We are now well and truly at the halfway point of the 2021/22 NFL season. While the Super Bowl cannot be won at this stage, it certainly can be out of sight for a large majority of the 32 franchises. We can safely say, with 99.9% confidence, that the likes of the Detroit Lions, the Houston Texans, the Chicago Bears and the Miami Dolphins won’t be making it to the postseason, as their results have been either poor, awful, or in the case of the Lions, embarrassing.

There are a number of teams who are looking very strong so far this season, such as the Arizona Cardinals, the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, the Green Bay Packers and the Dallas Cowboys, to name but a few. However, all of these teams have been beaten at least once, so certainly have weaknesses about them, which can be exploited.

Let’s take a look back at the most recent game week, to analyze some of the most interesting scorelines, and try to piece together who is going to be a threat once the playoffs begin in December. By doing so, supporters and bettors can search for NFL odds on their favored sports betting app, and make their own decisions about who they think will be crowned Super Bowl champions in a few months time.

Packers without Rodgers is not a pretty sight
Aaron Rodgers has been with the Packers his whole career, having been drafted by them back in 2005. He spent a few seasons as a back-up for Brett Favre, before breaking through in 2007, and has hardly looked back since. He’s been named as the NFL MVP on 3 occasions (2011, 2014 and 2020) and helped the Packers to the 2010 Super Bowl, where he was instrumental in their victory over the Pittsburgh Steelers.

Despite many great years in Wisconsin, the last few have been a bit more strained, with Rodgers nearly leaving on several occasions. However, they have started this season in great form, and were 7-2 going into this weekend. Things quickly fell apart after the quarterback tested positive for COVID-19, and revelations came out that he had broken COVID protocols on numerous occasions.

Without him, the Packers’ good form quickly evaporated, and they were well beaten by the Kansas City Chiefs 13-7. Rodgers might just be back in time for their next match against the Seattle Seahawks, and Packers fans will be hoping he can help them to quickly get things back on track in their march to the playoffs.

Cardinals make light work of the 49ers

Until last week, the Arizona Cardinals remained the only unbeaten team left in the NFL. However, a full-strength Packers team edged past them 24-21, ending their good run. The sign of a strong team is how they react to setbacks, and the Cardinals showed that they could move on from a bad result very quickly, making light work of the San Francisco 49ers. 

They are only just 1 result ahead of the LA Rams in the NFC West, and interestingly enough the two sides will face off against each other in game week 10 on Monday Night Football. The Rams had a bye in week 9, so will be feeling fresh and raring to go. It is a tough one to call, but if we had a gun to our head, we think the Rams might just about edge it.

Bills losing form at just the wrong moment

For the early part of the season, the Buffalo Bills were surprising everyone with just how well they were playing. Early victories against the Washington Football Team and the Houston Texans were fairly routine, so weren’t anything to get excited about, but how they played against the Chiefs really got the attention of other NFL teams.

Unfortunately for the Bills, they have stuttered slightly since their strong start, and have lost 2 of their last 3 games. The straightforward win against the Miami Dolphins came between a narrow loss to the Tennessee Titans, and then last weekend’s shocking performance against the Jacksonville Jaguars, who up until that point had only won once all season. They are still top in the AFC East, but have the Dallas Cowboys breathing right down their neck.

Are the good times returning to Dallas?

During the early 1990s, the Cowboys were the top team in the league, winning the 1992, 1993 and 1995 Super Bowl. Things have dropped off since the turn of the century, as they’ve only appeared in the playoffs 7 times in 21 years.

This season, things are looking up again for them, as they are gunning for a place in the postseason. If they can string a few good results out of their games against the Atlanta Falcons, the Chiefs and the Las Vegas Raiders, then they could be one of the teams to look out for in this years’ playoffs.