Contenders Or Pretenders? Football Season Is Charging Hard | The Odyssey Online
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Contenders Or Pretenders? Football Season Is Charging Hard

The 2018-19 season is taking no prisoners.

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This season has already been thrilling and nail-biting, and it's only Week 3. As teams continue to fall, we have nine teams to remain. With seven teams being 2-0, I'm going to tell you which of these teams has a chance to play in the big game at the end of the season.

Miami Dolphins: Pretenders

Unfortunately for Dolphins fans, this little streak is just a teaser. Despite Ryan Tannehill throwing for four touchdowns in two games while completing almost 73% of his passes, you simply can't trust him down the stretch because he has a history of being injury-prone. Kenyan Drake is on pace for a 1000 yard season and their defense is stout, but their quarterback position is not secure enough to put them over the top.

Cincinnati Bengals: Pretenders

Even with the Ravens having a quarterback circus, the Steelers facing locker room turmoil and the Browns trying to find their identity, the Bengals still aren't contenders in the AFC. The Bengals are always that team that hypes up their fan base with their performances in the regular season, but then lay an egg in the first round of the playoffs.

Jacksonville Jaguars: Contenders

The Patriots are thin at wide receiver and the Steelers can't seem to start games off well, which puts the Jags in the driver's seat in the AFC. They arguably have the best defense in the conference, and Blake Bortles is finally showing up for games. If Bortles can complete 60-70% of his passes and continue to keep his turnovers down, this may be the year of the Jaguars.

Kansas City Chiefs: Contenders

Patrick Mahommes, Tyreek Hill, Sammy Watkins, Travis Kelce and Kareem Hunt. This team is an offensive powerhouse with some studs at every skill position, and they are the kind of team that you have to beat in a shootout. Expect this team to lead the league in scoring and continue to put the whole conference on notice.

Los Angeles Rams: Contenders

The Rams are the most complete team in the league. We got Jared Goff, Todd Gurley and Brandin Cooks on offense with Aqib Talib, Marcus Peters and Aaron Donald on defense. These are six All-Pro, Pro Bowl-caliber players leading both sides of the ball. Anyone sleeping on this team should wake up, because they have the talent to score 50 and hold your team to under 20.

Tampa Bay Buccaneers: Pretenders

It's simple - Ryan Fitzpatrick is not as good as he has shown in the last two games. Eight touchdowns and less than 200 yards away from 1000 yards. But even Bucs fans can't expect "Fitz-Magic" to keep this up. By week 4 at the Bears, Fitzpatrick will settle down and the Bucs will slow down.

Denver Broncos: Pretenders

The Broncos' window has closed. They are not as talented at quarterback or on defense since Peyton Manning retired. At this point, they are just glad that Case Keenum is better than Brock Osweiler, Paxton Lynch and Trevor Siemian, who stunk up the place the last three years. They have a chance to be a scary Wild Card team, but contenders might be pushing it.

All these teams have performed well, but it's still too early to really see who will separate themselves from the pack. As the season progresses, I predict right now the Chiefs have the best chance of these teams to make noise in the waning weeks of the season and throughout the playoffs.

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This article has not been reviewed by Odyssey HQ and solely reflects the ideas and opinions of the creator.
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