After Week 1 of the NFL season, some of the top NFC teams seemed to struggle.
The Green Bay Packers and Los Angeles Rams both had ugly losses.
Somehow the only team in the NFC West with a win is the Seattle Seahawks, the team many predicted to be one of the worst in the NFL.
The Tampa Bay Buccaneers are the only preseason favorite that won in Week 1, and they did not look unstoppable.
The NFC is up for grabs this year, the conference seems to be as weak as it has been in a while.
So what teams could sneak in and make a run at the NFC crown?
The answer to that is two teams that won in Week 1 and have strong rosters.
Here are the two teams that can steal the NFC conference championship this year.
1. Minnesota Vikings
The most impressive win in the NFC was by the Minnesota Vikings.
They hosted the Packers who were the number one seed in the NFC last season.
Minnesota dominated the game.
Their defense made it very difficult for Aaron Rodgers and the Packers to get anything going.
They held the Packers to only seven points and sacked Rodgers four times.
But, the big takeaway from this game was the explosive Vikings offense.
Kirk Cousins looked great in the opener and he has a great connection with wide receiver Justin Jefferson.
Justin Jefferson is good at football. He scores his 2nd TD of the day! @JJettas2 #Skol
📺: #GBvsMIN on FOX
📱: Stream on NFL+ https://t.co/B10Man82G6 pic.twitter.com/M6UykpoYnr— NFL (@NFL) September 11, 2022
Those two connected nine times for 184 yards and two touchdowns.
Minnesota even added 126 yards rushing.
The Vikings looked good on both sides of the ball in Week 1, and now they have another test on the road against the Philadelphia Eagles.
If they can stay consistent and keep winning games, this could be the number one seed in the NFC this season.
2. New Orleans Saints
The New Orleans Saints are the sleeper team that has a chance to make a run at the NFC crown.
They seem to play very well against good teams, but play down to their opponents as they did in Week 1.
New Orleans survived against the Atlanta Falcons, winning 27-26 on a last-minute field goal.
The Saints have a much better roster than Atlanta but struggled to get anything going early in the game.
Somehow the Saints got down 26-10 in the fourth quarter and still came back to win.
New Orleans has a good offense led by Jameis Winston and a good set of skilled players.
Jarvis Landry led their team in receiving in Week 1 with 114 yards, and they still have Michael Thomas and Chris Olave.
Thomas looked good in Week 1 after missing all of last season with an injury.
What a pass, what a catch
Welcome back @CantGuardMike 💪
📺: FOX pic.twitter.com/G3Er1aTCfl
— New Orleans Saints (@Saints) September 11, 2022
The key will be to get Alvin Kamara and the run game going.
The running back only had nine carries for 39 yards and his usage will need to be increased to fully optimize this offense.
One thing about the Saints is that they have the Buccaneers’ number.
They have won seven of the last eight meetings and showed they could beat the Bucs in a shootout and low-scoring game.
If the Saints defense can continue to play at a high level, they have a chance to upset any of the top teams in the conference and could make a playoff run.
