When we say "dark-horse" candidates, we're not talking about the Preakness. We're thinking about those unlikely NFL teams that have legitimate chances at appearing in next year's Super Bowl in New Orleans.

Not the elite teams and not necessarily those perennial one-off division winners, but those franchises that really need to catch a break to win their conference championship.

Some teams seem desperate to get back into the postseason, like Philadelphia and Dallas, while others, like Atlanta and the Jets, have been making semi-regular appearances in January, but can't turn the corner. Others, like San Francisco and Detroit, are bringing back teams strong enough to suggest that it's a matter of when, not if, they reach the big game. 

NFL Lead Blogger Aaron Nagler, and I, Josh Zerkle, discuss our favorite dark-horse candidates for Super Bowl XLVII. Leave us your own dark-horse pick in the comments, or give us your thoughts on ours. We welcome your criticism, scorn and abuse. 

 

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