Super Bowl Race Heats Up Quickly

 By Isaac Sharret ‘26 and Sam Kishelev ‘26
The National Football League is about halfway through the regular season and it has been full of constant action, with major upsets, close games and huge blowouts.

Freshman Caleb Lustig said, “I really enjoy watching football this year, especially my favorite team, the Giants.”
The season kicked off with previous Super Bowl champions, the Los Angeles Rams, losing to the Buffalo Bills. The Bills beat the Rams 31-10 largely due to a poor performance from Rams Quarterback Matthew Stafford, as he threw 3 interceptions. The Bills have not slowed down since that game and are currently favored to win the American Football Conference (AFC).
 The favorites for the National Football Conference (NFC) are the Philadelphia Eagles. The Eagles started the season tied for eighth place for odds of winning the Super Bowl and at press time were in first place after a strong start to the season. One of the most impactful additions to the team so far has been wide receiver, A.J. Brown, whom they traded for during the draft. 
Both the Bills and Eagles are looking to make a deep run into the playoffs and would provide a very entertaining Super Bowl matchup. 
Two of the most surprisingly successful teams so far are the New York Giants and the New York Jets. 
The New York Jets have not finished the season with a winning record since 2015 and have not made the playoffs since 2010, yet they currently sit at the fifth spot in the AFC playoff ranking at 5-3. 
The Jets were the consensus “winners” of the draft, gaining players Sauce Gardener, Breece Hall, Garrett Wilson and Jermaine Johnson. Jets players have won 3 of the 5 Rookie of the Week awards so far. 
Hall, however, suffered a season ending injury in Week 8 against the Denver Broncos. Afterwards, Jets management immediately traded Hall for Jacksonville Jaguars running back James Robinson in hopes that he would be a positive asset. 
 The New York Giants have not had a winning record since 2016, currently sitting at 6th in the NFC playoff picture with a record of 6-2. The Giants recently picked up a new coach in Brian Daboll and a new General Manager in Joe Schoen, with both having been huge contributors to the team this season. 
The Giants also had a very good draft, getting Kayvon Thibodeaux with the 5th pick, and Evan Neal with their 7th. However, the most important factor in the Giants’ success has been getting Saquon Barkley back from injury.
In contrast to the New York teams, the Las Vegas Raiders have been quite disappointing. After trading away top three wide receiver Davante Adams in exchange for Chandler Jones, the Raiders still have important components like Darren Waller, Josh Jacobs and Maxx Crosby, yet still cannot figure out a good strategy, currently sitting in last place in the AFC West and being held to 0 points against the New Orleans Saints. 
However, the trade deadline recently hit, with many major moves that could have a vast impact on the remainder of the season. 
Notably, Christian McCaffrey was traded to the San Francisco 49ers. McCaffrey wanted to go to a winning team and found that potential in the 49ers. In Week 8, he scored a passing touchdown, a rushing touchdown and a receiving touchdown all in one game, becoming the first 49ers player to achieve this trifecta since 2005.
 Another big trade was Bradley Chubb to the Miami Dolphins. The Dolphins are a serious contender with outstanding quarterback Tua Tagovailoa and their recent acquisition of Tyreek Hill. Bradley Chubb is currently top fifteen in sacks and has two forced fumbles, and will be a key piece for the Dolphins' defense and will help them compete with the Bills for a Super Bowl run.
 Furthermore, with the news of previous Minnesota Vikings tight end, Irv Smith, going down with a potentially season-ending injury, TJ Hockenson’s trade to the Vikings will be extremely beneficial to the franchise. The team currently sits at the second seed in the NFC playoff picture. 
Hopefully this season will continue to be entertaining and exciting as fans gear up for an interesting playoffs season.