With election season and the NFL season in the spotlight, it was only a matter of time until the candidates would be compared to their NFL counterparts.

Donald Trump: New England Patriots

Donald Trump and the New England Patriots have striking similarities. Both of them are in front of their competitors and don’t show signs of giving that lead up anytime soon. It’s no secret that the New England Patriots have been surrounded in scandal, with the most recent being Deflategate which has brought tremendous scrutiny to the organization. Trump is certainly no stranger to extensive scrutiny following his comments on Mexican immigrants, President Obama’s nationality and religion, and his comments about Megyn Kelly during the Fox News GOP Presidential Debate.

Dr. Ben Carson: New York Giants

Dr. Ben Carson has secured some great poll results in the GOP field where he currently comes in second behind Trump in most polls but has had several slip ups on issues that matter. The New York Giants have had considerable success, but their record doesn’t show how well they have played as they were unable to cap off football games in the fourth quarter when it matters the most. It doesn’t seem like it is likely that Carson will win the nomination and even though the Giants are leading the NFC East currently, ESPN still predicts the Eagles as the favorites to win the division as the Giants defense has been mediocre at best and is riddled with injury. The slip-ups from both Carson and the Giants are likely to play into why Carson doesn’t receive his party’s nomination, and why the Giants won’t win the NFC East.

Jeb Bush: Cleveland Browns

Two cases showcasing the struggle to reinvent yourself. Jeb Bush has been troubled by constant comparison to his brother, Bush 43, and father, Bush 41. The Cleveland Browns are trying to create a new culture for their organization after having consistent losing seasons without a true identity. The new uniforms and new quarterback for the Browns haven’t exactly translated to success as they sit at 2-3. For Jeb, he has yet to completely separate himself from his father and brother and I don’t see it happening because of how recognizable the name is to voters. Jeb has struggled in the polls just as the Browns have struggled to produce wins on the field.

Carly Fiorina: Oakland Raiders

Former Hewlett Packard CEO is also trying to change a tradition of hers…failure. The Oakland Raiders certainly have a tradition of such as they have had severely underwhelming seasons in recent memory. Fiorina, after a failed campaign for the United States Senate seat for California, has shown significant progress since the beginning of her presidential campaign. Fiorina made it from the consolation debate stage to the main stage and have challenged and passed many of her opponents. The Oakland Raiders are one win away from matching their 2014 total and have shown significant improvements. The Raiders tout one of the best up-and-coming defensive players in Khalil Mack, one of the best young receivers in Amari Cooper, and a solid young quarterback in Derek Carr. This team has come a long way and still has room to grow.

Marco Rubio: Miami Dolphins

It makes sense that Senator Rubio represents one of his Floridian teams. Apart from the fact that they both represent Florida, both Senator Rubio and the Miami Dolphins have shown flashes of greatness but both have lacked the consistency to make significant gains on the campaign trail and in the NFL. Both the Dolphins and Rubio also share the tall task of playing from behind. Most polls have Rubio coming in at third or fourth with between 8%-11% behind Trump, Carson, and in some cases either Ted Cruz or Carly Fiorina. The Miami Dolphins find themselves at the bottom of their division with a 1-3 record with an uphill battle ahead of them as they are in arguably the best division in football.

Chris Christie: Philadelphia Eagles

Present times have not been pleasant to either of these two parties. Two years ago, Chip Kelly’s high powered and fast-paced offense took the NFL by storm and looked unstoppable. Since then, Kelly has turned his roster upside down and there are not many recognizable faces around the Eagles organization. For Chris Christie, two years ago the Governor of New Jersey looked to be a surefire nominee for the 2016 election and now finds himself pulling in less than 3% of the potential vote. The Eagles have also underperformed thus far as they were projected by some experts to reach Super Bowl 50.

Hillary Clinton: Green Bay Packers

Both are the undisputed leaders of their fields. The Packers are undefeated and Hillary is up in the polls by a solid amount over Bernie Sanders. The Packers are not the flashiest team by any means but they get the job done by being consistent and not making many mistakes. The same can be argued for Hillary Clinton on the campaign trail and on the debate stage. This of course is not taking into consideration the extensive talks about Benghazi or her emails as it has been reported recently that these may just be partisan driven strategies to derail their campaign. Aaron Rodgers and the Packers have the best chance to reach and win Super Bowl 50 according to CBS. Clinton is also by far the favorite to win her party’s nomination and is faring well against possible opponents from the GOP field.

Bernie Sanders: Carolina Panthers

At the beginnings of the election seasons and NFL seasons, nobody predicted the success that either of these two. The Panthers lost their best receiver in Kelvin Benjamin to an ACL tear and without the weapons necessary to be considered elite, Carolina was written off early. Bernie Sanders really came out of nowhere. Sanders is a self-proclaimed democratic socialist but many just focus on the socialist aspect and wrote him off as a candidate to lead a capitalist country. Cam Newton, quarterback of the Carolina Panthers, has found success spreading the ball around to a number of receivers. A healthy even distribution of wealth if you will. Many Americans are "feeling the Bern" just as many are noticing the Panthers as real threats.