Top 10 favorites for Super Bowl 53

8. Green Bay Packers

Without Aaron Rodgers for most of the 2017 season with a broken collarbone, the Packers became exactly what we thought they’d be without one of the best quarterbacks in the league-out of the playoffs with a 7-9 record. An overhaul of the coaching staff and a reshuffling of the front office was the reaction almost immediately, to try and maximize what’s left of Rodgers’ prime at 34 years old and perhaps shift from former general manager Ted Thompson’s long-held disdain for being aggressive in free agency.

As long as Rodgers is around and healthy, the Packers will be among the better teams in the NFC and a threat to go to the Super Bowl every year. The addition of some better talent defensively, and a fresh perspective on that side of the ball from new coordinator Mike Pettine, will only help the balance of the team.

A Rodgers-led offense, and an average defense that held its ground and forced turnovers in key situations, would be enough to bring the Packers an NFC North title and no less than a home game for the Wild Card Round in the playoffs. The NFC was absolutely wide open this past year, and it looks likely to stay that way for a few more years as teams rise and fall. The Packers have a great chance to rise again next season.