Even with only a month left in the regular season, the NFL landscape is still changing with division races, wild card hunts, and unseen injuries. As of right now, there are only a few true contenders for the Super Bowl in the league, and many more pretenders.

Starting at the top of each conference are the New England Patriots and the undefeated Carolina Panthers.
This is a familiar spot for the Patriots since they have been able to enter the playoffs for the past 12 years with a ten plus wins record. It also helps that the team has one of the greatest quarterbacks of all-time in Tom Brady.

This year has proven to be different for the Patriots as the team has not had to deal with so many injuries in a year. The Patriots lost the bulk of its offensive weapons, as No. 1 wide receiver Julian Edelman broke his foot, starting running back Dion Lewis tore his ACL, and star tight end Rob Gronkowski became week-to-week after a knee injury. The team also lost two of its starting offensive linemen in Nate Solder and Diamond Bar alumni Ryan Wendell. However, the Patriots may be fine until some of their players return in the postseason due to their weak division.

For the Panthers, the case is simpler. Since week one the team has nearly been healthy, and has been making improvements as the season progressed. With the most dangerous linebacker corp in the NFL and a formidable secondary, the Panthers have proven to have the most consistent defense in the league. Although the team lost its best receiver, Kelvin Benjamin, to an ACL tear in the offseason, the Panthers were still a threat on offense due to the MVP-like performances of quarterback Cam Newton and the team’s run game.

The Panthers would be the only team in the NFC that have a clear path to the Big Game if it weren’t for the Arizona Cardinals. Even with their starting running back, Chris Johnson, out for the year, I still have faith in the entire roster. Quarterback Carson Palmer is having an amazing season with 31 touchdowns along with his wide receivers Larry Fitzgerald, John Brown, and Michael Floyd. The Cardinals are a top five defensive team as well. The secondary, also known as “The No Fly Zone,” is one of the best with defensive backs Patrick Peterson and Tyrann Mathieu leading the group. As an overall team, Arizona is the deepest and most complete.

Now, the final team in the NFL that could pose a threat to the Patriots’ bid for a place in Super Bowl 50 would be the team that handed them their first loss, the Denver Broncos. The Broncos are a dangerous team on defense with cornerbacks Aqib Talib and Chris Harris Jr. in the backfield and Pro Bowlers Von Miller and DeMarcus Ware on the front lines. Wide receivers DeMaryius Thomas and Emmanuel Sanders have been a versatile duo this year. The run game of C.J. Anderson and Ronnie Hillman has started to heat up as the year ends.

With the way each of these teams are playing, the championship game for their respective conference should include them all, but there is still three weeks of football left. And in the NFL, the entire league can change in just a week.