The Wild Card Teams That Actually Have A Shot At Winning The Super Bowl

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There’s a month left in the NFL’s regular season. Let’s pretend that it’s over. If the standings stay as is and division leaders become division winners, which Wild Card teams can actually win the Super Bowl? Well, let’s find out by making some wild guesses at which franchise could become just the seventh squad ever to pull of the feat.

Note: If your team isn’t on this list they are either currently leading their division or complete and utter trash.

Miami Dolphins (7-5)

In his fifth consecutive breakout season, Ryan Tannehill has shown occasional moments of brilliance wrapped around soul-crushing sacks and general incompetence. I wouldn’t trust him as far as he can throw Jay Ajayi, which would probably be about a foot in front of wherever DeVante Parker is standing. That probably won’t be NRG Stadium in Houston on February 5.

Ajaia can, however, run the football. He put up back-to-back 200-yard games earlier in the season and seems like a player that can explode at any time. It’s incomprehensible to me that he didn’t start this season. If he finishes it well he makes the Dolphins a dangerous, if ultimately flawed, Wild Card team. But not a Super Bowl team.

Verdict: This is not a team that beats the Patriots at any point in January. Sorry.

Buffalo Bills (6-6)

No.

(Really?)

Nope.

(…)

Listen, I know this team better than any other on this list. They are the most mediocre of mediocre football teams. The playoffs aren’t happening. The Super Bowl isn’t real. It doesn’t exist. I only put this in here to complain about wasting LeSean McCoy’s brilliance on an underwhelming defense and a struggling quarterback who has no passing targets other than the oft-injured Sammy Watkins. Blowing a 24-9 third quarter lead against the Raiders on Sunday all but ends the drama for the perpetually In the Hunt but always hunted Buffalo Bills.

Verdict: lol

Kansas City Chiefs (9-3)

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I don’t trust Andy Reid to go any further in the playoffs than Alex Smith can throw him, so don’t expect to see the Chiefs playing football in February.

Hey wait, didn’t I use that same joke construct in the blurb about the Dolphins? I did! Here’s why: there are about six good teams in this league and it absolutely correlates to the number of quarterbacks who can adequately chuck the pigskin over the proverbial mountain over there.

To make a deep run in the playoffs you need one of two things: a truly great quarterback or a transcendent defense that can come up with great performances in the small sample size that is the postseason. Sure — Kansas City is a playoff team. They always get in there. But it’s really hard to see the Chiefs contending in any way, shape, or form with Alex Smith. Last year’s 30-0 blowout of the Texans in the Wild Card round was their first playoff win since 1993. They won’t get to play the Texans every week this January.

Sorry, Missouri. Stop settling for mediocrity under center and under the headset.

Verdict: Nope.

Denver Broncos (8-4)

The Broncos have sort of fallen on hard times this season because they realized they do not actually have a quarterback. The thing about Denver, however, is they realized that very same thing about this time last season and won the Super Bowl with Peyton Manning anyway.

They’ve certainly lost games you’d expect a Super Bowl contender to win. An overtime loss to the Chiefs. A Week 2 loss to a Chargers team that can’t seem to buy a win this year. But despite a few shaky performances here and there, this is still a defense that makes a difference. Their big tests still remain on the schedule in the season’s last quarter — three consecutive games against the Patriots, Chiefs and Raiders to end the season. If they get through that stretch and can make the playoffs, why couldn’t they be the first team to repeat since 2005?

Verdict: It would not surprise me at all, so yes.

Pittsburgh Steelers (7-5)

Ben Roethlisberger is relatively healthy for a Ben Roethlisberger at this point in the season. Antonio Brown is still great and also very fun to watch. Le’Veon Bell has three straight 100-yard rushing performances and looks fresh after missing the first month of the season. Most importantly, the Steelers defense has been great the last month. Pittsburgh is actually my pick to win this division anyway, so I’m glad they lost to Baltimore by a touchdown in Week 9 when Roethlisberger was out-of-synch in his first game back since knee surgery.

He looks better, the Steelers look like they’re on the rise and I didn’t have to write about Joe Flacco on a technicality.

Verdict: Yes

Indianapolis Colts (6-6)

I’m going to be politely dismissive as I possibly can here. I think Andrew Luck is still good. But no. This is the most perfect mediocrity I’ve ever seen.

Look at that synergy. It’s beautiful.

Verdict: Not even a “playoff participant” banner this year.

Tennessee Titans (6-6)

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Y’all are coached by Mike Mularkey. The division is hot trash, yourselves included. Please stop.

Granted, they’ve gotten a great year out of DeMarco Murray and Mularkey seems like he might let Marcus Mariota become a real quarterback, but it’s tough to see the Titans as anything but a mediocre team from a bad division. Their “signature win” would be a toss up between a Week 2 triumph over Detroit where they scored 16 points, or a 47-point offensive explosion over a deeply flawed Green Bay Packers team in Week 10. Either way, Tennessee is just 3-5 against the conference and I hear you have to beat teams in your conference to get to the Super Bowl.

Verdict: Close. Like maybe a yard away if Kevin Dyson really stretches the ball out but it’s still gonna come up short and when you really look at it no you’re miles away from ever experiencing joy again.

New York Giants (8-4)

Look: Eli Manning has done this before. Twice. I’m not saying it’s going to happen. I just know that I’ve read this spec script before. It’s not the most exciting story but if it ends with the Patriots losing I doubt many people are complaining about how terrible the first two acts were.

Verdict: Sure!

Washington Redskins (6-5-1)

Washington’s NFL football team has a tie to its name that was earned in Europe, which is oddly fitting. That tie has them a half-game back of the last Wild Card spot right now, but the games left on the schedule are actually encouraging. They’ve already played Dallas twice and have some pretty bad teams (Panthers, Eagles, Bears) left, so it’s entirely possible they make the playoffs.

Kirk Cousins is putting up some massive numbers (he’s second in the NFL in yards per game and fifth in the NFC in passer rating), and is clearly feeling the Contract Year Mojo. Their receiving corp is among the best in the league, and Jordan Reed will likely be back before the playoffs. The offense isn’t the problem for this team, it’s coming up with stops on defense that is. They’ve already lost to Dallas twice and it’s hard to imagine them competing with New England if they make it that far.

Verdict: probably nah

Minnesota Vikings (6-6)

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This is an example of one of those truly transcendent defenses that can dominate a playoff game. But I’m breaking my own rule here because Sam Bradford is the most unreliable narrator that’s ever been frantically traded for just days before a season starts. I still don’t get that move. Maybe Adrian Peterson and Teddy Bridgewater getting hurt is retribution for all those birds the new stadium might be murdering. But between all that and Mike Zimmer missing last week’s game with an eye injury it really feels like everything has gone wrong for the Vikings this year.

Just feels like too much to overcome, and they’ve got to beat a lot of teams to get a spot in the Wild Card in the first place.

Verdict: skoal nope

Green Bay Packers (6-6)

Is Aaron Rodgers OK? Can someone check on him for me? I know he’s throwing for a lot of yards like usual but this Packers season is definitely wearing on him. Injuries at running back have definitely hurt them — Rodgers leads the team in rushing touchdowns (with three!) and they really can’t compliment the passing game at all.

Somehow, Green Bay has won its last two games. But to make the playoffs they’d have to get at least three wins out of games against Seattle, Chicago, Minnesota and Detroit. Two of those games are at home, but no one is traveling to Lambeau to play in January.

Verdict: nah man

Tampa Bay Buccaneers (7-5)

Tampa Bay is currently a Wild Card team. That’s weird because I can’t see them beating any team in the playoff picture except maybe the Lions. Which is the team they’re currently scheduled to play. Oh boy.

Verdict: still a hard no

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