When the Seattle Seahawks and Green Bay Packers opened the 2014 NFL season against one another, it was touted by some as a potential NFC Championship game preview. The Seahawks beat up on Green Bay for a 36-16 win and when the Packers’ struggles continued the following couple of weeks, the fans got on them. Green Bay has since won back-to-back games, each by 20 points, to claim top spot in the NFC North. It’s clear now that the Packers and Seahawks are both legitimate contenders in the NFC.
Let’s see how them and the other division leaders stack up:
Green Bay Packers – Contenders
Odds To Win Super Bowl XLIX: +1097
Rodgers has completed 75 percent of his passes and thrown seven touchdowns compared to zero interceptions over their last two wins and Green Bay is clicking on both sides of the football. A healthy Eddie Lacy creates a more versatile and complete offense while a defense that ranks sixth in the NFL against the pass still needs to improve against the run. The Packers certainly have the talent in their front-seven to do a better job against opposing ground games and if they can improve in that area, they will have a legitimate shot of going to a Super Bowl.
The Detroit Lions are currently tied for second in the NFC North and beat Green Bay earlier in the year but after a disappointing loss to the Buffalo Bills it is clear they are not ready to be more than pretenders right now.
Seattle Seahawks – Contenders
Odds To Win Super Bowl XLIX: +365
It’s amazing how fans and analysts alike expect the Seahawks’ defense to absolutely dominate the way that it did in the Super Bowl every single week but that is never going to be the case. The Seattle defense hasn’t had a dominant performance since Week 1 against Green Bay but they have held their own in every game, and the offense has really stepped up. Russell Wilson has emerged as an absolute star with nine total touchdowns compared to just a single interception and his ability to make the right play nearly every single time he is challenged in close games has been remarkable. It helps that the Seahawks own the league’s top-ranked run game and as long as they continue to do the little things right, they will be in position to turn it up again in the playoffs and challenge for another Super Bowl win.
Dallas Cowboys – Contenders
Odds To Win Super Bowl XLIX: +2449
The NFC East is suddenly loaded at the top with the Cowboys, Philadelphia Eagles, and New York Giants all battling for top spot. The Giants have made progress these past couple of weeks but we still aren’t convinced that Eli Manning can continue to avoid the turnovers that have plagued him the past couple of years or that Rashad Jennings can remain as dominant as he has been. Meanwhile, the Eagles continue to be very inconsistent – particularly on offense where LeSean McCoy hasn’t been elite and Nick Foles has regressed from last season. That leaves a Cowboys team that has won four straight (and looked very good along the way) as the lone contender from that division. Tony Romo and the Dallas offense is elite as long as Dez Bryant, Terrance Williams, Jason Witten, and DeMarco Murray are healthy. The offensive line has been the key cog, performing at an outstanding level. On defense, the Cowboys have been much better after last season’s historically bad performance.
Dallas has consistently found a way to underachieve for so many years that they make actually be somewhat underrated as a sleeper contender this time around.
Carolina Panthers – Pretenders
Odds To Win Super Bowl XLIX: +5800
The floundering New Orleans Saints and inconsistent Atlanta Falcons have opened the door for Carolina to repeat, but they have clearly lacked the consistency to be considered anything more than pretenders. The Panthers a collection of Chicago Bears turnovers in the fourth quarter last week to avoid a third straight loss, and they are the only NFL team that has a record better than .500 with a negative point differential. Cam Newton can do amazing things as a dual-threat quarterback but he doesn’t have enough help around him to lead Carolina to anything more than a playoff spot. This is a weak division that lacks a true Super Bowl contend
