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Top 10 favorites for Super Bowl LI

By Patrick Morgan

Jan 24, 2016; Denver, CO, USA; Denver Broncos fans after the AFC Championship football game at Sports Authority Field at Mile High. Denver Broncos defeated New England Patriots 20-18 to earn a trip to Super Bowl 50. Mandatory Credit: Ron Chenoy-USA TODAY Sports
Jan 24, 2016; Denver, CO, USA; Denver Broncos fans after the AFC Championship football game at Sports Authority Field at Mile High. Denver Broncos defeated New England Patriots 20-18 to earn a trip to Super Bowl 50. Mandatory Credit: Ron Chenoy-USA TODAY Sports /
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GLENDALE, AZ - FEBRUARY 1: Patriots players are reflected in the Vince Lombardi trophy. The Seattle Seahawks played the New England Patriots in Super Bowl XLIX at the University of Phoenix Stadium. (Photo by Jim Davis/The Boston Globe via Getty Images)
GLENDALE, AZ – FEBRUARY 1: Patriots players are reflected in the Vince Lombardi trophy. The Seattle Seahawks played the New England Patriots in Super Bowl XLIX at the University of Phoenix Stadium. (Photo by Jim Davis/The Boston Globe via Getty Images) /

The Denver Broncos won Super Bowl 50, but who are the top contenders for next year’s Super Bowl LI?

The Super Bowl was one of the dullest in history, an inadequate Peyton Manning who was a shell of himself won his second ring. It was the Denver Broncos defense that really earned Manning that ring with their dominant performance.

The Carolina Panthers, who were dominant all season long and went 15-1 throughout the regular season, couldn’t get their offense going against the league’s top defense. NFL MVP Cam Newton was running for his life as the Broncos defense consistently collapsed the pocket. The Broncos defense was so dominant that linebacker Von Miller won the Super Bowl MVP award.

Now that the 2015 season is over, it’s time to start looking forward towards 2016. It would be hard for the Broncos to repeat with Manning’s declining play, so where do they rank in the list of contenders. The Panthers on the other hand seem like their positioned to become the new version of the Seattle Seahawks and dominate the NFC again.

Here are the top 10 contenders for that game, listed in increasing order of their likelihood of winning the championship, with No. 1 being the overall favorite.

Next: 10. Dallas Cowboys

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