There's less than a week to go until The Walking Dead season seven returns from its midseason break - and a teaser shown during Super Bowl 51 proves that Negan's threat will still be very much present.

The clip in question simply a football that gets destroyed with a baseball wrapped in barbed wire - Negan's weapon of choice, Lucille, which ended the lives of both Abraham (Michael Cudlitz) and Glenn (Steven Yeun) in the season seven premiere.

Just last week, network AMC released an extended promo which showed the series' cast and crew waxing lyrical about what to expect from the concluding eight episodes.

Jeffery Dean Morgan, the man behind the villainous Negan, shows up at the end of the clip, saying: “What we're building towards the end of seven is Rick trying to emerge and find himself again and Negan is still there with a big smile on his face, waiting.”

In new footage from next weekend's episode, Rick can be seen pleading with King Ezekiel (Khary Payton) to help in the eventual war against Negan.

The first run of episodes saw the group at the mercy of Negan and his violent clan of Saviours, with leader Rick (Andrew Lincoln) no longer the leader we've grown to know through the previous six seasons.

The Walking Dead season 7B images Show all 5 1 /5 The Walking Dead season 7B images The Walking Dead season 7B images Daryl (Norman Reedus) The Walking Dead season 7B images Rick (Andrew Lincoln) The Walking Dead season 7B images Michonne (Danai Gurira) The Walking Dead season 7B images Rosita (Christian Serrators and Tara (Alanna Masterson) The Walking Dead season 7B images Enid (Katelyn Nacon), Jesus (Tom Payne), Carl Grimes (Chandler Riggs), Sasha (Sonequa Martin Green) and Maggie (Lauren Cohan)

The closing moments of the latest episode saw Rick reassemble the fractured group in a bid to overthrow the Saviours, and going by the promo it seems he's enlisting help from several other surrounding communities including The Hilltop Colony and The Kingdom.

Super Bowl 51 - which saw New England patriots beat Atlanta Falcons - also saw the surprise release of a Stranger Things season two trailer.