We are at the point in the season where any little misstep by a team leads to major overreactions.
A week ago, the Pittsburgh Steelers were toast.
This week, the New England Patriots don't have the same look as years past.
The Los Angeles Rams have been figured out on offense.
The Kansas City Chiefs aren't good enough on defense. The New Orleans Saints suddenly don't score enough now.
The Los Angeles Chargers are the NFL's best team, while the Chicago Bears are now right with them.
On and on it goes. But the reality is all the top teams have major flaws that have been exposed in recent weeks.
Sorry to interrupt your reading, but just a quick PSA here. We have a pretty amazing daily NFL podcast you may not be aware of. It's hosted by Will Brinson and it's all the things you're looking for: news, fantasy, picks, really, just football stuff for football people. Subscribe: via iTunes | via Stitcher | via TuneIn | via Google Play.
That's why picking the Super Bowl winner isn't easy to figure out. It's almost certainly going to be the team that gets hot at the right time – and any of them can win it.
There are no slam-dunk teams to pencil in this year, even if the New Orleans Saints have that look right now. They remain in the top spot of my Power Rankings and appear to be an odds-on favorite to get to the Super Bowl if they lock up home-field advantage in the NFC playoffs.
Then again, they've had some issues lately as well.
But try not to overreact like the football sheep do every week. The football flaws are there for all to see. It's the teams that cure them and get hot at the right time that will be the teams we will see in the Super Bowl.
Stream Thursday's and Saturday's games and all of Sunday's games on fuboTV, try it for free, and stream the CBS games on CBS All Access.
Rk | Teams | Chg | Rcrd | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 |  | The defense won the Panthers game for them, but the offense has to get untracked. They will this week against the Steelers. | 1 | 1-0-0 |
| 2 |  | They have a chance to be the top seed in the AFC. That road victory over the Chiefs last week was impressive. | 6 | 1-0-0 |
| 3 |  | The offense needs to get back on track. But don't buy this idea that it's been figured out. The line has been the issue the past two weeks. | -- | 0-1-0 |
| 4 |  | They still own the top spot in the division, but now they face a tough road game at Seattle. They can't afford a loss. | 3 | 1-0-0 |
| 5 |  | They are the NFC North champs, and have done so with a dominant defense. They will be a tough out in the playoffs | 1 | 1-0-0 |
| 6 |  | They are still going to win the AFC East, but they just don't look like the same team as in past years. They need to pick it up. | 2 | 1-0-0 |
| 7 |  | At 10-4, they are the second seed in the AFC right now. But how good have they really looked the past two weeks? | 2 | 1-0-0 |
| 8 |  | That was an impressive showing by the defense against the Patriots. Now that unit faces another big test against Drew Brees and the Saints on the road. | 3 | 1-0-0 |
| 9 |  | If the Colts win out and the Ravens lose one, they will be in the playoffs. They will be a scary team if they make it. | 1 | 0-1-0 |
| 10 |  | That was a bad look against the Colts. What happened to the offense? | 5 | 1-0-0 |
| 11 |  | Losing to the 49ers on the road isn't a good way to come off a big victory against the Vikings. Now comes a real challenge - Patrick Mahomes and the Chiefs at home. | 4 | 1-0-0 |
| 12 |  | The Ravens are in the sixth spot in the AFC right now, but have a tough road game against the Chargers this week. They can still win the division with help. | -- | 0-1-0 |
| 13 |  | The change in offensive coordinators paid off against Miami as they scored 41 points. They control their destiny to a playoff spot and should get there. | 1 | 1-0-0 |
| 14 |  | With two games to go, they could win out and be a playoff team. Derrick Henry is the guy carrying them there. | 1 | 0-1-0 |
| 15 |  | Nick Foles to the rescue again. They still can make the playoffs and maybe Foles can make another magical run. | 2 | 1-0-0 |
| 16 |  | They are a young team growing up before our eyes. Whoever coaches this group in 2019 is a lucky man. | 2 | 0-1-0 |
| 17 |  | At 7-7, they just can't win games on the road. The defense was awful against the Vikings. | 4 | 1-0-0 |
| 18 |  | The playoffs are now a pipe dream, which begs the question as to whether a coaching change is coming. | 2 | 0-1-0 |
| 19 |  | Their late-season push took a bad turn against the Titans. The offense was dreadful. | -- | 0-1-0 |
| 20 |  | The season is over. There will be changes coming to this franchise after this collapse. | -- | 0-1-0 |
| 21 |  | It's too bad they can't play the Raiders every week. They were a perfect tonic to cure a losing streak. | 1 | 0-1-0 |
| 22 |  | The season is officially over in terms of the playoffs. It has to be classified as a big-time failure. | 1 | 0-1-0 |
| 23 |  | They are still alive at 7-7, but now face a tough road game at Tennessee. Can Josh Johnson win another? | 1 | 0-1-0 |
| 24 |  | Josh Allen is getting better every week. Sean McDermott has done a wonderful coaching job as well. | 1 | 1-0-0 |
| 25 |  | They are still fighting, which is a good sign for coach Matt Patricia. They need some big-time help this offseason. | 2 | 1-0-0 |
| 26 |  | The early injuries on defense proved to be too much to overcome. But they will be fine next season. | 2 | 0-1-0 |
| 27 |  | Kyle Shanahan has done an amazing job with this team. Watch out in 2019 when they get healthy. | 3 | 1-0-0 |
| 28 |  | Two more weeks to go before the changes come. Has Jameis Winston done enough to stay around? | 2 | 1-0-0 |
| 29 |  | They reverted back to their bad ways against the Bengals. They just lack talent to win consistently. | 2 | 0-1-0 |
| 30 |  | They are the league's biggest flop. Big changes are coming across the board. | 1 | 0-1-0 |
| 31 |  | They didn't beat the Texans, but they competed. They have to be thrilled with the future with Sam Darnold. | -- | 0-1-0 |
| 32 |  | Will coach Steve Wilks be back for a second season? One has to wonder if he will be. | -- | 0-1-0 |
