Two teams in a class of their own?

During the virtual meeting organized by the Montreal General Hospital Foundation earlier this week, Laurent Duvernay-Tardif estimated that the two best teams in the NFL were his, the Kansas City Chiefs, and the Pittsburgh Steelers. . And this is an opinion that is shared by more and more people.

Miguel Bujold
Press

Duvernay-Tardif said he expected to see these two teams face off in the American Association Finals and that it would kind of be the Super Bowl before the Super Bowl. The defending champions on one side, the Chiefs, and the only team still unbeaten on the other, the Steelers.

Which brings us to the question that members of the 1972 Dolphins sometimes start to ask themselves at this point of the year: are we heading for the perfect second season in history? To date, the Dolphins are of course the only ones to have suffered zero losses and won the Super Bowl in the same campaign.

But there are still some big tests left for the Steelers, which will be in Jacksonville on Sunday. Four days after their game against the Jaguars, they will face the Ravens for the second time in less than a month. As is always the case when these two rivals meet, next Thursday night’s game in Pittsburgh will be demanding.

Mike Tomlin’s men will also face the Bills in Buffalo on Dec. 13 and the Indianapolis Colts, who will be at Heinz Field on Dec. 27. That’s not to mention the playoffs, of course. Let’s wait a bit before talking about the perfect season.

But the Steelers won’t be able to afford to lose often if they are to finish first in the American, which would dramatically improve their chances of making it to the Super Bowl for the first time in 10 years. The Chiefs have just one loss and could very well end the season with a 15-1 record.

While home advantage won’t be as big a factor as it normally is due to the reduced crowds due to the pandemic, it would be better for the Steelers to face Patrick Mahomes and the Chiefs in Pittsburgh rather than at Arrowhead Stadium, it’s obvious. But, above all, only the team which will finish first of its association will obtain a leave in the first elimination round.

On Roethlisberger’s shoulders

It is often said that it is from American Thanksgiving that it really counts in the NFL and we are only a few days away from it. That’s great for the Chiefs, who should be able to count on a number of important pieces returning to play in the coming weeks, including wide-end Sammy Watkins and blockers Eric Fisher and Mitchell Schwartz.

While the Steelers may have already peaked, the Chiefs don’t appear to be. Rather, it feels like they’ll be able to raise their level of play a step further before the playoffs start, which doesn’t bode well for the American’s other teams.

Overall, the Steelers’ defense has been the best in the NFL this season. She is first in sacks (36) and turnovers (17), third in points (19 per game) and sixth in yards (318 per game). What sets her apart, however, is her ability to pull off crucial games in important moments.

That the Steelers’ defensive front is dominant shouldn’t come as a surprise. TJ Watt, Stephon Tuitt, Cameron Heyward, Bud Dupree and Tyson Alualu are all very good players. The tertiary has been transformed thanks to the arrival of talented defensive backs like Minkah Fitzpatrick, Joe Haden and Steven Nelson.

In order to overcome a talented team like the Chiefs, however, you have to be able to score a lot of points. And since their ground game is very fickle, it’s Ben Roethlisberger’s arm that could decide the Steelers’ fortunes.

Surrounded by talented young receivers like JuJu Smith-Schuster, Chase Claypool, Diontae Johnson and James Washington, Roethlisberger is perhaps having his best career season at the age of 38. He has 22 touchdown passes against 4 interceptions and made very few mistakes in his first 9 games.

A short coach tour

The possibility of a Chiefs-Steelers shock in January is very interesting to consider, but we are still a long way from such a scenario. As the Steelers look to win their 10^e victory in a row, the Chiefs will want to avenge their only loss of the season.

The Raiders caused what may have been the biggest surprise of 2020 when they defeated the Chiefs in Kansas City, 40-32, on October 11.

The Raiders are said to have toured Arrowhead Stadium in the coach that was to take them to the hotel or airport after the game. A triumphant lap.

This week, Jon Gruden explained that the coach driver, arguably a Chiefs fan, made a few remarks that the Raiders did not like and that it was to taunt him that the team asked him to take a tour of the Stadium.

Still, the Chiefs-Raiders rivalry, which has long been one of the bloodiest in the NFL, is reborn. The Raiders are still missing too many pieces for them to topple the Chiefs in the West American in the short term, but Gruden and GM Mike Mayock have obviously put the Silver and Black back on track. Their team have won their last three games and are well positioned to advance to the playoffs with a 6-3 record.

Can the Raiders beat the Chiefs for a second time Sunday night (8:20 p.m.) in Las Vegas? Big order. But we can expect an intense game, which could force the Chiefs to play their most inspired game of the season. The kind of meeting that could start their push towards a second straight Super Bowl.

Miguel Bujold’s predictions

Philadelphie c. Cleveland : Cleveland

Atlanta v. New Orleans: New Orleans

Cincinnati c. Washington : Washington

Detroit c. Caroline : Caroline

Pittsburgh c. Jacksonville : Pittsburgh

Tennessee c. Baltimore : Baltimore

New England v. Houston: New England

Miami c. Denver : Miami

Jets de New York c. Chargers de Los Angeles : Chargers de Los Angeles

Green Bay c. Indianapolis : Green Bay

Dallas c. Minnesota : Dallas

Kansas City c. Las Vegas : Kansas City

Rams de Los Angeles c. Tampa Bay : Tampa Bay

Last week: 10-3

Season Total: 93-44-1

Matches not to be missed

Tennessee v. Baltimore, Sunday, 1 p.m.

Two teams that have experienced a downturn in the last month. Victorious in their first five games, the Titans lost three of their next four. However, they will have had 10 days to prepare for their clash against the Ravens, who have meanwhile lost two of their last three games. The key to the game could very well be the Ravens ‘ability to stop Derrick Henry, who should be in high demand given the quality of the cornerbacks that will be opposed to the Titans’ aerial play. Defensive linemen Calais Campbell and Brandon Williams will be absent on the Ravens’ side, which is a huge factor.

Green Bay v. Indianapolis, Sunday, 4:25 p.m.

TY Hilton and Philip Rivers still have not found a bond on the field, the Colts do not really have what one could call a receiver number one. In return, no less than seven of their players have more than 200 passing yards. Parris Campbell could join that squad, but it’s still unclear whether the second-year receiver will be able to play in 2020 after sustaining a knee injury early in the season. For their part, the Packers have a very good chance of finishing first in the National thanks to a schedule that seems relatively easy until the end of the season. After the meeting in Indianapolis, they will play four of their last six home games (Chicago, Philadelphia, Caroline and Tennessee) and the other two in Detroit and Chicago. We have seen worse.

Los Angeles Rams v. Tampa Bay, Monday, 8:15 p.m.

This will be another opportunity for Tom Brady and the Buccaneers to put on a big prime-time performance after the fiasco against the Saints two weeks ago. The offense rebounded nicely last Sunday in Carolina, but the challenge will be greater against Aaron Donald, Jalen Ramsey and company. That said, if the Rams cause a upset in Florida, it’ll likely be because their offense scored around 30 points. And to do that, Jared Goff will need to be in great shape and will need to play with courage. Because in addition to facing one of the good defensive fronts of the circuit, Goff will not be able to depend on his left tackle Andrew Whitworth. The veteran will miss between six and eight weeks, with a knee injury. The former Bengals will be replaced by Joe Noteboom.