As we round the corner toward the NFL’s regular season, it’s time to turn our attention toward the host of Super Bowl LI, the city of Houston, Texas.
The 51st edition of Super Bowl returns to Houston, home of the reigning AFC South champion Houston Texans. This will be Houston’s third hosted Super Bowl, hosting Super Bowl VIII in 1974 and Super Bowl XXXVIII in 2004.
Early favorites to make Super Bowl LI remain steadily the same as 2016. The reigning NFC Champion Carolina Panthers will most likely retain the NFC-favorite status, following a 15-1 regular season that ended with a narrow defeat at the hands of Peyton Manning and the eventual world champion Denver Broncos. Other teams likely to be lurking behind the Panthers will be the Seattle Seahawks and Green Bay Packers.
On the AFC side, the New England Patriots will once again be a contender (even without QB Tom Brady for the first four games of the season), as has been the case for the main part of the last decade and more. The Pittsburgh Steelers, Denver Broncos (assuming the quarterbacking situation figures itself out), Kansas City Chiefs and Indianapolis Colts will also look to take their best shots at being the AFC participant.
The Super Bowl will, without a doubt, remain as exciting as ever. And in a season where no clear frontrunner has yet to emerge throughout the offseason, parity throughout the NFL remains stable.
Super Bowl LI in Houston, TX is scheduled for February 5, 2017 and will be broadcast by FOX, featuring 2016 Players Tailgate emcee Erin Andrews!