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It all begins on Thursday night when the New England Patriots—with Tom Brady—raise the championship banner and take on the Pittsburgh Steelers.

The preseason has come and gone and all 32 teams will be playing for keeps from this point forward. In many cases, prognosticators like to talk about the surprise teams or the up-and-comers that have a chance to make a run.

Not this time. This is all about the favorites, the teams that have the best chance of lifting the Vince Lombardi Trophy following the conclusion of Super Bowl 50.

Here's how the NFL stacks up from top to bottom at the start of the season.

2015 NFL Power Rankings Rank Team 1 New England Patriots 2 Green Bay Packers 3 Seattle Seahawks 4 Indianapolis Colts 5 Dallas Cowboys 6 Kansas City Chiefs 7 Philadelphia Eagles 8 Arizona Cardinals 9 Baltimore Ravens 10 Denver Broncos 11 Cincinnati Bengals 12 Minnesota Vikings 13 New Orleans Saints 14 San Diego Chargers 15 Houston Texans 16 Buffalo Bills 17 Miami Dolphins 18 Detroit Lions 19 Pittsburgh Steelers 20 Carolina Panthers 21 New York Giants 22 Atlanta Falcons 23 St. Louis Rams 24 New York Jets 25 Oakland Raiders 26 San Francisco 49ers 27 Tampa Bay Buccaneers 28 Tennessee Titans 29 Cleveland Browns 30 Chicago Bears 31 Jacksonville Jaguars 32 Washington Redskins Steve Silverman rankings

Winner and Still Champion

Fans haven't heard those words in a long time in the NFL. There hasn't been a repeat champion in the NFL since the New England Patriots made it back-to-back championships in 2004.

The Patriots have had the most tumultuous of offseasons, but they begin the 2015 season right at the top. Instead of having to go with largely untested backup quarterback Jimmy Garoppolo under center, they have Tom Brady back in the saddle for all 16 games. That is as big a psychological edge as it is a physical one.

Let's goooo TB12!!! This is gonna be a fun season!!! 1st win of the year for #PatsNation — LeGarrette Blount (@LG_Blount) September 3, 2015

Brady's intelligence and ability to read defenses is unquestionable, and this talent gives everyone in the New England locker room supreme confidence nearly every week. Brady will make mistakes and turn the ball over, but his ability to play winning football when the season is on the line is remarkable.

Brady has a 21-8 playoff record, and that's more postseason wins than any quarterback in NFL history has ever been associated with, including Joe Montana (16), John Elway (14), Terry Bradshaw (14) or Brett Favre (13).

We are not here to overstate the importance of the quarterback position, but the Patriots start the year with the momentum that comes from the decision by federal court judge Richard Berman that gives Brady the right to play and a victory over NFL commissioner Roger Goodell.

The health of tight end Rob Gronkowski is no longer an issue, and he has been one of the best weapons in the league whenever he is 100 percent. The running back duo of LeGarrette Blount and Brandon Bolden is underrated and should be able to take some of the pressure off of the passing game.

Defensive coordinator Matt Patricia has a huge job in front of him since the Patriots no longer have Darrelle Revis in the secondary of Vince Wilfork in the middle of the line. The Patriots are not going to lead the league in yards allowed, and they may rank somewhere in the middle of the pack in that category.

However, they were second in the NFL with a plus-12 on the takeaway/turnover table, and that's largely because Patricia wants to confuse opposing quarterbacks. If his defense can continue to do that and Jamie Collins, Jerod Mayo, Rob Ninkovich and Chandler Jones can stay healthy, the Patriots have every chance of representing the AFC and potentially winning the fifth Super Bowl of the Bill Belichick era.

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Green Bay on a Mission

They were so close. So very close. And while all great teams put painful defeats behind them, the loss to the Seattle Seahawks in the most recent NFC Championship Game has to serve as extra inspiration for the Green Bay Packers.

According to ESPN, Mike McCarthy made it a point in the offseason not to speak about that game, but it's still there. It likely always will be, but the Packers have a dynamic team that is strong enough to overcome the preseason loss of superb wide receiver Jordy Nelson to injury.

That's a lot to make up for—he caught 98 passes for 1,519 yards last year. But the Packers still have Aaron Rodgers at quarterback, and he is the reigning MVP and a sensational passer.

They also have Randall Cobb and Davante Adams as their primary pass-catchers, and Jeff Janis caught 10-149-3 in the preseason, which should earn him opportunities during the year. Eddie Lacy is a power back who can soften up defenses early and put them away late.

There is still room for improvement on defense, but the Packers made a big adjustment at midseason last year when they moved Clay Matthews inside. It made them much tougher, and the defense gave up 70 yards fewer per game following that move.

As long as there's no regression on defense—and no key injuries—the Packers should be in a dominant position throughout the year.

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Even Better in Seattle

The painful reaction toward the play call at the end of the Super Bowl has finally eased, and that's exactly what should happen since the Seahawks remain a team on a mission.

If the Seahawks had a need going into the offseason, it was to get better and more explosive on offense. They have added tight end Jimmy Graham and may have found a breakout receiver in rookie Tyler Lockett. The third-round selection from Kansas State has shown why he was that school's all-time leading receiver with his vast array of skills.

He's not big at 5'10" and 181 pounds, but he has all the skills needed to excel on the outside or as a slot receiver. He was brilliant in the preseason.

He averaged 21.5 yards per reception, 26.3 yards per punt return and 37.4 yards per kickoff return. He looked like the fastest man on the field, and few Seattle opponents were able to make any argument with that statement.

If Lockett is real and Graham plays the way he did in New Orleans, the Seahawks could be special on offense when you throw in beastly running back Marshawn Lynch and fourth-year quarterback Russell Wilson.

The defense remains the signature of this team, and while there are some age and injury concerns in the secondary, the presence of Richard Sherman (20 interceptions in the last three seasons), Earl Thomas (four straight Pro Bowls) and underrated middle linebacker Bobby Wagner (2014 first-team All-Pro) means this team is going to bring the hammer down on a weekly basis.

The Seahawks are gunning for their third straight NFC title, and the Packers may be the only team that can stand in their way.