Top 10 favorites for Super Bowl LI

7. Denver Broncos

Speaking of the Broncos, this must seem like a slight to the Super Bowl champions considering they just hoisted the Vince Lombardi Trophy. Make no mistake: Denver deserved to win Super Bowl 50, and far be it from me or anyone else to write them off as cannon fodder for NFL contenders in 2016. Talking heads everywhere predicted a New England rout in the AFC title game, and we all know how that turned out.

Clearly Peyton Manning has more left in the tank than anyone is willing to give him credit for. He appeared in his fourth Super Bowl and won his second, while the Broncos as a franchise are appeared in their eighth (which ties an NFL record) and won their third. The defense is as good as the fabled Orange Crush platoons of old, and the running game has been very effective at times. Demaryius Thomas and Emmanuel Sanders are one of the best receiving tandems in the league.

Still, head honcho John Elway has made it abundantly clear that the Broncos were going all-in to try and give Peyton that elusive second ring before he rides off into the sunset and delivered. Manning didn’t announce if he was going to retire, but many speculate that this could have been his final season, and while Brock Osweiler showed flashes as a starter, he’s still a rather unproven commodity as Manning’s heir.

Besides quarterback, the Broncos have had mixed results at running back, with C.J. Anderson logging a mostly-forgettable season after high offseason expectations (woe to those fantasy football owners who drafted him with a first-round pick). Elway and the Denver front office know they can’t afford to keep everyone on this roster, so it’s natural to assume the Broncos could regress next year, especially if they win a championship.

Next: 6. Pittsburgh Steelers