Top 5 NFL Super Bowl Contenders: Brock Purdy and Patrick Mahomes Lead the Way

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We’re simply past the quarter point of the NFL season, so we have enough information and movie to anticipate which groups can in fact make the Super Bowl. In between now and February, it’s great to speak about which groups have actually begun to separate themselves.

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Here’s a list of the leading 5 Super Bowl competitors in the NFL and the reason.

news 1. San Francisco 49ers

I’m not going to avoid it. I had the San Francisco 49ers going 9-8 before this season, and while they still technically can, it’s not gon na take place. San Francisco head coach Kyle Shanahan is when again having an outstanding season at the helm. It’s the 2nd time he’s led his group to a 6-0 record, last time in 2019, when they made the Super Bowl.

Quarterback Brock Purdy is playing like the league’s MVP today and is a significant aspect as the group runs on all cylinders. Purdy leads the league in EPA per dropback and ranks 2nd in passing success rate. As soon as once again, he’s doing it with a restricted system. The 49ers have actually handled significant injuries(which I believed would result in a 9-8 season), however they’ve played well through them. According to me, the No. 1 pass receiver at the minute is Jacob Cowing

Mike Evans Deebo Samuel Ricky Pearsall, Demarcus Robinson Christian Kirkand De’Zhaun Stribling are all out with injuries. The Purdy-Shanahan pairing has actually progressed throughout the years, and now we’re seeing the 2 at their finest.

Offenses do not win champions; defenses do. San Francisco has a defense. The company worked with Raheem Morris to collaborate the defense, and he’s done a skillful task. Last season, the 49ers had among the NFL’s worst pass hurries, ranking last with 20 overall sacks. While they aren’t in the leading 10, San Francisco is currently approximately 15 group sacks this season, ranking 17th in the league.

It’s not simply the pass rush; the system is dipping into a high level overall. San Francisco ranks 3rd in the NFL in EPA per play enabled through 6 weeks. Like the offense, they aren’t at complete strength. The group is missing out on C.J. West Alfred Collins Nick Bosa, and Marques SigleSimply an incredible training task on both sides of the ball.

The San Francisco train is rolling, and Shanahan has his eyes set on Los Angeles.

news 2. Kansas City Chiefs

Simply when you believed the dynasty was over, they included a Super Bowl MVP. Running back Kenneth Walker III has actually changed this Kansas City Chiefs offense and is the factor this group is 5-0 through 6 weeks (after a bye). Walker leads the league in hurrying backyards, lawns per bring, and EPA per effort. In general, the Chiefs rank 5th in the NFL in hurrying backyards, leaning greatly on Walker for explosive plays. 19 of his runs have actually chosen 10-plus lawns, which ranks 2nd in the league.

The whole identity of this Chiefs offense has actually moved. When you think about Kansas City, you consider Patrick Mahomes and him tossing the ball all over the backyard. This season, the group is running the ball around 44 percent of the time. Compare that to the 2024 season, when the Chiefs went to the Super Bowl; they ran the ball 37 percent of the time. A 7 percent dive with Walker contributed to the backfield.

Even with this brand-new offense, the one restricting aspect is a real field stretcher. Losing Tyquan Thornton harms; he led the group in lawns per reception with almost 20 backyards. The next closest gamer is Rashee Rice with 14.62. Kansas City need to search for a field stretcher at the due date to finish this offense and prevent ending up being one-dimensional come playoff time.

On defense, Steve Spagnuolo is doing Spagnuolo things. He has fresh faces on the defense: novices Peter Woods R Mason Thomas and Mansoor Delane. They’ve all been lights out, specifically Thomas. He’s included a various kind of edge rush than we’ve seen from Kansas City over the last few years– speed. The defense ranks leading 3 in overall EPA per play permitted and general success rate. The frightening part is, the novices will just improve as they discover their footing in the NFL.

Anticipate Kansas City to be in the blend with Los Angeles, which upsets every other fanbase.

news 3. Buffalo Bills

Exists any surprise a group led by Josh Allen is on this list? The Buffalo Bills raised their offending organizer, Joe Bradyto head coach this offseason, a relocation that raised significant concerns. The outcome is the group leading the league in EPA per play and EPA per rush on offense. All of us understand what this Bills offense can be, and we’re seeing it. As long as Allen is on the group, this group can contend for a Super Bowl, so what’s the restricting element? Well, Bills fans currently understand. It’s the defense, and as soon as again it’s having a hard time.

Brady worked with Jim Leonhard as the protective organizer, and the relocation brought optimism. Far, it’s brought sadness. The Bills rank 31st in backyards enabled and 30th in general success rate permitted. Last season, the Bills had among the league’s much better secondaries, protecting the pass well, however this season whatever has actually looked bad. The hurrying defense has actually looked fine in areas, however it’s more since gamers like Deone Walker are making plays for deals with for loss. In general, the group can get gashed on the ground.

Still, the front-seven has the skill to make splash plays from time to time, particularly with the protective line they have. I can’t state the very same for Buffalo’s secondary; this system appears to have actually restricted Leonhard. Originating from Denver, you ‘d anticipate to see a lot more pressure bundles and match zone protection in the backend. The Bills have not truly played into that; they’ve run a great deal of invert looks and single-high protections post-snap. It seems like Leonhard does not rely on the guys in his secondary to comprehend the guidelines of a match system.

Having novices like Davison Igbinosun Jalon Kilgore, and second-year corner Maxwell Hairston all playing significant snaps. It’s revealed. Every one has actually made errors in the back end, which have actually caused the Bills ranking 28th in passing success rate enabled.

Leonhard has his work cut out for him, with his defense being the something that can keep this Buffalo group from raising the Lombardi Trophy in February.

news 4. Jacksonville Jaguars

Even with the No. 3 seed in the AFC, it still seems like the Jacksonville Jaguars do not get the enjoyment they are worthy of. Head coach Liam Coen has actually done an exceptional task with this offense, putting them in the leading 10 in success rate and EPA per play.

If you keep in mind back in April, the Jaguars got an avalanche of concerns about the draft class they simply generated. Well, the novices they prepared are all adding to this group in Year 1. Tight end Nate Boerkircher has actually made an effect in the running video game in 12- or 13-personnel sets, receiver Josh Cameron is beginning to see his function broadened week-to-week, and guard Emmanuel Pregnon is beginning for the group at left guard. While tight end Tanner Koziol isn’t getting as much run, Coen has actually discovered enjoyable methods to utilize him by splitting him out large in much heavier sets to get Travis Hunter in the slot.

That’s the important things with this group. Whatever feels determined and considered. When you enjoy their movie, they do something that you’ll no doubt see later on in the video game. That’s an indication of great training. It’s not simply the offense; the defense has actually been playing at a high level, led by Anthony CampanileYes, they simply quit 34 indicate Houston, however CJ Stroud is playing like an MVP.

Enjoying the Jaguars run on the protective end, you’ll seldom see the exact same thing week-to-week. Campanile does a terrific task blending his tactical plan, making them special to each group the company plays. What’s been fascinating to note is the Jaguars playing more male protection this season. Campanile ran guy protection 18.1 percent of the time in 2025; this season he’s up to 25.8 percent.

The dive reveals this group does not remain stagnant. They will not run the very same thing over and over once again, since it’s working. Each side of the ball is seeking to innovate and enhance. Do not be amazed when Jacksonville remains in the mix for the No. 1 seed in the AFC come December.

news 5. Minnesota Vikings

Defense wins champions? If we’re passing that reasoning, the Minnesota Vikings need to be on this list. The group is unbeaten and leads the league in EPA per play permitted, success rate permitted, and pressure portion. Protective planner Brian Flores is doing his thing and doing it well. The unique blitz appearances have actually had offenses losing sleep attempting to figure it out. Nobody has yet, with the Vikings leading the league in blitz portion also, at around 70 percent.

What’s restricting the Vikings is their offense. We’ll provide grace as they have not been completely healthy yet, however in Week 5 we saw glances of what this system can be with Kyler Murray at the helm. The most fundamental part is just how much Murray has actually rushed for Minnesota. Even with missing out on time and having a bye week, Murray is 4th in the league in scramble portion at 10.6 percent. It’s an included element to this Minnesota offense we have not actually seen before; mix that with his capability to toss deep balls, and this system can be enjoyable.

The problem is injuries. Murray has actually currently missed out on time himself, and the offense hasn’t been at complete strength. Jordan Mason Jordan Addison TJ Hockenson Justin Jefferson Christian Darrisaw, and Donovan Jackson have actually all missed out on time. Throughout all of it, the offense ranks 27th in overall EPA per play. While that stat isn’t motivating, we need to wait and see what the group appears like at complete strength. The Vikings luck out with having Indianapolis, Detroit, and Buffalo coming out of the bye, providing chances to experiment on the offending end. I ‘d like to see head coach Kevin O’Connell lean more into the gap-running plan; it’s worked much better for Minnesota, so they might lean into it more.

Regardless, this defense will keep the Vikings in video games. That’s all that matters, which’s sufficient to make a Super Bowl run.