With less than a month before the 2015 NFL regular season kicks off, the NFC remains the conference with the two co-favorites to win Super Bowl 50 in the Green Bay Packers and Seattle Seahawks at 6/1 betting odds.
The Packers and Seahawks each won 12 games last year and met in the NFC Championship Game, with Seattle earning a 28-22 overtime victory at home before losing to the New England Patriots 28-24 in the Super Bowl.
This season, Green Bay will have an excellent opportunity to earn home-field advantage if the teams have the same record again since they meet at Lambeau Field in Week 2. Last year, the Packers were pummeled 36-16 by the Seahawks as 4.5-point road underdogs in Week 1, and that game ended up deciding home field for the conference title game.
Three other NFL teams finished with 12 wins last season, and all of them figure to be contenders again this year despite some major offseason changes for each. New England leads that group and is 9/1 to become the first repeat Super Bowl champion since accomplishing that feat 11 years ago.
The Patriots are a big question mark though considering they lost some key players and will be without starting quarterback Tom Brady for the first four games due to a suspension for his role in the Deflategate scandal.
Their defensive secondary was one of the main reasons they made it to the Super Bowl, and cornerbacks Darrelle Revis and Brandon Browner both left via free agency as did defensive tackle Vince Wilfork.
The Denver Broncos are the other AFC team that finished 12-4 last season, and they replaced head coach John Fox with Gary Kubiak in an attempt to make one more run at the Super Bowl with QB Peyton Manning under center. The Broncos are 14/1 to take home the Vince Lombardi Trophy after they were blown out 43-8 by Seattle two years ago.
Manning will not have tight end Julius Thomas around following his departure to the Jacksonville Jaguars as a free agent but still has one of the best receiving corps in the league with Demaryius Thomas re-signed for five more seasons.
The Dallas Cowboys lost a tough divisional playoff game at Green Bay back in January after also finishing 12-4 as winners of the NFC East. The Cowboys hope they will be back in the postseason in consecutive years for the first time since 2007, but they too face some serious challenges in trying to repeat as division champs.
Dallas is 14/1 to win the Super Bowl despite losing 2014 NFL rushing champion DeMarco Murray to the division rival Philadelphia Eagles (22/1). Murray was one of the main reasons the Cowboys succeeded so much offensively last year, taking pressure off QB Tony Romo, who did not force throws and turn the ball over nearly as much.
The Eagles will be the top competition for Dallas in the NFC East but also made some wholesale changes, including sending RB LeSean McCoy to the Buffalo Bills for linebacker Kiko Alonso.