The Championship is upon us again, and bettors up and down the country (and even worldwide) are wondering who is likely to be the ultimate winner. There are always several contenders to lift the Lombardi Cup at the end of the competition, but who are the favorites this year? Here, we look at who is tipped to be the victors of the 2021 season.
What Should I Know About the NFL Championship 2021?
Following the regular football season, the NFL's schedule moves onto the playoffs and, ultimately, the Super Bowl.
During regular NFL season football games, the teams compete to achieve the best win/loss record since the teams that have the top records then go on to the playoffs. In turn, the playoffs determine who will go on to play in the Super Bowl.
There are 256 NFL games in a standard season. These games are arranged to weed out the bad teams from the good ones. Only 12 teams can qualify for the journey towards the big Super Bowl game.
2 teams go head to head in the Super Bowl championship game. The AFC winner is pitted against the NFC's champion. It's an exciting game.
6 teams from the AFC and 6 teams from the NFC qualify to play in the playoffs. The 4 division winners automatically qualify and are joined by 2 wildcard teams. These teams have qualified based on the remaining teams' win-loss records for each conference. The 2 division winners that scored the highest winning percentages will host the games in the second round, so they completely skip the competition's first round. The winners of the 3rd and 4th divisions host both wildcard teams during the initial round.
The 2 wildcard games' winners then advance onto the contest's second round (the Divisional Playoffs). The division winner that has the best record plays the lowest-rated wildcard winner. Meanwhile, the other winning wildcard team plays the division winner that has the 2nd-best record. In both cases, the division winners host the game and so have home-field advantage.
The third round is known as the Conference Championships. Any of the surviving division champions host the game. Should 2 division winners remain in the competition, the one that has the highest winning percentage will host. Should 2 teams have an identical rate, the home field will be based on the performance of both teams in their head-to-head competition in the season and who scored the highest winning percentage during conference games.
The city is chosen for the Super Bowl several years in advance, and the final Championship game is played 2 weeks after the 2 conference championship games.
This year's Championship will conclude in Inglewood, California, on 13th February 2022. The SoFi Stadium will be the setting for Super Bowl LVI.
Who Is Favored to Win the NFL Championship in 2021?
As always, several teams have been tipped as favorites to win the NFL Championship. Every sportsbook is taking bets on this popular competition, but most have the same teams picked out as the most likely contenders to emerge victorious at the end of the Super Bowl.
The favorites to win with all NFL bookies at the moment is, without a doubt, the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, who came out on top in Super Bowl LV over the Kansas City Chiefs.
However, the Bucs are facing some major limitations on their salary caps this offseason. That means that Jason Licht, their general manager, will need to work his magic if the majority of his championship team's veterans are going to make a return.
It's likely that Tampa Bay's main offensive players – Tom Brady, Mike Evans, Chris Godwin, OJ Howard, Rob Gronkowski, and Leonard Fournette – will remain on the team's roster. Everybody else, meanwhile, will probably have to fight for their share of the budget to stay onboard this offseason.
During the season-long runup to the Lombardi Trophy, the defense had a significant role to play. Licht will therefore need to keep the solid D-line firmly in place, i.e., William Gholston, Vita Vea, and Ndamukong Suh, to keep opposing quarterbacks in a state of panic like they were during the season.
If Licht can pull it out of his hat, the Tampa Bay Buccaneers have a great chance of emerging victorious in Inglewood next February.
On the other hand, some bettors are favoring the Green Bay Packers to win the Super Bowl.
Again, the Packers are experiencing salary cap problems, which could impact the team's success in the long run. It's possible that Aaron Jones, the Packers' extremely productive running back, could be left off the roster this offseason. If this occurs, there will be an enormous gap in the team's rushing attack, requiring addressing in the draft or during free agency.
Fortunately for Green Bay fans, quarterback Aaron Rodgers remains on the team's roster. This future Hall of Fame member earned the league's MVP award for the 3rd time last season. It's also extremely likely that Davante Adams will remain onboard as the team's top receiver after his performance proved to be a major threat last season.
With the draft approaching, the Packers are sure to be seeking help with their offense. They'll probably need a tackle as well as a young wide receiver. The team could also benefit from secondary assistance, so the draft will likely represent a great opportunity to recruit a skilled cornerback.
However, there's a third possible team on the horizon that some bettors think could be a top contender – the Los Angeles Rams. Why is the LA team a potential hot favorite? The answer lies in Matthew Stafford, who has been acquired following a trade with the Detroit Lions. Kevin O'Connell, the team's offensive coordinator, and Sean McVay, the head coach, now have a star talent who can execute their brand's offense consistently and effectively.
It isn't all about Stafford, though. He'll have a lot of great targets to work with – WRs Robert Woods, Josh Reynolds, and Cooper Kupp. Furthermore, he'll also benefit from a tight and strong end tandem in the form of Gerald Everett and Tyler Higbee, who can act as effective blockers, passing receivers off the line.
Arguably, the league's best player, DT Aaron Donald, is also still onboard for the Rams and is the team's biggest playmaker. As the defensive player of the year last season for the third time, he is a veteran presence, chasing down opposing quarterbacks on the field in a truly impressive manner. With such great balance on the team, it's not too surprising that the Rams are looking to be a good choice if you're considering placing a bet on the Championship's outcome this year.
Which Team Has No Chance of Winning?
While several teams look set to have a good chance at scooping the trophy, a couple has no chance of coming out on top. The team that's least likely to win this year's Championship has to be the Detroit Lions. After losing Matthew Stafford in the Los Angeles Rams trade during the offseason, the Lions have to settle for Jared Goff to be their starting quarterback. Although he's a veteran of the Super Bowl, he's been struggling for several seasons and needs a new place where he can reinvent himself. The Lions still have some effective receivers – Kenny Golladay, Danny Amendola, and Mavin Jones are all on the team, along with TE T.J. Hockenson, who is young and talented. Yet, despite all of the team's potential, the Lions haven't been able to get on a winning streak of late, and with Dan Campbell as the brand new head coach at the team's helm, he is likely to lack sufficient time to find success on the field where others have already failed.
Which Are the Best NFL Teams Right Now?
If you ask any NFL fan, they'll likely tell you that their team is the best on the field! However, when it comes down to the bookies' opinions, 5 teams are ranking more highly than any of the others at the moment.
You can probably guess at least 3 of them. After all, they've already been mentioned above as 3 of the top contenders to win the Championship. However, there are a couple of other possibilities that could still come out on top as wildcards.
Arguably, the 5 best NFL teams at this very moment are:
- The Tampa Bay Buccaneers
- The Green Bay Packers
- The Los Angeles Rams
- The San Francisco 49ers
- The Seattle Seahawks
However, as the playoffs continue, who knows how the land will lie? Anything could happen before the big Super Bowl in February, and the world waits with bated breath to find out who will be this year's champion.
