Contenders/Pretenders after Week 4

[flyerhawk]

So who are the teams you think are legit contenders to go deep in the playoffs and who are the pretenders whose records misleads you. Focusing no single loss teams or better here.


Contenders

Falcons - They've looked pretty good. Tough loss this weekend but they had some significant injuries in the game.
Packers - Need to stay healthy and keep Rodgers upright.
Eagles - Wentz has been solid which is what they needed.
Lions - Maybe this is the year they put it all together.
Chiefs - So far the best team in football


Pretenders

Rams - Their schedule has been very favorable so far. They beat Seattle comfortably on Sunday and I would switch them to a contender.
Bills - Nice feel good story but so far they have been squeaking by on effort
Panthers - I have not been super impressed with their play.
Bucs - I'm not sold on Winston at all. Makes too many bad throws.
Broncos - I am not a fan of Simien. Hasn't shown that he can elevate his game when it matters.

Jury's Out
Steelers - They should better than they have been playing so far.

 

[Rock Strongo]

So who are the teams you think are legit contenders to go deep in the playoffs and who are the pretenders whose records misleads you. Focusing no single loss teams or better here.


Contenders

Falcons - They've looked pretty good. Tough loss this weekend but they had some significant injuries in the game.
Packers - Need to stay healthy and keep Rodgers upright.
Eagles - Wentz has been solid which is what they needed.
Lions - Maybe this is the year they put it all together.
Chiefs - So far the best team in football


Pretenders

Rams - Their schedule has been very favorable so far. They beat Seattle comfortably on Sunday and I would switch them to a contender.
Bills - Nice feel good story but so far they have been squeaking by on effort
Panthers - I have not been super impressed with their play.
Bucs - I'm not sold on Winston at all. Makes too many bad throws.
Broncos - I am not a fan of Simien. Hasn't shown that he can elevate his game when it matters.

Jury's Out
Steelers - They should better than they have been playing so far.

No patriots? no seahawks?

 

[packerzrule]

No patriots? no seahawks?

he has wisdom beyond his years to keep them out of the Contenders category

 

[flyerhawk]

No patriots? no seahawks?

1 loss or better teams. 2-2 teams are neither contenders or pretenders at this point.

 

[Rock Strongo]

1 loss or better teams. 2-2 teams are neither contenders or pretenders at this point.

me no readum gooder

 

[Yo Tee]

That Rams defense needs to get better in order to be a contender. 28th in PPG allowed is NOT going to get you far anywhere.

 

[jarntt]

Interesting, I thought it was going to take at least 2 minutes for the first 'Where are the Pats' comment...

Looks like I was wrong

 

[LambeauLegs]

So who are the teams you think are legit contenders to go deep in the playoffs and who are the pretenders whose records misleads you. Focusing no single loss teams or better here.


Contenders

Falcons - They've looked pretty good. Tough loss this weekend but they had some significant injuries in the game.
Packers - Need to stay healthy and keep Rodgers upright.
Eagles - Wentz has been solid which is what they needed.
Lions - Maybe this is the year they put it all together.
Chiefs - So far the best team in football


Pretenders

Rams - Their schedule has been very favorable so far. They beat Seattle comfortably on Sunday and I would switch them to a contender.
Bills - Nice feel good story but so far they have been squeaking by on effort
Panthers - I have not been super impressed with their play.
Bucs - I'm not sold on Winston at all. Makes too many bad throws.
Broncos - I am not a fan of Simien. Hasn't shown that he can elevate his game when it matters.

Jury's Out
Steelers - They should better than they have been playing so far.

A link with different weekly rankings with thoughts on how the Rams will do

https://www.yahoo.com/sports/nfl-power-rankings-five-good-reasons-rams-real-time-055426430.html

Now the Rams are 3-1 again and generating buzz. Are we being fooled again?

This time it seems different. The foundation is more secure. Here are five reasons the Rams aren’t going away:

1. The schedule: Did you watch the 49ers-Cardinals game? If you did, you know neither of those teams is good. The Rams have three games left against them. The Seahawks are at least a little suspect too. The Rams play the AFC South this season, and that’s the easiest draw they could get. The schedule isn’t the easiest in the league, but there’s still a clear path to double-digit wins.

2. The defense could still improve: If there was optimism for the Rams this season, it was their talent on defense and a great new coordinator in Wade Phillips. The Rams defense has been mostly bad so far. Maybe the personnel just doesn’t fit Phillips’ scheme. But I feel OK betting on Phillips, one of the greatest defensive coordinators we’ve seen. I don’t think he forgot how to coach football this season.

3. The Rams suddenly have playmakers: Seeing Todd Gurley in an offense that looks like it’s from this century reminded us he was an elite prospect and an offensive rookie of the year. Sammy Watkins is always an injury risk, but he’s the Rams best receiver in a long time. Robert Woods was overpaid, but a better No. 2 receiver than the Rams have had in a long time. The Rams also made an enormous upgrade at left tackle with Andrew Whitworth. We’ll get to the coaching and the quarterback, but they also have far more to work with than recent Rams teams had.

4. They have a quarterback: Case Keenum led last season’s 3-1 start. If you’re not totally sold on Jared Goff yet, that’s fine. But even the biggest skeptic has to admit he’s far better than Keenum, a career journeyman. And honestly, there’s no real reason to believe Goff isn’t at least capable. I wondered, like most people, if Goff was a bust in the making after last season. As it turns out, he was just stuck with a horrendous coaching staff that could mess up a cup of coffee. Speaking of …

5. They have a coach: Who knows, maybe Sean McVay is Josh McDaniels, The Sequel. McDaniels, a young offensive whiz, started 6-0 as Broncos head coach. Remember that? Probably not, because he went 5-17 after that. So it’s not wise to put McVay into Canton yet. But just like the Keenum-Goff comparison, everyone understands he’s an upgrade over Jeff Fisher. You can see the creativity on offense, and that’s why they’re leading the NFL at 35.5 points per game. There are none of the other warning signs like there were with McDaniels, who alienated most of the Broncos’ locker room almost immediately after taking the job. Maybe McVay falls apart, but there’s no reason to believe he will.

Perhaps the Rams lose to the Seahawks this week and start to fall apart, like they did last season. Losing is embedded in their DNA. But there are signs this is different. Maybe they’re not ready to compete for a Super Bowl yet, but the signs of improvement are unmistakeable. It wasn’t a surprise when the Keenum-Fisher Rams faded last season. It would be a surprise if these Rams went away so easily.

 

[SJ76]

Rams D will improve. Wade puts the hurt on the Boys in the 2nd half last sunday and Dak was running for his life. Gonna take a bit to learnt a new scheme 3-4 D, get Aaron Donald back to full speed, and new DC.


Patience fellas. And good luck trying to stop Gurley with weapons now like Watkins and Kupp on the outside.


We found a way to win last week - something I haven't seen since..

GSOT

 

[Iggloo]

Contenders

Chiefs--Obviously the best overall team...until Big Red puts on his playoff clock-management watch
Texans--Deshaun Watson looks like the real deal, and the team is fairly loaded on defense
Rams--Suddenly Goff and Gurley aren't bums now that they have a real offensive coach
Redskins--The defense has a lot of talent, provided it can get healthy

Pretenders

Raiders--Remember the hype about their dominant o-line? Marshawn Lynch looks like Sloth Mode.
Cowboys--The "new triplets", who haven't won a playoff game, read their press clippings
Lions--They're the same old Lions, they got fat on Minnesota, Arizona and other mediocre teams.
Bills--Some shocking early season wins, but not buying the buzz at all, Pats will find a way to win this division, and corral this very mediocre offense.

 

[Sgt Brutus]

So who are the teams you think are legit contenders to go deep in the playoffs and who are the pretenders whose records misleads you. Focusing no single loss teams or better here.


Contenders

Falcons - They've looked pretty good. Tough loss this weekend but they had some significant injuries in the game.
Packers - Need to stay healthy and keep Rodgers upright.
Eagles - Wentz has been solid which is what they needed.
Lions - Maybe this is the year they put it all together.
Chiefs - So far the best team in football


Pretenders

Rams - Their schedule has been very favorable so far. They beat Seattle comfortably on Sunday and I would switch them to a contender.
Bills - Nice feel good story but so far they have been squeaking by on effort
Panthers - I have not been super impressed with their play.
Bucs - I'm not sold on Winston at all. Makes too many bad throws.
Broncos - I am not a fan of Simien. Hasn't shown that he can elevate his game when it matters.

Jury's Out
Steelers - They should better than they have been playing so far.

Contenders: agree with all except the Packers. They have real health issues and suspect running game + defense

Pretenders: I think the Rams will win that division, they have the most talented team. Of course, Goff could revert back to rookie form and completely fuck it up.
Broncos are in a tough division but that defense is for real. I wouldn't put them in contenders just yet though.

Jurys out: Steelers will win the division by default, but they are not a good team and have some real issues.

 

[Sgt Brutus]

Contenders: agree with all except the Packers. They have real health issues and suspect running game + defense

Pretenders: I think the Rams will win that division, they have the most talented team. Of course, Goff could revert back to rookie form and completely fuck it up.
Broncos are in a tough division but that defense is for real. I wouldn't put them in contenders just yet though.

Jurys out: Steelers will win the division by default, but they are not a good team and have some real issues.

As for teams that have more than one loss

Contenders:
>Seahawks, too much experience on that team to count them out. Plus Zona and SF suck.
>Cowboys, with a good run game anything is possible. Defense is scary without Shaun Lee though.
>Redskins, They've looked pretty good so far
>Patriots, obvious
>Texans, with Mariotta down and Watson looking good they could win that division

 

[packerzrule]

Contenders: agree with all except the Packers. They have real health issues and suspect running game + defense

you shut your whore mouth!

 

[ATL96Steeler]

So who are the teams you think are legit contenders to go deep in the playoffs and who are the pretenders whose records misleads you. Focusing no single loss teams or better here.


Contenders

Falcons - They've looked pretty good. Tough loss this weekend but they had some significant injuries in the game.
Packers - Need to stay healthy and keep Rodgers upright.
Eagles - Wentz has been solid which is what they needed.
Lions - Maybe this is the year they put it all together.
Chiefs - So far the best team in football


Pretenders

Rams - Their schedule has been very favorable so far. They beat Seattle comfortably on Sunday and I would switch them to a contender.
Bills - Nice feel good story but so far they have been squeaking by on effort
Panthers - I have not been super impressed with their play.
Bucs - I'm not sold on Winston at all. Makes too many bad throws.
Broncos - I am not a fan of Simien. Hasn't shown that he can elevate his game when it matters.

Jury's Out
Steelers - They should better than they have been playing so far.

So from what I can see...you only one legit contender in the AFC so KC will be facing one of 4 possible NFC teams for all the marbles?

AFC

1st QTR Contenders

PIT, NE, KC, DEN, HOU...the Chiefs are still the most impressive team in the league so far, but the game last night brought them pack to the pack a little even though they got the W...Aside from NE, each of these teams have the DEF to win in JAN imo.

sidenote...PIT, the CHI loss was not pretty and neither was the BAL win, it should have been 35-9. I was pleased with the BAL win given their history there recently, but overall they do not look like they are hitting on all cylinders on OFC. They got a wake up call on the road in CHI, but the young DEF is getting better and better. I think the OFC will start to click better in OCT.

Not sure...OAK, even before Carr went down I was thinking this was a 10-6 type team this yr. I still think they will do that if Carr doesn't miss extended time...if he's out 5 or 6 games, they will struggle to win 9.

BUF...they have the DEF, but aside from ATL have not really played many good OFCs yet so I'm not really believing their PA ranking. Couple that with a flawed OFC...Idk if they will stay up there, but if they find some OFC they can.

NFC

1st QTR Contenders

ATL, GB, PHI, LAR, DET...I'm just going with the records here, but the Rams are on pace to give up 400 pts...the win in DAL was impressive, but if they stay on that pace the last 3 games giving up 30+, they will struggle to go 1-3 over the next 4. PHI might be the most impressive team out the gate in the NFC.

Blew it...NYG...my pick for the DIV.

Not sure...DAL, TB, MIN, SEA, AZ, NO...lot of teams in this tier. DAL doesn't have the "IT" factor this yr, at least not early...we don't know how good the Rams are, but that was a bad loss @ home for a contender. Bucs are not as strong as I expected, they have only had the 1 road game but they got hammered pretty good by another "not sure " team in MIN.

 

[ATL96Steeler]

Jurys out: Steelers will win the division by default, but they are not a good team and have some real issues.

I'd like to disagree with your post, but at this point I'm not overly confident in the Steelers either. I think that's the beauty of this season and the NFL in general, getting to the dance, especially with a home game. You have great chance win and advance.

Inclusive of KC, I don't see any juggernaut teams out there.

 

[Sgt Brutus]

I'd like to disagree with your post, but at this point I'm not overly confident in the Steelers either. I think that's the beauty of this season and the NFL in general, getting to the dance, especially with a home game. You have great chance win and advance.

Inclusive of KC, I don't see any juggernaut teams out there.

Yeah, no one wants to go to Hinez for a playoff game