Are the Texans, Vikings and 49ers legit Super Bowl contenders?

Week 6 of the NFL season provided some surprising results. The Chiefs took a second consecutive home loss to an AFC South team. The still undefeated 49ers shut down the Rams vaunted offense. The Vikings opened up their passing offense and were unstoppable against the Eagles. The Steelers took down the Chargers with a third-string quarterback.

The season is still young, but there have been some big moves in the odds to win the Super Bowl. Now is the time to determine if some of these recent movers are real contenders or just early season pretenders. Here are three of the biggest movers after Week 6.

Houston Texans (+2250)

The odds took a big leap for the Texans, from +3350 to +2250, and they have cut their odds by more than half since the start of the season. The Texans recovered nicely after a heartbreaking loss in Week 1 at New Orleans. Two road victories over playoff contenders and a dominating performance against the Falcons has the Texans at 4-2, and they're the leader in the AFC South. But the schedule gets tougher. After their Week 10 bye, Houston has three consecutive games with the Ravens, Colts and Patriots.

Offense is certainly not an issue for the Texans. They rank eighth in scoring, sixth in total yards and fifth in rushing. Quarterback Deshaun Watson has found a strong connection with his two stud receivers, and Will Fuller and DeAndre Hopkins each have more than 400 yards receiving with 33 and 40 receptions, respectively. Running back Carlos Hyde has revamped his career with more than 400 yards rushing and is averaging 4.3 yards per carry.

The Texans defense is shaky (24th in passing and 20th in yards per rushing attempt), but with some improvement, you have to consider this team a contender. They should be able to win their division and they have already proven they can defeat a top contender on the road.

Minnesota Vikings

The Vikings jumped from +3200 to +2275 after an impressive victory over the Eagles. This was their first victory over a playoff contender, so there are still questions with this team. The remaining schedule will certainly answer these questions. Minnesota has a five-week stretch with road games at Kansas City, Dallas and Seattle. The Vikings will then finish the season with consecutive games against the Packers and Bears.

Defense is the strong suit for this Minnesota team. It is sixth in scoring, fifth in total yards and seventh in passing. On the offensive side, the Vikings are third in rushing but 25th in passing. They already have three games this season where they failed to reach 200 passing yards. Quarterback Kirk Cousins has done decently well not to turn the ball over, but he has to improve the passing game to contend for a Super Bowl.

Minnesota has the talent and the defense to be a contender. However, the remaining schedule and the division might be the toughest blockades for any team in the league.

San Francisco 49ers

The most impressive victory of the weekend came from the 49ers in Los Angeles. San Francisco took control of the NFC West with a major road victory, and their Super Bowl odds moved from +1800 to +1250.

The second half of the schedule gets much tougher, but the 49ers may head into November and their bye week at 8-0. They are a complete team, as they rank third in scoring and fourth in total offense, while also ranking second in both points allowed and total defense. Both lines have been impressive (they have 17 sacks, while only allowing six sacks), and the 49ers also are second in rushing offense and sixth in rushing defense.

With this type of balance and overall quality, you have to consider this team a contender. The Niners will finish the season with playoff contenders in six of their final eight games, but the numbers are there to believe they will handle that schedule. San Francisco is for real and these may be the best odds you can get on them this season.

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