New England Patriots: The Patriots have seen a lot more ups than downs this season and that is largely because of the quarterback play of Tom Brady. The Patriots really are playing with a lot of deficiencies however they are masked by Tom Brady's ability to make plays. Couple Brady's offensive genius with a defense that has a large group of playmakers and you have the formula for a team that could beat anyone in the NFL. Even with all of their injuries Edelman will likely see the field for the playoffs and Gronkowski has already returned. This team is the defending champions for a reason, superb coaching, superb quarterback play, great defensive play calling.
Cincinnati Bengals: The Bengals have quietly fallen apart of the last 2 weeks after losing Andy Dalton for the season. The running game is inconsistent and the passing game has to many cooks in the kitchen, at least it did with Dalton. The Bengals looked impressive despite losing to the Pittsburgh Steelers, they showed a fight most teams would never recognize. With Dalton out A.J. McCarron came in and did a decent job at trying to beat a high powered Steelers offense. Now he has shown great chemistry with A.J. Green and if that continues the Bengals will be just fine. On defense the Bengals have a ton of nasty playmakers who are looking to take the ball away. Despite a lot of optimism out of these four teams the Bengals are the least likely to make it to the Super Bowl.
Carolina Panthers: The Panthers are undefeated have played fast and aggressively all season long. The combination of lock down defense and a quarterback that opposing defenses cannot pin down makes for an exciting mix of dominance and finesse that no team has been able to handle. In the preseason the Panthers primary playmaker and star Kelvin Benjamin went down with a torn ACL, since then the Panthers have not lost a game thanks to the grit and fight that they have shown all season long. Now staring down the barrel of a perfect season the Panthers should continue to keep rolling.
Arizona Cardinals: The Cardinals are the most complete team thus my favorite to get to the Super Bowl. The Cardinals may not be undefeated but they play like a team that hates to lose and that may be even more dangerous. With Bruce Arians gutsy play calling and Carson Palmer having a career year it is hard to think that this team is going to settle for less than the Lombardi trophy. With a full stock of wide receivers (Michael Floyd, Larry Fitzgerald, and John Brown) along with solid offensive line play the Cardinals should march to the Super Bowl.
