But behind Seattle and San Francisco is an NFC stuffed full of championship-calibre squads. No division in the conference has an obvious, stand-out favorite to win, making predictions someting of a crapshoot.
NFC East: Philadelphia Eagles (10-6) — First place
Don't expect coach Chip Kelly and QB Nick Foles to be just a flash-in-the-pan with a case of some beginner's luck. The Eagles will maintain their offensive creativity with some raised defensive intensity. That will allow them to pull a rare repeat in the East.
New York Giants (8-8) — Second place
They're at the crossroads of the team that was able to win two Super Bowl's and the one that struggles to make the playoffs. Much still rests on the ability of Eli Manning, and their inconsistent nature has .500 written all over it.
Dallas Cowboys (7-9) — Third place
They keep breaking even because, as their offense adds more punch around QB Tony Romo, the defense keeps losing key bodies. The latter is the biggest challenge in Year 2 of a schematic transition. The schedule will keep them short of another 8-8 finish.
Washington Redskins (5-11) — Fourth place
The Redskins could easily shoot up and win this division, but let's curb the expectations in the first year under coach Jay Gruden. The goal this year is to get Robert Griffin III right. Plenty of holes remain in the defense.
NFC North: Green Bay Packers (12-4) — First place
Last year, they were good enough to hold on for a division title even with Aaron Rodgers missing nearly half the season. With Rodgers healthy, they have a huge QB advantage, and you can expect the defense to be better, too.
Chicago Bears (10-6) — Second place
The Bears met their goal of fielding a much more dangerous offense under coach Marc Trestman. They'll be a little sounder and smoother there in Year 2, and they addressed their defense enough in the offseason to steal a wild-card berth.
Detroit Lions (7-9) — Third place
The change at head coach from Jim Schwartz to Jim Caldwell comes with figuring out new identities on defense and offense. The Lions are battling through the familiar weaknesses and are bound to be a few notches below the Packers and Bears.
Minnesota Vikings (4-12) — Fourth place
The Vikings are trying to catch up offensively with the rest of the division, and Adrian Peterson and Cordarrelle Patterson are big helps in that department. Quarterback is still a concern, and the defense can't slow those other three North teams much.
NFC South: New Orleans Saints (11-5) — First place
The Saints fell out of the division crown last season, but found some footing again in the playoffs. Even with some departures, their offense will be just fine for QB Drew Brees and the defense received a little more punch with free-agent safety Jairus Byrd for coordinator Rob Ryan.
Carolina Panthers (9-7) — Second place
The Panthers will be in the thick of the playoff hunt again, but their offseason moves set them up for a few steps back before they can make the leap to a consistent conference contender with QB Cam Newton and their outstanding defense.
Atlanta Falcons (6-10) — Third place
While Matt Ryan and the offense should benefit from better health, depth remains an issue and the Falcons are still working to get both lines in order. The window isn't quite closed, but Atlanta needs more time to prop it open.
Tampa Bay Buccaneers (6-10) — Fourth place
The Bucs should expect an improvement based on their aggressive offseason moves and the smart hiring of Lovie Smith as head coach. In this division with their schedule, however, it can manifest with only a couple more wins.
NFC West: San Francisco 49ers (12-4) — First place
The 49ers can't get ahead of themselves in trying to get over the Super Bowl hump. The first task is taking advantage of a slightly more favorable schedule to get better playoff position on Seattle. They are built to win big now, not later.
Seattle Seahawks (11-5) — Second place
The reigning champions will be the hunted and will find out just how hard it is to repeat based on their tough division competition alone. Seattle's main goal should be getting to the conference/league championship rematch with San Francisco.
Arizona Cardinals (8-8) — Third place
The Cardinals were the best team to not make the playoffs last year, and being stuck in the West will hurt them a bit this year. At some point, they'll need to turn the page from QB Carson Palmer to a younger gun if they want to catch up.
St. Louis Rams (8-8) — Fourth place
Like the city's former team in the Arizona desert, the defense-loaded Rams are stuck in the wrong division behind the NFC's two best teams. This is a critical year for Sam Bradford to see if he'll remain coach Jeff Fisher's trusted quarterback.