Five Teams That Will Compete for Super Bowl LI

The Denver Broncos defeated the Carolina Panthers 24-10 to win Super Bowl 50. Now is the time to look forward to the 2016 NFL season and Super Bowl LI at NRG Stadium in Houston, TX on Feb. 5, 2017. There are five teams right now that are the favorites to reach and even win Super Bowl LI.

(photo credit: nytimes.com)
Seattle Seahawks: The Seahawks have been in contention for the Super Bowl ever since they drafted their quarterback, Russell Wilson in the third round of the 2012 NFL Draft. They were three points away from an NFC Championship game appearance in 2013, followed by two straight Super Bowl appearances - a win in Super Bowl XLVIII in 2014 and then a loss to the New England Patriots in Super Bowl XLIX in 2015 in which a Wilson pass to the end zone at the one yard line was intercepted in the final minutes. Last season, the Seahawks overcame a 31-point deficit to the Carolina Panthers - well, they almost did. They lost to the Panthers in the NFC Divisional Round by three points. Some would say the Seahawks are on the decline because running back Marshawn Lynch officially retired and WR Jermaine Kerse is looking to test the free agent market. Neither was much of an impact, however. Plus the Seahawks have tight end Jimmy Graham and running back coming back from injury. The Seahawks will be back and stronger than ever.

(photo credit: reddit.com)
Pittsburgh Steelers: The Steelers were one of the top offensive teams in the NFL in 2015, and that was while injuries bugged the team. Quarterback Ben Rothleisberger missed seven games due to a knee injury. Landry Jones replaced him and did a fair job. The team also lost their two star running backs for the season, LeVeon Bell and DeAngelo Williams, due to injury. Despite all of this, the Steelers were just a few turnovers and missed penalties from traveling to New England to take on the Patriots in the AFC Championship game, a team they had taken down to the wire in the last few meetings. Speaking of the Patriots...

(photo credit: bleacherreport.com)
New England Patriots: The Patriots have been in the playoffs every season that Tom Brady was the starting quarterback in since he was drafted in 2000 (the team finished 11-5 in 2008 with Matt Cassel, but missed the playoffs because the Miami Dolphins won the AFC East over the New York Jets.) 2015 was no different at all. The Pats were just one two-point conversion from tying the Broncos in the AFC Championship game. Like the Steelers, the Patriots were bitten by the injury bug, losing RB Deion Lewis for the season to a torn ACL, LeGarette Blount being knocked out for the season due to a hip injury, Julian Edleman missing seven games with a broken foot and more. With all of these players coming back healthy, the Patriots will no doubt be in contention for their fifth Super Bowl title.

(photo credit: charlottefive.com)

Carolina Panthers: The Panthers finished 15-1 in 2015 and lost Super Bowl 50 to the Denver Broncos. Quarterback Cam Newton was unstoppable all throughout the season except for the one game where they lost to an Atlanta Falcons team that started 6-1, but finished 8-8 and missed the playoffs. The Panthers went 15-1 without their biggest wide receiver in Kelvin Benjamin. He tore his ACL during training camp, ending his season before it could even begin. With him coming back, alongside second-year wide receiver Devin Fuchess out of Michigan, veteran wide receiver Ted Ginn Jr and a dominant linebacking core, all the Panthers need to do to compete again is replace Jared Allen, who retired after 12 seasons in the NFL, and Charles Johnson, who the Panthers released this week.

(photo credit: bleacherreport.com)
Green Bay Packers: The Packers got off to a 6-0 start last season, but finished 4-6 in their final 10 games of the regular season (3-7 without the successful Hail Mary in Detroit) and only tied the Arizona Cardinals in the NFC Divisional Round because of a second successful Hail Mary. The Packers offense still did pretty well last season, despite falling off the rocker during the second half of the season. They completed another 10-win season without Rodgers' biggest target in tight end Jordy Nelson, who suffered a torn ACL in the team's preseason game against the Steelers. With him coming back, the Packers offense will be that much better, giving them a better chance to compete for Super Bowl LI.

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