It's been tough to separate the pretenders from the contenders this NFL season, as the teams we expected to be great are seemingly playing down to their competition, leading to an unprecedented level of parity.
Over the past several seasons, the strongest indication of quality teams headed for a playoff run was point differential. Three of the past five Super Bowl matchups have featured the teams ranking first and second in the category at the end of the season, with the No. 1 team winning two of those contests, including last year's New England Patriots vs. Atlanta Falcons thriller.
The 2017 season has a pair of surprising teams leading the category, with the degree of separation from the rest of the pack indicating their first seven games have been far from a fluke.
| Team | Point Diff. | Record |
|---|---|---|
| Rams | 74 | 5-2 |
| Jaguars | 73 | 4-3 |
| Eagles | 53 | 6-1 |
| Chiefs | 46 | 5-2 |
| Seahawks | 40 | 4-2 |
| Saints | 38 | 4-2 |
| Steelers | 31 | 5-2 |
| Texans | 30 | 3-3 |
| Patriots | 29 | 5-2 |
| Vikings | 27 | 5-2 |
The Los Angeles Rams and Jacksonville Jaguars lead the NFL in offense and defense, respectively, in terms of points scored and allowed per game. Both teams also rank in the top 10 of the category in which they don't lead, with the Rams possessing the 10th-best defense, and the Jaguars ranking ninth in offense.
The Jaguars trail only the Buffalo Bills with a turnover differential of plus-eight, while the Rams are in the middle of the league with a neutral give-and-take rating.
Both teams have relied heavily on their rushing attacks. The Jaguars lead the league with 169 team rushing yards per game, while the Rams come in at No. 6 with 127.6 yards per game.
Starting running backs Todd Gurley and Leonard Fournette rank third and fourth, respectively, in rushing yards and second and first, respectively, in rushing touchdowns.
Oft-ridiculed quarterbacks Blake Bortles and Jared Goff have improved on last season's disasters through seven games.
| Name | Year | CMP% | AVG | QB Rate |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Bortles | 2016 | 58.9 | 6.25 | 78.8 |
| 2017 | 58.7 | 7.13 | 85.4 | |
| Goff | 2016 | 54.6 | 5.31 | 63.6 |
| 2017 | 59.9 | 7.74 | 90.3 |
Neither has been playing at the elite level typically associated with Super Bowl quarterbacks, but they're staying out of the way while allowing the strengths of their respective teams to carry them.
Suddenly neutral NFL supporters may want to jump on the bandwagon before space begins to run low and their loyalties are questioned.
A Super Bowl featuring both the Jaguars and Rams is currently paying out at 169/1 on Bovada.
