Who Will Emerge as the Ravens Running Back 2018

Each week of the NFL season, The Baltimore Sun will rank all 32 NFL teams. The rankings will take into account not just weekly performance, but how well each team measures up as Super Bowl contenders, regardless of win-loss record.

Here are the rankings after Week 14:

Super Bowl favorites

1. Tampa Bay Buccaneers (10-3; No. 2 last week)

2. Green Bay Packers (10-3; No. 3)

3. Kansas City Chiefs (9-4; No. 5)

4. New England Patriots (9-4; No. 4)

This far into the season, it's still pretty difficult to get a handle on the league's hierarchy. Just look at the standings. According to ESPN Stats & Information, each conference has a three-way tie for the best record through Week 14 for the first time since 1970, 13 teams in a playoff spot or within one game of one and five teams with the same record vying for a wild-card spot.

So why are there just four Super Bowl favorites this week? Tom Brady, Aaron Rodgers and Patrick Mahomes are the three best quarterbacks in the league, and the Patriots have the best defense and an all-time great coach. The betting market agrees, with Tampa Bay solidified as the Super Bowl favorite by most sportsbooks, followed by the Chiefs, Packers and Patriots.

The Buccaneers' 33-27 overtime win over the Bills on Brady's 58-yard touchdown pass to former Ravens first-round pick Breshad Perriman keeps Tampa Bay in the hunt for the NFC's top seed and the crucial first-round bye. The Packers are also in play for the No. 1 spot thanks to a 45-30 win over the Bears led by Rodgers' four touchdown passes. The Chiefs' 48-9 dismantling of the Raiders marked their sixth straight win, led by another dominant performance from a defense that has improved dramatically after a dismal start.

In a jumbled playoff picture, these four teams have separated themselves. Now the race is on for the first-round bye.

The top contenders

5. Los Angeles Rams (9-4; No. 9)

6. Arizona Cardinals (10-3; No. 1)

7. Dallas Cowboys (9-4; No. 6)

8. Buffalo Bills (7-6; No. 8)

9. Los Angeles Chargers (8-5; No. 11)

Perhaps the biggest game of Week 14 is the one freshest on everyone's mind. The Rams' 30-23 win over the Cardinals on Monday night knocked Arizona out of the top spot in the NFC, catapulting the Rams back into the spotlight while raising questions about the Cardinals' legitimacy as Super Bowl contenders. Arizona is strangely just 3-3 at home this season, and yet another poor performance in prime-time won't win quarterback Kyler Murray or coach Kliff Kingsbury any support when it comes to the end-of-season awards. Defensive tackle Aaron Donald reminded everyone he's still one of the league's best defenders with three sacks, while quarterback Matthew Stafford delivered the type of performance that makes this Rams team more formidable than any version that featured Jared Goff. Not to mention, Los Angeles still flummoxed Murray without star cornerback Jalen Ramsey. When the Rams are playing at their best, they're legitimate Super Bowl contenders.

The team they share a stadium with …read more

Source:: The Mercury News – Entertainment