Which NFL teams are contenders and which are pretenders midway through 2017 season?

We have now reached the halfway point in the 2017 NFL season. We are starting to get a good idea of each team’s strengths and weaknesses and who has a legit chance to make the playoffs. This won’t be a Super Bowl preview article, but rather how I think each team will fare coming down the stretch and if they have a chance to do damage in the postseason.

So it’s time for a favorite game: Contender or pretender?

Let’s start with the AFC, which has the clearer picture at the top of the conference than the NFC. There are three 6-2 teams. The Pittsburgh Steelers, New England Patriots, and the Kansas City Chiefs.

The Steelers’ defense is under the radar because we focus all our attention on the shiny offensive parts, but it’s their defense that’s kept them afloat recently. Their defense is second in the NFL in points per game and it was on display Sunday against the Lions. They forced five red zone field goals — and no touchdowns — on the road. The Steelers’ offense will always have big-play ability with Le’Veon Bell, Antonio Brown, and Big Ben, but they are around average in most offensive categories.

The Chiefs’ offense is rolling. They lead the NFL in yards per play and have only committed three offensive turnovers. Alex Smith has turned into this downfield passing machine and the Chiefs are starting to get their offensive line healthy. Their concerns are once again on defense, where they still can’t stop the run. They are a bend-but-don’t-break defense, which I just don’t trust in the postseason. They also need to solve their Pittsburgh Steelers issue — the Chiefs have lost to them three times since last season — to win the conference.

With Tom Brady at the helm, the Patriots are always contenders. Plain and simple. Their defense has improved over the last few weeks, too. They have missed Julian Edelman, who was Brady’s favorite target on third down, but have made due with the other parts on offense.

This will be a theme throughout this article, but it’s all about quarterback play. Last season, 11 of 12 playoff games were won by the better quarterback. Tyrod Taylor is playing well within the Bills’ offense, but they are near the bottom of the NFL in passing. In the playoffs, they will need a passing game to keep up with any of those three 6-2 teams.

The Bills’ staple of rushing the football is still there, but I don’t think that would be enough in the playoffs. The Bills’ defense can stop the run, but they are venerable against the pass without much of a pass rush. However, they are +14 in turnover margin, leading the NFL. That’s outstanding but it’s hard to always rely on forcing turnovers to win games

Jay Cutler? No thank you.

Do you trust anyone in this division? The Titans’ secondary is still a huge issue and so is Marcus Mariota’s health. Whenever we assume the Titans will take the next step, they don’t. So I’ll believe it when it happens.

The Jaguars don’t pass the quarterback test, even though their defense can rush the passer. However, their defense is 32nd in rushing yards per play, which would be an issue against Kansas City or Pittsburgh.

The Texans’ defense can’t stop anyone, and while I love Deshaun Watson, they just traded their left tackle. Watson can’t carry this team if the defense can’t stop anyone.

The NFC is wide open and it will be awesome seeing how this shapes up.

The Eagles have the best record in the NFL and it’s not a surprise why. Carson Wentz has vastly improved from year one to two. He actually has wide receivers who can catch the ball and a run game that can chew yards. They are also second in the NFL on third down, which shows how efficient the offense is on earlier downs and that allows the Eagles the ability to convert big on third down.

However, the loss of left tackle Jason Peters is a tough one for the Eagles. There’s no replacing him and the Eagles will try giving the new LT, Halapoulivaati Vaitai, some help to compensate for the loss of Peters. So that would worry me. The Eagles have an attacking defense, and are excellent against the run. This forces teams to be one-dimensional and allow the Eagles to rush the passer. Hopefully Ronald Darby comes back soon to bolster that secondary.

Look, the Vikings’ defense is nothing to be messed with. They are legit and can carry this team far. They can stop the run and rush the passer with much success. However, until I get proven wrong, I don’t trust Case Keenum in a playoff game. At some point, Keenum would have to carry this team to victory, and I don’t see it happening.

Like I said earlier, the better quarterback won almost every time in last year’s playoffs. That matters in the NFL, especially during crunch time. But they have an asterisk because of Teddy Bridgewater. Though he hasn’t proven anything in the playoffs, I want to see if he will be back this season. I might change my mind on the Vikings.

I stand by what I wrote about the Saints last week. They are legit and have similar parallels to their 2009 Super Bowl-winning team.

I felt like the Seahawks were gliding under the radar before their game against Houston last weekend. Russell Wilson is a magician with the ball in his hands and does it all with a poor offense. Well, it was a poor offensive line until they traded for Duane Brown. What an outstanding job by the front office to get Wilson a blind side protector. The run game is still average to below average, but Wilson can carry this team, as he has done in the past.

Seattle’s defense is surprisingly average this season, but I wouldn’t want to see them in the playoffs, especially in Seattle.

The Rams are the most improved team this season. It’s a great story. They just aren’t totally there yet. You have to know how to win intense, close games, and I don’t feel the Rams are there yet, as evidenced by their first Seahawks game. Show me they can win those close games against quality teams and I’ll change my mind.

Lastly, they have a rough schedule for the back eight: Texans, at Vikings, and Saints for a three-game stretch, and Eagles, at Seahawks, and at Titans for another. If they sneak into the playoffs, they will have earned it.

The Panthers’ defense is everything you’d ask for in a defense. They are aggressive, attacking, and physical. They get the job done. But that offense, yikes. So I’m putting them as a contender because, while I don’t exactly trust him, Cam Newton has shown some 2015 brilliance at times. He’s way too up and down, but if he’s up for a long stretch of time he can do some damage to an opposing defense

They clearly have issues on offense, but they have been there and done that, and I believe their offensive issues can be fixed. If they get hot, watch out for the Falcons.

They still have to play the Eagles twice, plus the Chiefs, Seahawks, and Falcons. Ain’t happening. And without Zeke, for sure not happening.

Poor Packers. They had been playing so well until Aaron Rodgers got hurt.