Michael Conroy/Associated Press

The New England Patriots defeated the Seattle Seahawks 28-24 Sunday night, making Super Bowl XLIX an instant classic. Both teams were tremendously impressive throughout the contest; however, Seattle's play-calling blunder on New England's 1-yard line with 26 seconds remaining that resulted in an interception overshadowed all other headlines.

Rather than utilizing the nearly unstoppable Marshawn Lynch—who carried 24 times for 102 yards and a touchdown—out of the backfield, the Seahawks opted to run a pick play and hit Ricardo Lockette on a slant. Cornerback Malcolm Butler got a great jump on the throw, and his pick resulted in New England hoisting the Lombardi Trophy yet again.

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So, while the Patriots celebrate their big win, it's time for us to look way ahead and figure out which teams are most likely to represent their respective conferences in next year's Super Bowl 50. Here's a look at the current odds for every team to win the next edition of the NFL's championship game, followed by a prediction for the contest's ultimate participants.

Early Odds to Win Super Bowl 50 Team Odds Seattle Seahawks 5-1 New England Patriots 6-1 Green Bay Packers 7-1 Denver Broncos 8-1 Dallas Cowboys 12-1 Philadelphia Eagles 16-1 Indianapolis Colts 16-1 Detroit Lions 25-1 New Orleans Saints 25-1 St. Louis Rams 25-1 San Francisco 49ers 25-1 Arizona Cardinals 25-1 Pittsburgh Steelers 25-1 Baltimore Ravens 25-1 Cincinnati Bengals 25-1 Houston Texans 30-1 San Diego Chargers 30-1 Kansas City Chiefs 30-1 New York Giants 30-1 Carolina Panthers 30-1 Atlanta Falcons 30-1 Miami Dolphins 30-1 Chicago Bears 50-1 Minnesota Vikings 50-1 Buffalo Bills 50-1 Cleveland Browns 50-1 Washington Redskins 100-1 New York Jets 100-1 Tampa Bay Buccaneers 200-1 Tennessee Titans 300-1 Jacksonville Jaguars 300-1 Oakland Raiders 300-1 Pro Football Talk

All Super Bowl 50 odds courtesy of Pro Football Talk.

Super Bowl 50 Date and Location

Date: Sunday, Feb. 7, 2016

Location: Levi's Stadium in Santa Clara, California

Host Team: San Francisco 49ers

Super Bowl 50 Picks

AFC: New England Patriots

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Sure, at first glance, this pick seems like a major cop-out. After all, it's easy to pick the reigning Super Bowl champions to return the following season. However, there are plenty of supporting reasons for this selection.

We should all be able to agree the Patriots are, in fact, the NFL's best team right now. Not only did they win the big game, but they played a dominant brand of football throughout most of the regular season, decimating some of the league's best teams in all phases of the game.

During the regular season, New England played a total of five playoff teams. The Patriots went 4-1 in those games, winning by a combined score of 183-93. Continuing that trend in the postseason, New England forged a brilliant comeback win against the Baltimore Ravens before manhandling the Indianapolis Colts en route to a Super Bowl win.

David Goldman/Associated Press

So, here's the scary thing: The way things look right now, the Patriots stand to get even better by next season.

According to Spotrac.com, New England has a total of nine players set to hit the free-agent market in 2015. The highest-profile player on the list is safety Devin McCourty, and while the Patriots would love to have him back, they must also prioritize striking a new deal with cornerback Darrelle Revis. Luckily, they'll be able to do just that.

Quarterback Tom Brady has already restructured his contract to give the team an additional $24 million in cap space for the coming season, making things much easier for New England to keep its key free agents in the fold. Once those players are re-signed, the team can then focus on further improving its roster via other free-agent options and the draft.

NFC: Green Bay Packers

While the Seahawks were arguably the NFC's best team this past season, they were certainly given a run for their money against the Packers. However, that isn't the reason Green Bay is being selected over Seattle as the NFC's Super Bowl 50 representative.

The Seahawks have lots of work to do to keep their team intact going forward. According to Spotrac.com, they have a bevy of players set to hit the open market, including Byron Maxwell, James Carpenter, Kevin Williams, Malcolm Smith, Jermaine Kearse, O'Brien Schofield and others. We could be looking at a very different squad once the 2015 season rolls around.

As for the Packers, they'll have a bit of work to do in re-signing Randall Cobb; however, even if the receiver opts to leave for more money, the team has a very talented player in Davante Adams waiting in the wings to complement All-Pro Jordy Nelson. Also, should Green Bay lose Cobb, the team will suddenly find it easier to keep the likes of Tramon Williams and Bryan Bulaga in the fold.

So, it certainly appears as though the Packers won't be taking an enormous hit in free agency. That, of course, means we could actually see an improved version of this team once the dust settles following the free-agency period and draft.

Ted S. Warren/Associated Press

That's not a good sign for the rest of the NFC, as Aaron Rodgers, the NFL's MVP, is coming off one of his best statistical seasons, completing 65.6 percent of his passes for 4,381 yards and 38 touchdowns against five interceptions for a passer rating of 112.2. The fact that he didn't toss a single pick at Lambeau Field in 2014 was also remarkable.

So, here's the question still lingering in the minds of many NFL fans: Just how far could this team have gone with a healthy Rodgers in the playoffs?

Yes, injuries are a part of the NFL, and they always will be; however, it's difficult to think the NFC Championship Game against Seattle wouldn't have turned out differently if Green Bay's prolific signal-caller was 100 percent.

A Super Bowl 50 pitting the high-octane Patriots against the dangerous Packers? Yes, please.