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Top 10 favorites for Super Bowl 56: Chiefs lead the way

By Mike Phillips

Aaron Rodgers, Green Bay Packers. (Photo by Dylan Buell/Getty Images)
Aaron Rodgers, Green Bay Packers. (Photo by Dylan Buell/Getty Images) /
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GREEN BAY, WISCONSIN – JANUARY 24: Aaron Rodgers #12 of the Green Bay Packers throws a pass in the third quarter against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers during the NFC Championship game at Lambeau Field on January 24, 2021, in Green Bay, Wisconsin. (Photo by Dylan Buell/Getty Images)
GREEN BAY, WISCONSIN – JANUARY 24: Aaron Rodgers #12 of the Green Bay Packers throws a pass in the third quarter against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers during the NFC Championship game at Lambeau Field on January 24, 2021, in Green Bay, Wisconsin. (Photo by Dylan Buell/Getty Images) /

2. Super Bowl 56 favorites – Green Bay Packers

A lot of people thought the Packers should have gone to the Super Bowl this year, but a poor second-half performance cost Green Bay dearly in the NFC Championship Game. An overly conservative call from Matt LaFleur in the fourth quarter didn’t help as Aaron Rodgers never got the ball back after the Packers settled for a field goal.

The loss put a damper on Green Bay’s season, which saw Rodgers play at an MVP level despite the team failing to get him more weapons at wide receiver in the offseason. Aaron Jones was also a tremendous help in the backfield, but the Packers may opt to let him walk in free agency with second-round pick A.J. Dillon ready to assume more work.

The biggest factor in Green Bay’s advantage for 2021 is a pitifully weak NFC North. Detroit and Minnesota are in the midst of rebuilds while the Bears have quarterback problems, leaving a clear path for the Packers to push for home-field advantage once again.

The challenge is whether or not there is a mental hurdle from falling one game short of the Super Bowl in back-to-back years. The most recent team to experience that was the New York Jets, who haven’t returned to the playoffs since losing to the Steelers in the 2010 AFC Championship Game, but the odds are on Green Bay’s side with Rodgers still around.

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