While the current NFL season is approaching week 15, the playoff race is getting closer and closer as things come to an end. With 30 teams still available for playoff contention and only 2 mathematically eliminated, this time of the year makes for some of the best quality of football in the eyes of many fans, as these teams are leaving it all out on the field fighting for a playoff spot or a better seed. There have been many surprises with this year’s playoff picture, a couple of which being the 1-5 Broncos who were counted out by everyone, coming back and winning 6 of their last 7 games to get to 7-6, putting themselves in a position to play in a wild card game. Or the ever-so-dominant Buffalo Bills, not living up to expectations and being slotted outside of the playoffs right now. Broncos coach Sean Payton was asked about the win that improved them to 5-5, where he explained, “It’s one of those things that can build confidence and momentum.” With it being a time in the year where momentum is important, it will be interesting to see how the Denver Broncos will perform moving forward.

Star defensive end hypes up the crowd after getting a big stop. As for the top dogs, many fans see teams such as the San Francisco 49ers, Dallas Cowboys, Philadelphia Eagles, Baltimore Ravens, and Kansas City Chiefs as the top five Super Bowl favorites. Although there are many other teams at the top of their divisions and in good shape, such as the Detroit Lions and Miami Dolphins, the 5 teams listed have more playoff experience recently, which is why many fans nationwide think they are in good shape. A common theme of all of these teams and what contributes to their success is that they all have arguably top 10 quarterbacks in the NFL, which is key to being a successful NFL team. Fans of our hometown Detroit Lions have been waiting for a season like this for decades, with their last playoff win coming in 1991. With early regular season success that Lions fans have not experienced in decades, they are hopeful that they could make a push to the Super Bowl, led by key players like QB Jared Goff, WR Amon-Ra St. Brown, OT Penei Sewell, DE Aidan Hutchinson, and RBs David Montgomery and Jahmyr Gibbs. They currently sit atop of their division and are in good shape in the playoff race at 9-4. In a post-game interview, QB Jared Goff explained his belief in his squad, when he said, “Our superpower is how we respond.” Goff and his team hope that their ability to overcome adversity can take them a long way in the playoff.

My personal opinion is that the San Francisco 49ers will lift the Lombardi Trophy in Las Vegas. Their powerhouse of a defense led by their talent offensively makes for one of the greatest all around teams that I have ever witnessed. Key defensive players such as DEs Chase Young and Nick Bosa, and LBs Fred Warner and Dre Greenlaw make for one of the if not the best defenses in the NFL today. Their offense is led by the consensus best RB in the NFL Christian McCaffrey, and also have talented players such as QB Brock Purdy, WRs Deebo Samuel and Brandon Aiyuk, and TE George Kittle. The extraordinary talent on both sides of the ball will help lead them to become Super Bowl champions in my personal opinion.