The NFL season is now in full swing and we are getting a better picture of how the contenders will be shaping up for the latter stages. We are reaching the point in the regular season where ‘bad starts’ can become terminal.

This is the point where teams, who are regarded as overachieving, or lucky, can start making people take them seriously.

At this stage it is also worth taking a look at some of the betting odds, available through William Hill sports betting, to see who is making waves with the bookmakers.

Some of the contenders for Super Bowl glory have some big games over the next few weekends, and over the next few weeks they should really start laying down their credentials.

Looking Forward - Some Interesting Matchups

The New England Patriots, a team widely regarded as favorites for Super Bowl LI, should rack up another couple of wins against the Jets (week 12) and Rams (week 13) over the next two weeks. New England (8-2) has had a great start to the season. Brady will be hoping to put the travails of the ‘deflategate’ suspension behind him and continue working on a fifth Super Bowl success. Brady has shown before that he is a model of professionalism and he should continue getting wins.

Another team with postseason designs, the Pittsburgh Steelers, have had an interesting couple of games on the horizon against the Colts (week 12) and Giants (week 13). Just like the Patriots, the Steelers will hope to notch up another couple of wins over the next two weekends. Veteran quarterback Ben Roethlisberger has had a strong start to the season, passing for 300 yards and throwing for five touchdowns against the Chiefs in week 4. Both the Colts and Giants know that to have any chance against the Steelers they must get the defense on top of Roethlisberger quickly and limit the time he has on the ball.

The Broncos, who have a solid 7-3 record, have tougher opposition in the shape of the Chiefs and then an easier game against the Jaguars. The Chiefs have hopes for the playoffs and should offer more resistance to the Super Bowl champions than the Jaguars. The game against Chiefs in particular should be compelling viewing, with the Chiefs having a 7-2 record and winning five games in a row. Can they keep up this win streak against the mean defense of the Broncos? Don’t bet against it.

The next couple of weekends should give us more of a picture of how this season is going to unfold. Teams like the Chiefs, Broncos and Steelers have had decent starts to the season, but should get asked bigger questions over the next round of games. For the likes of the Patriots, it is time to get down to the business end of the season, and start making a big case for a strong playoff position and a Super Bowl appearance in 2017.