As long as the New England Patriots can survive the first four games of the 2016 season without two-time MVP quarterback Tom Brady, they should find themselves right in the mix for the top of the AFC. A lot will be asked of second-year quarterback Jimmy Garoppolo, who fills in for Brady. It helps having not only the best tight end, but one of the best targets in general in Rob Gronkowski, who will have another monster year. Gronkowski is also a fan favorite, as his jerseys, signed or unsigned, are consistently among the top-selling online. Patriots fans have little to worry about with head coach Bill Belichick still running the team, as New England has missed the postseason only 3 times in his 16 seasons, including 4 Super Bowl titles under his reign. Expect no different in the 2016 season, as they come off a 12-4, first place AFC East finish, where they reached the AFC Championship Game. The offense should have no issues moving the ball, with Garoppolo and Brady throwing to Gronkowski, newly signed tight end Martellus Bennett, and wide receivers Julian Edelman and Danny Amendola. It’s near-impossible to predict who will be the running back heading into Week 17, but Dion Lewis, LaGarrette Blount, James White, and Donald Brown all should get a chance to make their claim. Defensively, the Patriots are balanced. Former Rams defensive end Chris Long should be productive, and Dont’a Hightower leads the linebackers. Defensive end Chandler Jones and linebacker Jamie Collins look to return to the Pro Bowl form in 2016. Super Bowl XLIX hero Malcolm Butler returns as New England’s top cornerback, and Devin McCourty and Patrick Chung are Pro Bowl-caliber safeties behind him. The Patriots drafted former Alabama star Cyrus Jones in the second round to help the secondary. The Patriots consistently have one of the NFL’s best special teams units, combine that with the best coaching staff and balance on both sides of the football and you have a true Super Bowl contender. In a deep AFC East with the New York Jets and Buffalo Bills emerging as contenders, and Brady out four games, it will be tough to match the 2015 win total, but the Patriots should have no problem reaching, or exceeding the AFC Championship.

The 2015 Carolina Panthers came just short of a near-perfect season, starting 14-0 and finishing 15-1 en route to a Super Bowl matchup with the Denver Broncos. The Broncos would beat the Panthers 24-10, but Carolina returns a serious contender to avenge their Super Bowl loss entering the 2016 NFL season. The Panthers had 10 players voted into the Pro Bowl and 8 All-Pro selections. A major loss heading into 2016 was All-Pro cornerback Josh Norman being released due to salary cap concerns, and he signed with the Washington Redskins. That leaves the secondary as the Panthers only area of weakness, with the departure of Norman and the retirement of Charles Tillman. Still, with 2015 MVP Cam Newton returning at quarterback, the Panthers are as good as anyone. Newton also gets his top target back in wide receiver Kelvin Benjamin, who returns from a torn ACL suffered in the preseason. Benjamin and tight end Greg Olsen pair with receivers Ted Ginn Jr. and Devin Funchess to form a scary aerial attack. Pro Bowl running back Jonathan Stewart returns with All-Pro fullback Mike Tolbert to give the Panthers some balance offensively. An offensive line featuring Michael Oher and All-Pros Ryan Kalil and Trai Turner gives Newton and head coach Ron Rivera little to worry about. Despite some question marks in the secondary, Carolina‘s front seven still puts them among the NFL’s best defenses. Linebackers Luke Kuechly and Thomas Davis form the best group in the league, and defensive tackle Kawann Short returns and defensive end Charles Johnson and tackle Star Lotulelei add bulk to a stout defensive line. Carolina should have no trouble holding off the Atlanta Falcons, New Orleans Saints, or Tampa Bay Buccaneers to win the NFC South. Don’t expect another 15-1 season in 2016, but behind MVP Cam Newton a balanced group on both sides of the football, the Panthers emerge as one of the favorites to represent the NFC in Super Bowl 51.

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.