With the NFL season less than halfway over, there are still a lot of football games left for teams to prove themselves as more worthy contenders. However, multi-time Super Bowl winner Rob Gronkowski believes one team stands above the rest.
The former tight end was a superstar with the New England Patriots team led by Tom Brady, where he won several of his Super Bowl rings. Gronk also played for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers when Brady went to the new team.
He now appears regularly as an analyst for the Fox NFL on Sunday panel along with Michael Strahan, Terry Bradshaw, Howie Long, and Curt Menefee. After an absence last week, Gronk returned to the studio to join his co-stars.
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During one segment, Gronk spoke about the best team in the NFL. While he said the AFC’s Kansas City Chiefs are playing well, he gave the nod to one of his former teams over them.
“I believe the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, my former team, is the best team in football right now,” he stated, adding, “and the main reason is Baker Mayfield. He’s playing the best football of his career right now.”
Gronkowski mentioned that Mayfield threw touchdown passes last week to “his sixth and seventh wide receiver,” which shows how much depth the team has.
“Wait until they get back, Evans, Egbuka, and Chris Godwin on the field at the same time, that’s gonna be scary,” he said.
The former Pats and Bucs tight end praised Mayfield’s improvement since last season, mentioning he’s only thrown one interception so far this season. In addition, he said Mayfield “can do it on his feet” with his mobility on the field.
“He runs through all the defenders when it’s needed for him to make the big plays,” Gronk told his co-stars.
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Right now, Gronk’s pick isn’t surprising since the Buccaneers currently own one of the NFL’s best records at 5-1 overall. Among the teams they’ve defeated are the Atlanta Falcons, Philadelphia Eagles, Seattle Seahawks, and San Francisco 49ers, who might all be considered potential playoff teams.
However, the team might not be getting the respect it deserves at sportsbooks, yet. Many other teams are above them as favorites to win the Super Bowl, including the Chiefs, Green Bay Packers, Los Angeles Rams, Eagles, and Buffalo Bills.
The Buccaneers face another tough test when they battle Jared Goff and the Detroit Lions in one of this week’s games for “Monday Night Football.”
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