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Only 16 NFL teams still have a legit shot at winning the Super Bowl

Tyler Lauletta   

Only 16 NFL teams still have a legit shot at winning the Super Bowl
Sports7 min read
  • Through five weeks of the NFL season, just 16 teams remain with a realistic shot at winning Super Bowl LV, according to FiveThirtyEight.
  • The Chiefs and Packers are currently the favorites to win the Super Bowl, but other contenders like the Seahawks and Ravens are right behind them.
  • For the bottom 16 teams in their rankings, it might be time to start studying up for the 2021 NFL Draft.

Through five weeks of the NFL season, there's plenty we already know about the year.

The Chiefs are still the team to beat, but they are beatable, as the Raiders showed last week. The NFC is wide open, but the Packers and Seahawks mean business when it comes to securing the only postseason bye that the conference has to offer. COVID-19 will be an issue for the remainder of the year, but the NFL is set on pushing onward with the season however it can.

There are also things we don't yet know but can take a pretty good guess at, including this: there are only 16 teams left with a realistic shot at winning Super Bowl LV.

Sure, mathematically, every team in football still has a chance at lifting the Lombardi trophy. Still, it's already pretty easy to dismiss about half of the teams in the NFL as better off looking forward to next year.

According to FiveThirtyEight, 16 teams have at least a 1% chance at winning the Super Bowl come February, while the rest of the league is looking at odds longer than one-in-a-hundred.

Take a look below at who has the best chance of becoming (or in the Chiefs' case, remaining) champions through 2021.

16. Arizona Cardinals

Record: 3-2

Chance at winning Super Bowl: 1%

Week 5 result: Beat the Jets, 30-10

Week 6 opponent: at Dallas Cowboys

One thing to know: Second-year quarterback Kyler Murray appears to be coming into his own and played one of the best games of his young career last weekend against the Jets, completing 27 of his 37 passes for an impressive 380 yards. He should have another shot to put up some impressive numbers against a Cowboys defense struggling to start the year.

15. Las Vegas Raiders

Record: 3-2

Chance at winning Super Bowl: 1%

Week 5 result: Beat the Chiefs, 40-32

Week 6 opponent: Bye

One thing to know: The Raiders flexed their muscles a bit on Sunday, handing the Chiefs their first loss in nearly a year. If they can keep pace with Kansas City, they certainly have enough firepower to go on a run when the postseason comes around.

14. Indianapolis Colts

Record: 3-2

Chance at winning Super Bowl: 2%

Week 5 result: Lost to the Browns, 32-23

Week 6 opponent: vs. Cincinnati Bengals

One thing to know: Indianapolis has had one of the best defenses in the NFL through the early weeks of the season but couldn't stop the offense of the Cleveland Browns on Sunday. The Colts will get another shot at proving their defensive dominance this weekend against the Bengals, whose offensive line has given up a league-worst 4.4 sacks per game this year.

13. Cleveland Browns

Record: 4-1

Chance at winning Super Bowl: 3%

Week 5 result: Beat the Colts, 32-23

Week 6 opponent: at Pittsburgh Steelers

One thing to know: After a dud in Week 1 against the Baltimore Ravens, the Browns offense has come to life, averaging more than 37 points per game through a four-game win streak.

12. Chicago Bears

Record: 4-1

Chance at winning Super Bowl: 3%

Week 5 result: Beat the Buccaneers, 20-19

Week 6 opponent: at Carolina Panthers

One thing to know: Nick Foles is now one of just four quarterbacks with a career record of 2-0 or better against Tom Brady, but still has yet to receive a post-game handshake from the GOAT. A postseason rematch between the Bears and Buccaneers could be a spicy one.

11. New England Patriots

Record: 2-2

Chance at winning Super Bowl: 3%

Week 5 result: Bye

Week 6 opponent: vs. Denver Broncos

One thing to know: The Patriots are one of the many teams that have already had their season disrupted by COVID-19, and some players are already speaking out against the way the league handled the positive cases coming out of the New England locker room. Regardless, the Patriots are back in action this weekend, with quarterback Cam Newton expected back under center after being sidelined with the virus.

10. Tampa Bay Buccaneers

Record: 3-2

Chance at winning Super Bowl: 4%

Week 5 result: Lost to the Bears, 20-19

Week 6 opponent: vs. Green Bay Packers

One thing to know: The Buccaneers lost to the Chicago Bears last week thanks in part to a bone-headed mistake from Tom Brady in which the 20-year NFL veteran appeared to forget what down it was on a potential game-winning drive. With such a rookie mistake upending his last game, expect Brady to be ready to put on a show this week against the Packers.

9. Buffalo Bills

Record: 4-1

Chance at winning Super Bowl: 4%

Week 5 result: Lost to the Titans, 42-16

Week 6 opponent: vs. Kansas City Chiefs

One thing to know: Buffalo looked rather unstoppable to start the season but put up an absolute dud against the Titans last week. Making matters worse, because their game had to be pushed back to Tuesday due to positive COVID-19 cases in the Tennessee locker room, the Bills now have one less day to prepare for their game against the Chiefs that could go a long way in determining the top-seed in the AFC come playoff time.

8. New Orleans Saints

Record: 3-2

Chance at winning Super Bowl: 4%

Week 5 result: Beat the Chargers, 30-27

Week 6 opponent: Bye

One thing to know: Drew Brees and the New Orleans Saints rallied back from a 20-3 deficit to defeat the Chargers 30-27 in overtime on Monday night. While the comeback win was a good one, the Saints could make things easier on themselves if they didn't keep coming out cold to start games week after week.

7. Los Angeles Rams

Record: 4-1

Chance at winning Super Bowl: 6%

Week 5 result: Beat Washington, 30-10

Week 6 opponent: at San Francisco 49ers

One thing to know: After traveling to the East coast to play in three of the past four weeks, the Rams finally get a bit of a reprieve on their travel schedule for the next stretch of the season. That said, after going 4-0 against the NFC East, it's possible the Rams wouldn't mind another game against the lowly Eagles or Giants if the opportunity were given to them.

6. Pittsburgh Steelers

Record: 4-0

Chance at winning Super Bowl: 7%

Week 5 result: Beat the Eagles, 38-29

Week 6 opponent: vs. Cleveland Browns

One thing to know: Rookie wide receiver Chase Claypool pulled in an astonishing four touchdowns for the Steelers last week against the Eagles. If this weekend's matchup against the Browns turns into a shootout, don't be surprised if he goes off for another big day.

5. Tennessee Titans

Record: 4-0

Chance at winning Super Bowl: 8%

Week 5 result: Beat the Bills, 42-16

Week 6 opponent: vs. Houston Texans

One thing to know: Despite having their past two weeks of preparation completely disrupted by an outbreak of COVID-19 through the locker room, the Titans came out on Tuesday and ran all over the Bills. With Derrick Henry throwing defenders off of him like a bear swatting a fly, maybe practice is a bit overrated.

4. Baltimore Ravens

Record: 4-1

Chance at winning Super Bowl: 9%

Week 5 result: Beat the Bengals, 27-3

Week 6 opponent: at Philadelphia Eagles

One thing to know: Lamar Jackson and the Baltimore Ravens have been cruising through the 2020 season, with their only stumble coming against the reigning Super Bowl champions. A rematch against the Chiefs in the AFC title game would be some must-see football.

3. Seattle Seahawks

Record: 5-0

Chance at winning Super Bowl: 11%

Week 5 result: Beat the Vikings, 27-26

Week 6 opponent: Bye

One thing to know: The Seattle Seahawks continue to find new, chaotic ways to win football games, most recently downing the Vikings thanks to a stop on fourth-and-inches and a last-second drive the length of the field carried by quarterback Russell Wilson and receiver D.K. Metcalf. No matter how bad things look for Seattle, they're never out of it.

2. Green Bay Packers

Record: 4-0

Chance at winning Super Bowl: 14%

Week 5 result: Bye

Week 6 opponent: at Tampa Bay Buccaneers

One thing to know: Aaron Rodgers is playing like a man on fire for the Packers, averaging more than 300 yards and three touchdowns per game through a quarter of the NFL season. Even better for Green Bay, he still hasn't thrown an interception and has taken just three sacks on the season — if you're going to beat the Packers this year, waiting for Rodgers to make a mistake isn't going to cut it.

1. Kansas City Chiefs

Record: 4-1

Chance at winning Super Bowl: 15%

Week 5 result: Lost to the Raiders, 40-32

Week 6 opponent: at Buffalo Bills

One thing to know: The reigning Super Bowl champions are still favorites to repeat this year, but it's clear that some deserving challengers to the throne have emerged already in the young season. Patrick Mahomes will keep scoring, but the Kansas City defense might have to find a new gear after giving up 40 points to the Raiders last weekend.

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