The Athletic has live coverage of Bills vs. Texans in NFL ‘Thursday Night Football.’
Week 11 provided some peak offensive fireworks from some unlikely NFL characters. Bryce Young set the Carolina Panthers’ franchise record with 448 passing yards in an overtime win over the Atlanta Falcons; Arizona Cardinals wide receiver Michael Wilson became the answer to a trivia question (“Who has the most receiving yards in a game this season?”) with his 185-yard performance in a loss to the San Francisco 49ers; and Wilson’s quarterback, Jacoby Brissett, set the NFL record for completions in a regular-season game with 47.
Of course, there were more predictable things as well, such as Buffalo Bills quarterback Josh Allen carrying his team (by accounting for six touchdowns), Justin Fields struggling in the passing game (he threw for fewer yards in the New York Jets’ loss to the the New England Patriots than Young had in the fourth quarter and overtime) and the Cleveland Browns laying out the carpet for quarterback No. 42, adding to their infamous run at the position since 1999.
The unpredictability, though, is one of the best things about the NFL. Though we spend some time each week in this space trying to identify which five teams have the best chance to get to the Super Bowl, some quality teams routinely slip through the cracks. That’s where we begin this week’s What’s Trending in the NFL.
Bonus five: Best teams that haven’t yet cracked the Road to Santa Clara
Teams that have made the ranking at some point this year: Kansas City Chiefs, Green Bay Packers, Baltimore Ravens, Philadelphia Eagles, Buffalo Bills, Los Angeles Chargers, Detroit Lions, Los Angeles Rams, Denver Broncos, Tampa Bay Buccaneers, New England Patriots.
5. Pittsburgh Steelers: Their best chance to crack the list was going into Week 7, when they were 4-1 and set to play a bad Cincinnati Bengals team. However, the Steelers lost three out of their next four games, and even though they beat the Bengals on Sunday, it might have come at the expense of Aaron Rodgers’ missing some time with a wrist injury. The Steelers haven’t really been looked at as a legitimate Super Bowl contender, in part because of the wide receivers Rodgers is throwing to. Imagine if they had a player like Dallas Cowboys receiver George Pickens.
4. San Francisco 49ers: This season has really been a shame for the 49ers (7-4). They’ve dealt with so many key injuries that they never really got to show their full potential. The offense is on the mend, but Nick Bosa and Fred Warner are not walking through that door in 2025, which makes things pretty difficult against good teams.
3. Chicago Bears: The point differential column is pretty amusing. Each of the top 15 teams in the NFL standings has a positive point differential — except for the Bears, who are 7-3, tied with the Bills and the Seattle Seahawks for the league’s sixth-best record. Buffalo is plus-63, and Seattle is plus-101. The Bears are minus-6. That’ll happen when you have a couple of 1-point wins, a 2-point win and a 4-point win, along with a 31-point loss. The Bears are a good team under first-year head coach Ben Johnson, and the future is bright, but a run at the Super Bowl this season would be some serious overachieving.
2. Indianapolis Colts: They’ve had the best record in the NFL virtually the entire season, so they’ve made for a great No. 1 team in traditional power rankings. But in terms of Super Bowl contention, it boils down to this: Do you think running back Jonathan Taylor can keep up this production, and do you trust Daniel Jones to play enough quality complementary football with his defense? Their 8-2 record looks pretty, but they’re 2-2 against teams that currently have a .500 or better record, with three of those four games being one-possession results. It’s not impossible for the Colts to make a magical run relative to preseason expectations, but I’ve got to see more to become a believer. Games against the Chiefs and Seahawks in the next four weeks should be a good indicator.
1. Seattle Seahawks: The Seahawks are one of the best teams in the NFL. In fact, Sunday’s loss furthers that case, as they fell by just 2 points on the road against a top-tier Rams team, despite losing the turnover battle 4-1. The defense is legit, and the offense has a high ceiling. The margins are thin. But as I wrote last week, my concerns revolve around Sam Darnold versus Matthew Stafford on the big stage. Darnold threw four interceptions Sunday, and Stafford came out clean.
Not ranked: Carolina Panthers — The season got off to a rough 1-3 start, concluding with a 42-13 loss to the Patriots. But the emergence of Rico Dowdle gave the Panthers life, and they surprisingly sit at 6-5. They’ve had three games decided by 28 points or more, including two losses. If they beat the 49ers on Monday and the Bucs lose to the Rams — both realistic results — they would be on top of the NFC South. However, four of their final five games appear to be just brutal, with one apiece against the Rams and Seahawks and two head-to-heads against the Buccaneers. There was nothing close to Super Bowl expectations for the Panthers coming into the season, but if they manage to even make the playoffs, that would be quite impressive and something positive to build on.
Road to Santa Clara
The five teams with the best chance at winning the Super Bowl.
5. Denver Broncos: There are five or so teams I feel equally good about putting here, but the Broncos get the nod because that defense is simply too hard to ignore. Bo Nix doesn’t inspire a lot of confidence for 60 minutes, but he manages to do just enough and is capable of making plays in the clutch. It feels like Sean Payton has managed Nix well, making him understand that he just needs to avoid the big mistake rather than try to chase the big play.
4. Buffalo Bills: It’s hard to watch Josh Allen play to his full MVP potential and think the Bills can’t beat anyone on any given Sunday. That Allen performance Sunday came against an all-around good Buccaneers team. Though I have no doubts about Allen, my doubts remain about the assets around him, especially for three or four consecutive games in the postseason.
3. New England Patriots: It’s incredible the job Mike Vrabel has done as coach in his first year with the Patriots. His defensive acumen is a given, but he’s brought along Drake Maye at the perfect pace and has allowed Josh McDaniels to do his thing on the offensive side. The injury to Rhamondre Stevenson might have also been something of a blessing in disguise that helped the Patriots fully discover and use rookie TreVeyon Henderson.
2. Philadelphia Eagles: General manager Howie Roseman’s adding Jaelan Phillips to an already good defense is some nasty work. The offense isn’t a well-oiled machine, but it still makes enough plays when the team needs it. I’m not sure whether we’re going to see this offense perform to its full potential, but facing Dallas on Sunday is a good get-right opportunity for that unit.
Linebacker Jaelan Phillips has made an accomplished Eagles defense even stronger. (Mark Hoffman / Imagn Images)
1. Los Angeles Rams: Los Angeles has a top-six scoring offense and a top-six scoring defense. On a day Puka Nacua was largely held in check and Davante Adams had just one catch, the Rams still beat a very good Seattle team, thanks to a great game from Kyren Williams. There really isn’t a glaring weakness on this roster, and Matthew Stafford is a bona fide MVP candidate.
Not ranked: Kansas City Chiefs — All season long, I’ve made excuses for the Chiefs by pointing to their quarterback and their core’s overall experience, expecting it would come through in the playoffs. But all of that is a moot point if Kansas City can’t do the basic part of the job, which is to get into the postseason. They still have almost a 60 percent chance, according to The Athletic’s playoff simulator, but at 5-5 and in third place in their division, they’re starting to cut it close. Even if they do make the playoffs, they almost certainly would go in as a wild-card team, which would be the first time they don’t win the AFC West in the Patrick Mahomes era.
Bottom five
The five teams with the best chance to land the No. 1 pick in the 2026 NFL Draft.
5. New York Giants: Jaxson Dart is fun, but with Jameis Winston as the backup now, the Giants should take their sweet time with Dart and let us all enjoy the Jameis Winston Experience.
4. Cleveland Browns: As the saying goes, 42nd time is the charm.
3. Las Vegas Raiders: How was this Sunday’s game against the Browns not buried in the early afternoon slot?
2. New York Jets: The fact the Jets have forced only one turnover this season as we approach Thanksgiving might be the most jarring stat of this NFL season.
1. Tennessee Titans: When Cam Ward played against the Texans, who boast the best defense in the NFL, there were moments that really made you feel he could be a legitimate NFL starter one day. It’s up to the Titans to take a serious approach to fixing things around him, particularly on the coaching side and with the offensive line.
Not ranked: New Orleans Saints — The Saints have a risky road to the finish line, as they have the easiest remaining schedule in the NFL. They still play against the Titans, Jets, Miami Dolphins and twice against a Falcons team that just lost its starting quarterback. The Saints are in contention for the top pick, but if they stumble into a win or two, they could be eliminated.