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Entering the sixth season since the Green Bay Packers last brought the Lombardi Trophy back home to “Titletown,” expectations can’t be any higher entering the 2016 NFL season for a team that consistently contends under head coach Mike McCarthy and two-time NFL MVP Aaron Rodgers. The return of Rodgers’ prime target, wide receiver Jordy Nelson, and the rare free-agent signing of tight end Jared Cook hope to get the Packers offense back to their typical dynamic form after a tough 2015 season, where they finished 10-6 and advanced to the NFC Divisional Round, where their offense struggled more than in previous years. The Packers have arguably the most loyal and passionate fans, known as “Cheeseheads,” and they will pack Lambeau Field as they always have, and you typically see as many Green Bay jerseys as the home team when they travel. An intriguing story line has been the slimmed down appearance of running back Eddie Lacy, who the Packers will need to be more productive to add balance to the offense. Wide receiver Randall Cobb is poised for another strong season, and the Packers look for more out of third year receiver Davante Adams, whose drops and inconsistent play hurt Green Bay in 2015. The Packers have made an emphasis on improving on defense with the past few drafts. Former Alabama safety Ha Ha Clinton-Dix is a rising star and cornerback Damarious Randall has the making of a breakout player this season. Two rookies are expected to start on defense, including top pick from UCLA Kenny Clark at defensive tackle and Stanford linebacker Blake Martinez. The Packers have perennial All-Pro Clay Matthews returning to his natural position rushing the quarterback from outside linebacker, after filling in at middle linebacker out of necessity. Defensive end Julius Peppers looks to have a strong year and push for a Super Bowl victory at the tail end of his great career. Defensive end Mike Daniels, safety Morgan Burnett, and cornerback Sam Shields all return to a defense that should continue to improve. The Minnesota Vikings ended up winning the NFC North in 2015, but expect the Packers to regain the top spot that they’ve held for much of the past decade as their rival Chicago Bears and Detroit Lions will be looking up in the division standings. The Packers have as good of a chance as any to reach Super Bowl 51, and if they can use some of the magic they saw in the two Hail Mary throws from Rodgers with a more consistent offensive attack in 2016, bringing the Lombardi Trophy back to Titletown is a strong possibility.

The Detroit Lions rebounded from a 1-7 start to the 2015 NFL season to finish 7-9 and third place in the NFC North. The Lions can’t put themselves in that kind of hole in order to compete in a division featuring the Green Bay Packers and Minnesota Vikings heading into 2016. The Lions lost a franchise icon in Calvin Johnson, after the perennial All-Pro wide receiver announced his retirement. His production and leadership will be hard to match, and veteran quarterback Matthew Stafford is sure to miss the top target he’s had his entire career. Golden Tate is expected to fill the void at the No. 1 receiver spot, and newly signed Marvin Jones from Cincinnati and former San Francisco 49er Anquan Boldin will be called upon as well. Detroit needs someone to emerge at the running back position, between second-year back Ameer Abdullah, Theo Riddick, and Stevan Ridley. Defensive end Ziggy Ansah was the Lions only Pro Bowler on defense, and nose tackle Haloti Ngata will need to return to All-Pro form for the defense to be a force. Cornerback Darius Slay and linebacker DeAndre Levy will have to have a big year in leading a mostly unproven secondary and linebacker corps, respectively. The Lions hope for production out of their top two draft picks; Ohio State offensive tackle Taylor Decker is expected to start and Detroit hopes that Alabama defensive tackle A’Shawn Robinson can contribute. The Lions offense could be great, but they will need a lot of things to go right to compete for the NFC North crown competing against Green Bay and the Vikings.

The 2015 New York Jets were the only team with a winning record not to reach the NFL Playoffs, but they hope to build off of their success entering the 2016 season. The Jets are one of the most balanced teams on both sides of the football in the AFC. The team finally ended the contract dispute with quarterback Ryan Fitzpatrick, which should ease Jets fans’ minds as he returns to pair with Pro Bowl wide receiver Brandon Marshall. Marshall, Eric Decker, Kenbrell Thomkins, and former Ohio State stars Devin Smith and Jalin Marshall form an intriguing wide receiver group. While the Jets lost Pro Bowl running back Chris Ivory to the Jacksonville Jaguars in free agency, they replace him with former All-Pro Matt Forte, whom the Chicago Bears decided not to bring back. The offense should be balanced, but what makes the Jets a threat is their, at times, dominating defense. Defensive tackle Sheldon Richardson and defensive lineman Muhammad Wilkerson are two of the best in the league, and if second year defensive end Leonard Williams continues to improve, opposing offenses will have a hard time moving the football. The Jets drafted Ohio State star outside linebacker Darron Lee in the first round of the draft, and expect his role to increase as the season goes on. A strong secondary behind cornerback Darrelle Revis and safety Calvin Pryor makes this defense one of the best in the NFL. New York Jets fans are among the most loyal and passionate in the league, and team merchandise and signed items are always popular with online shoppers. If the Jets offense can get up to speed following the holdout of Fitzpatrick and the addition of Forte, expect this team to compete for AFC East supremacy. The rival New England Patriots will be a tough team to surpass, but the loss of quarterback Tom Brady for four weeks helps, and the Jets should finish ahead of the Buffalo Bills and Miami Dolphins. The AFC East will be a division race worth watching in 2016.

The Jacksonville Jaguars are a trendy pick to be a much improved team entering the 2016 NFL season, possibly competing for the AFC South title. Much of Jaguars fans’ optimism comes from their strong offseason, where they signed several starting-caliber free agents, including cornerback Prince Amukamara, former Broncos defensive tackle Malik Jackson, Browns safety Tashaun Gipson, running back Chris Ivory, and former Steelers offensive tackle Kelvin Beachum. Jacksonville acquired two of the top defensive players in the 2016 NFL Draft, selecting Florida State cornerback/safety Jalen Ramsey and UCLA linebacker Myles Jack. 2015 top pick Dante Fowler returns from injury at defensive end, as well. Add that new talent with an offense that showed glimpses of excellence under quarterback Blake Bortles and wide receivers Allen Robinson and Allen Hurns, and this appears to be a team on the rise. The addition of Ivory to a backfield that returns second-year running back T.J. Yeldon, who had a strong rookie season makes the offense a scary matchup for opposing defenses. As for Jacksonville’s defense, they will need big production from Ramsey, who many viewed as the top player on the 2016 Draft board, along with their new additions. The Jaguars will be an interesting team to watch in 2016, and they should improve greatly from a 5-11 finish in 2015. The AFC South is anyone’s division, and Jacksonville should find themselves in the hunt with the Houston Texans and Indianapolis Colts.

The New York Giants may be the toughest team to predict year in and year out, as they can finish at 6-10, as they did in 2015, or go on to win the Super Bowl, as they have twice in the 2000s. The Giants aren’t being looked at as Super Bowl favorites, but fans have every reason to believe that they will improve from 2015 and contend for the the NFC East division. With quarterback Eli Manning, anything is possible, and he has one of the premier targets in wide receiver Odell Beckham Jr. Beckham Jr. is among the best in the game, and his online jersey sales are one of the top sellers. The Giants will need receiver Victor Cruz to return to form and for running back Rashad Jennings to carry a big load in order for the this offense to be successful. New York’s rookie class brought in another promising receiver in Sterling Shepherd from Oklahoma. The Giants’ first round pick from Ohio State was cornerback Eli Apple, who is expected to play a big role in a talented secondary. Dominique Rodgers-Cromartie and former Rams cornerback Janoris Jenkins form a strong duo, and the Giants will look for more from former Alabama star safety Landon Collins, who struggled in 2015 as a rookie. The front seven is anchored by newly signed free agents Olivier Vernon from Miami and Damon Harrison from the Jets. These two pair with defensive end Jason Pierre-Paul, who looks to return to dominance. In a wide open NFC East, look for the Giants to contend with returning division winner Washington Redskins and the Dallas Cowboys for the division title.