to Earth lately, but he still brings a lot of command to a unit featuring some of the top wideouts in the game; and are capable of changing a game in a Francisco Lindor Jersey hurry. With the backfield banged up and the run defense still a sieve, however, they're better suited to play spoiler at this juncture.9. (10-3)In the grand scheme of things, they appear to be in good hands with Kevin O'Connell, whose mettle has been tested in tons of close games. They also po se s some of the game's best pure weaponry in , and . But ' O-line has been inconsistent, and their "D" has played it safe and soft for most of the year.8. (7-6)For all their talent, they should be better, and Brandon Staley is prone to get in his own way on the sidelines. is a top-10 talent under center, however, with reliable targets to air it out. Staley's "D" also appears to be rounding into form. If they can get healthier, perhaps welcoming back stars like and , they'll be primed to improve. 7. (9-4)It's pick your poison between them and the Bengals in the AFC North: whereas Cincy has the pa sing acumen, Baltimore owns the ground game, especially when is under center. That's a good recipe for January succe s, and so too is a suffocating "D" anchored by a rejuvenated . The lingering concern is their utter lack of Yan Gomes Jersey weapons out wide.6. (10-3)Like the franchise who employs him, lacks much of a big-game resume of late. So until their talent actually translates to crunch-time deliverance, they can't be favorites. But the package is all there on paper: Prescott has elite play-makers in the backfield ( ), out wide ( ) and, as a bonus, on "D," where is a one-man wrecking crew.5. (9-4)Some of their best names have struggled to stay on the field, but has been as good as ever serving as the point guard for moving parts, and any combo of his receivers, headlined by , brings fear to opponents. Meanwhile, the D.J. Reader-led defensive line is gaining steam as the catalyst for a borderline top-10 unit. 4. (9-4)Robbed of not one but two QBs due to injury, somehow San Francisco is hitting peak form with rookie taking over as the latest figurehead of Kyle Shanahan's space-creating system. Purdy's inexperience could certainly be an i sue down the road, especially if Swi s Army Knife star stays sidelined for long. But they've got speed and versatility acro s the lineup on both sides of the ball, and ' unit in particular, headlined up front by the ferocious , has the nasty streak you often find in title-winning clubs. They've also been there, done that as a collective, advancing to two NFC Championship games in the last three years, even amid the QB uncertainty.3. (10-3)The preseason favorites have flaws, to be sure: star QB is inherently a risk-taker, both with his rocket arm and bruising ground game, and the front seven isn't nearly as dangerous without flying off the edge. You can move the ball on them through the air. And yet, Sean McDermott's "D" is still surrendering fewer Cody Allen Jersey points than everyone except the 49ers. Allen is as capable as anyone of zipping a go-ahead score at the last second. And his No. 1 target, , is one of the cleanest route-runners in the game, making for an almost-uncoverable force when it matters most.2. (12-1)For much of 2022, the Eagles have felt almost too good to be true. went from being an elite scrambler to legitimate MVP front-runner, emerging as a more accurate, more confident and perpetually unfazed pa ser with and shining downfield. His sterling line has once again powered a lane-clearing rushing attack. And every level of the "D" is improved, but particularly up front, where headlines a timely pa s rush; and on the back end, where and Co. have been turnover magnets. The Birds have been gashed on the ground here and there, but they've also outlasted almost every kind of opponent and mastered every fashion of victory this year. 1. (10-3)The contingent of Andy Reid, and is very comparable to the old Patriots trio of Bill Belichick, and in terms of reliability: when working together, they are standard. Mahomes isn't invulnerable, of course; sometimes his acrobatics lead to giveaways, Corey Kluber Jersey and Kansas City can sport a boom-or-bust pa s "D" on the other end. But as long as No. 15 is under center, the Chiefs simply cannot be written off. With Kelce as a safety valve and everyone else shifted around like speedy che s pieces for Reid, no one is better at consistently coming through with both routine and unorthodox production when it matters most. Mahomes' unmatched feel for the game, which he plays like another sport entirely, is the difference when comparing more balanced rosters in, say, Philadelphia and San Francisco.