Matt Dunham/Associated Press

The two teams playing in the first game on the 2015 NFL calendar could also find themselves competing against each other in the last one.

Because when Super Bowl 50 takes place Feb. 7 in Santa Clara, California, 182 days after the Minnesota Vikings face the Pittsburgh Steelers in Sunday's Pro Football Hall of Fame Game, it's not crazy to imagine either the improving Vikes or the explosive Steelers playing in that contest.

Or maybe even both, which would mark the first time a Hall of Fame Game participant wins the Super Bowl in the same year. Somewhat fittingly, in a year in which the league is celebrating past championship games, that would also give us a rematch of Super Bowl IX, which saw the Steel Curtain get the better of the Purple People Eaters in New Orleans.

But before we get ahead of ourselves, let's review why two teams that failed to win a playoff game in 2014 could indeed be giving us a dark-horse Super Bowl preview Sunday night in Canton, Ohio.

The Vikings possess the epitome of 'potential'

I know, potential is a bad word for those hoping for sure things. By definition, it exists only in possibility while merely possessing the ability of developing into actuality. And because the draft is a thing, every team in the NFL has at least some potential.

But when you look at the Vikings' roster, you can understand why they might have just enough potential to all but guarantee improved play, barring mass and/or catastrophic injuries and the like. The following 10 players—all of whom are 26 or younger—are expected to play major roles for Minnesota in 2015, and all of them are expected to be very good (in fact, some already are):

Quarterback Teddy Bridgewater (22): It all begins with the youngest starter on the team and the most important player on the roster. The 2014 first-round pick was the second highest-rated qualified passer in football during the final five weeks of his rookie season. In fact, his rookie completion percentage was the third-highest in NFL history for first-year pivots. No reason to think he can't take a major step forward in his second season, especially with All-Pro running back Adrian Peterson back from suspension.

Highest-rated passers, final 5 weeks of 2014 Quarterback Comp. % YPA Rating 1. Tony Romo 72.1 8.5 117.1 2. Teddy Bridgewater 72.1 8.8 103.0 3. Eli Manning 64.6 8.1 100.7 4. Russell Wilson 61.9 9.0 99.4 5. Ben Roethlisberger 64.6 8.6 99.1 Min. 100 attempts (Pro Football Reference)

Defensive tackle Sharrif Floyd (23): The 2013 No. 23 overall pick was graded by Pro Football Focus as the fifth-best defensive tackle in the NFL last season.

Linebacker Anthony Barr (23): The 2014 No. 9 overall pick was graded by PFF as the eighth-best 4-3 outside linebacker in the NFL last season.

Cornerback Trae Waynes (23): The rookie No. 11 overall pick was a star at Michigan State and is already receiving praise from general manager Rick Spielman.

Wide receiver Cordarrelle Patterson (24): The 2013 No. 29 overall pick was an All-Pro kick returner as a rookie and has the skills to turn into a No. 1 receiver.

Cornerback Josh Robinson (24): The 2012 third-round pick limited opposing quarterbacks to a completion percentage of 56.6 when they threw his way in 2014, per PFF.

Cornerback Xavier Rhodes (25): The 2013 No. 25 overall pick has surrendered only three touchdowns in two relatively full seasons, and opposing quarterbacks have a sub-80 passer rating when throwing his way.

Left tackle Matt Kalil (26): The 2012 No. 4 overall pick struggled in 2013 and 2014 but hasn't missed a start in three years and was a Pro Bowler as a rookie.

Defensive tackle Linval Joseph (26): The big-money free-agent acquisition from last offseason consistently draws above-average grades from PFF at the defensive tackle position.

Safety Harrison Smith (26): The 2012 No. 29 overall pick finished second on the team in tackles last season and was graded by PFF as the second-best safety in football.

If Kalil can take that next step on Bridgewater's blind side, Peterson can stay healthy and remain effective at the age of 30 and Bridgewater can avoid a sophomore slump, that offense—featuring the aforementioned weapons as well as Patterson and speedy veteran receiver Mike Wallace—should be very potent.

The defense isn't a concern. Only 10 teams gave up fewer points last year than the Vikes, who tied for ninth in the league in sacks and ranked seventh overall against the pass. And now they've got Barr entering Year 2 and Floyd and Rhodes entering Year 3, with Smith, Joseph and Robinson heading into their primes and Waynes bringing something fresh to the secondary.

There's really no reason this unit shouldn't rank in the top 10 in 2015.

But there were a lot of question marks in that concluding paragraph about the offense. Indeed, everything would have to fall into place quite serendipitously in order for this team to suddenly make a deep playoff run with a quarterback who has 12 NFL starts under his belt, especially considering that it has won just 12 games since the start of 2013. But crazier things constantly happen in this league, and the Vikings certainly have the talent and the potential on both sides of the ball to pull it off.

The Steelers will score at will, which nowadays can be enough

Quarterback Ben Roethlisberger is coming off a season in which his 103.3 passer rating ranked third among qualified quarterbacks, and he set new career highs in completion percentage, yards and touchdown-to-interception ratio.

At 33, he's a Hall of Fame-caliber quarterback smack dab in the middle of his prime, which in this pass-happy era is often enough on its own to push a team into the playoffs. But throw in reigning AFC rushing yards leader Le'Veon Bell and reigning NFL receptions and receiving yards leader Antonio Brown and you have quite possibly the best quarterback-running back-receiver trio in football.

Top QB-RB-WR trios: Are any better than Pittsburgh's? Team Quarterback Running back Wide receiver Steelers Ben Roethlisberger Le'Veon Bell Antonio Brown Packers Aaron Rodgers Eddie Lacy Jordy Nelson Broncos Peyton Manning C.J. Anderson Demaryius Thomas Colts Andrew Luck Frank Gore T.Y. Hilton Ravens Joe Flacco Justin Forsett Steve Smith Bengals Andy Dalton Jeremy Hill A.J. Green Pro Football Reference

So it shouldn't surprise anyone that, according to Charles Robinson of Yahoo Sports, Steelers offensive coordinator Todd Haley is expecting his offense to put up 30 points per game in 2015, which is a benchmark only two teams hit last season.

Teams to average 30 points per game since 2000 Team Year PPG Broncos 2013 37.9 Patriots 2007 36.8 Packers 2011 35.0 Patriots 2012 34.8 Saints 2011 34.2 Rams 2000 33.8 Colts 2004 32.6 Patriots 2010 32.4 Patriots 2011 32.1 Saints 2009 31.9 Rams 2001 31.4 Chargers 2006 30.8 Packers 2014 30.4 Broncos 2000 30.3 Chiefs 2003 30.3 Chiefs 2004 30.2 Broncos 2014 30.1 Broncos 2012 30.1 Pro Football Reference

"If you ask me, we've got the weapons to do that—to average 30 a game—across the board," Roethlisberger told Robinson. "... I think Martavis [Bryant] is really going to make a jump. Same with Markus Wheaton. I think these guys are going to make big jumps."

Big Ben makes a good point. It's not just about the Steel City Triplets (trademark!). The aforementioned Bryant and Wheaton, both of whom went over 500 yards while combining for 10 touchdowns last season, are only 23 and 24 years old, respectively. As they improve, Pittsburgh could wind up with the best receiver threesome in football.

And gone are the days when we could use words to beat up on the Steelers' offensive line. Once an undisputed Achilles' heel, a line featuring a trio of relatively recent first- or second-round draft picks (Maurkice Pouncey from Round 1 in 2010, Marcus Gilbert from Round 2 in 2011 and David DeCastro from Round 1 in 2012), as well as the solid Kelvin Beachum at left tackle, is now a positive.

In fact, Pro Football Focus graded that unit seventh in football last season in terms of pass-blocking efficiency, which is a big step forward for a group that ranked 21st in 2013 and 25th in 2012.

It's not as though the defense is so bad that it's going to spoil any chances Pittsburgh has to make a run. Losing key contributors Troy Polamalu (retirement), Ike Taylor (retirement), Jason Worilds (sudden retirement), Brice McCain (free agency) and Brett Keisel (released) certainly hurts, but most of those guys weren't on top of their respective games in 2014 anyway.

And so long as you've got players like 2014 Pro Bowl linebacker Lawrence Timmons, the ageless James Harrison and talented pass-rusher Cameron Heyward in his prime, as well as recent first-round picks Ryan Shazier and Jarvis Jones, you're going to avoid embarrassment.

Considering 18 percent of playoff teams this century have ranked in the bottom 10 in total defense, and 12 percent of those teams have gone on Super Bowl runs, a great offense might be all Pittsburgh needs in order to also find itself playing in the final game on the 2015 NFL calendar.

Possibly even against the Vikings again.

Brad Gagnon has covered the NFL for Bleacher Report since 2012.

Follow @Brad_Gagnon