—It is still too early to be talking about February but nobody will be surprised if the Super Bowl pits the Kansas City Chiefs vs. either the Lions or the Vikings, who appear headed towards a showdown in the NFC title game
–The Chiefs, going for the first threepeat of the Super Bowl era and the third in NFL history, beat the injured plagued 49ers and are now the only unbeaten team at 6-0. But it is not like the Chiefs are playing at the top of their game. But they just find a way to win. Patrick Mahomes had only a 44.4 quarterback rating and threw two picks, but he usually makes a big play when they need it and they have an elite coaching staff and a strong defense. They should go to 9-0 with the next three games against the Raiders, Bucs and Broncos before they go to Buffalo on Nov. 17.
. –The Lions handed the Vikings their first loss, 31-29, and could meet two more times. They play again in the final regular season game and could well meet again in the playoffs. The Lions seem to have the edge because Jared Goff s is playing so well. In the last three games, he has completed 85.2 per cent of his passes, including all 18 against Seattle, while throwing for 887 yards and seven touchdowns. Of course, the Lions will have to overcome the loss of Aidan Hutchinson.
–The Super Bowl loser rarely wins it the next year. The last team to do it was New England, which lost to Philadelphia at the end of the 2017 season and beat the Rams in the Super Bowl the following season. Before that, the last team to do it was the perfect Dolphins of 1972, who beat Washington in the Super Bowl after losing to Dallas the previous season. Now San Francisco, which lost to the Chiefs last year, doesn’t look like a team that will return this year, much less win it. They are 3-4 after the loss to the Chiefs and they haven’t had Christian McCaffrey all year and they lost Brandon Aiyuk for the season with a knee injury against the Chiefs. The 49ers were last in the Super Bowl after the 2019 season when they lost to the Chiefs and didn’t return until last year. And now Deebo Samuels is suffering from pneumonia. Could be a tough year for the 49ers.
–The Washington Commanders continue to be the surprise team in the league. They routed the hapless Panthers to go to 5-2, a half game ahead of the 4-2 Eagles. They get a good test in the next five weeks when they play against the Bears, Steelers, Eagles and Cowboys with a game against the Giants after the Bears games.
–The Baltimore Ravens ended last season by losing to the Chiefs in the AFC title game and started this year losing to them in the opener. But the Ravens could be headed towards another duel with the Chiefs in the playoffs. They boosted their record to 5-2 with their fifth straight win after after an 0-2 start by beating the Bucs, 41-31. The Ravens have a 1-2 punch in quarterback Lamar Jackson, who threw five touchdown passes, and Derrick Henry, probably the best free agent acquisition of the offseasn, who ran for 169 yards.Henry is on pace for a 2,000 yard season and could challenge Eriic Dickerson’s career record of 2,105 yards. He has 873 yards and can play 17 games. The Bucs suffered a blow in the final minute when they lostChris Godwin for the season with a dislocated ankle that will require surgery.
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