Panthers Seahawks have biggest Super Bowl windows

sharonorn

Whatever happens in 50, this won't be the last we see of and the as title contenders.Like the ' drive to XLVIII in 2013, the ' ascension to the NFL's big stage this season marks their arrival as one of the league's upper-echelon teams, and I expect to see them fighting for the Lombardi Trophy for years to come. The , on the other hand, are facing a cloudier immediate future, given that seems to be at the end of the line, and his ostensible replacement, , remains something of an unknown quantity who also happens to be headed for free agency.The ' exceptionally sizable window for contention got me thinking about the windows of the league's other legitimate contenders -- specifically, which other teams have the biggest? That is, which teams are best set up to compete for a title for the longest time frame from 2016 on?So I put together the list below. Of course, this is not merely a list of the six best teams in the NFL; this is about the teams whose ability to compete for the next three to five years I feel strongest about. So you won't find the (great roster with questions about the quarterback position), the (great quarterback, but too many questions about the rest of the roster), the (same, provided returns to his 2014 form) or the . That's not to say I wouldn't list any of those teams as contenders in 2016; I just don't feel as strongly about their long-term prospects as I do the teams below. One note before we begin: The nearly made the cut -- in fact, they'd be in the top 10 -- but I think they're still a year or so away from true contention.1) Carolina PanthersI wouldn't take any quarterback in the NFL over right now. Not many guys can Olamide Zaccheaus Jersey  beat you throwing the ball and with their feet like Newton can; consider that he's the only player in NFL history to record 35-plus pa sing touchdowns and 10-plus rushing touchdowns in a season. He's just 26, works extremely hard and continues to trend upward, having improved dramatically in accuracy and decision-making. Newton won with a receiving corps that lacked a true No. 1, meaning he should only be better in 2016, once receiver -- who -- . Many key offensive pieces, including running back and tight end , are locked up long-term and should continue to produce for some time.By their nature, Carolina's defenders will force turnovers -- the led the NFL in both takeaways (39) and takeaway differential (plus-20) in 2015. The tackle tandem of and is probably the NFL's best, while stands among the league's top linebackers. Cornerback , who is set to hit free agency, should be retained; there's otherwise no reason to think a unit that has ranked in the top 10 in each of the past four seasons will slow down. The NFC South will be a tougher division in 2016 than it was in 2015, but the are a team on the rise -- they are the new darlings of the NFL.2) Seattle SeahawksThe have certain core elements in place that all but guarantee a certain baseline level of succe s. They're anchored by two things: their defense and quarterback . Led by stalwarts like , , , and , Seattle's defense finished 2015 ranked and . Wilson, who's made the in three of his four NFL seasons and finished with the league's best pa ser rating (110.1), is Seattle's offensive engine. He played out of his mind in the second half of the season (25 TD pa ses against two picks, a pa ser rating of 124.3, 5.6 yards per rush and a 6-2 record) to help the secure a playoff berth after a 4-4 start. Undrafted rookie emerged as a  John Cominsky Jersey serious rushing threat, putting up four triple-digit rushing games, including a 209-yard effort against the ; he should be a fine replacement for , whenever the veteran's time in Seattle comes to a close.Seattle's offensive line was something of a weak spot, made more so by as part of the deal to acquire tight end , who didn't contribute much before in late November. But position coach Tom Cable is one of the best in the league, and the unit improved in the second half, especially once was starting at center. This roster is good enough that the can withstand flaws like the O-line or mi steps like the trade for Graham last year or receiver in 2013. The organization has a solid plan in place.3) Pittsburgh SteelersPittsburgh's window is being firmly held open by a trio of offensive stars. When you have a top-five quarterback (), running back () and receiver (), all of whom should be operating at a high level for the foreseeable future, you have to like your odds. Even with (three games) and Bell (eight) mi sing big chunks of 2015 with knee injuries, the still won 10 games and advanced to the Divisional Round of the playoffs. Though he made just 11 starts, Roethlisberger came within 62 yards of notching his fifth 4,000-yard season in his last seven seasons. Brown (265 catches, 3,532 yards and 23 scores over the past two seasons) is practically impo sible to stop. And not too many teams have a receiving corps composed of players like Brown, and . made le s worrisome than it might otherwise have been, given how important it is to stop the run. and are studs along the defensive line, and linebackers and are Christian Blake Jersey  really good players. Coordinator Keith Butler, coming off his first year in the post, will grow on the job. The have some flaws -- in addition to the pa s defense, the offensive line was something of a piecemeal unit in 2015. And, of course, there's the health of their Big Three, which, with Roethlisberger and Bell and Brown (as well as standout backup running back ) unavailable for Pittsburgh's , is basically what held the back. But presuming Bell recovers from knee surgery smoothly and Roethlisberger, Bell and Brown stay on the field together, this is a very good team.4) Cincinnati BengalsCincinnati's snakebitten recent playoff history aside, the might be the most complete team in the NFL. They have a solid quarterback in , pa s-catching studs in receiver and tight end and a strong running-back tandem in and . And don't forget about a defense that held opponents to 17.4 points per game, making it in the league. Dalton should come back healthy after held him out of the final three regular-season games and to the . He's a very good quarterback who's helped the reach the postseason in each of his five pro seasons. One thing that hurt the was their apparent inability to control their emotions in that lo s to Pittsburgh, with and drawing penalties that cost the team 30 yards and, basically, the game. Burfict, who has , will have to do a better job  Brandon Copeland Jersey of managing that. Also, the team faces some decisions in free agency, with receivers and , tackle and a bevy of secondary members (, , and ) set to hit the market. The should prioritize Jones over Sanu and should try to get younger in the secondary, but otherwise, I think they're in pretty good shape. 5) Minnesota VikingsMinnesota had some bad lo ses, including (to the ) and, of course, to the . But the are an ascendant team. The defense, which , is powered by several good, young players, like , , , , and . Hunter is a gem who picked up six sacks and really came on at the end of the year. improved quite a bit in his second pro season; I think the hard-working quarterback can keep getting better under coordinator Norv Turner. And, of course, there's running back , who showed he's still got it at 30. Peterson led the NFL in rushing despite working behind a so-so line, and I think he's got a great chance to do it again next year.The are by no means perfect -- they need to add some speed at receiver ( is fast, but he's not the answer), and Bridgewater has room to grow. But it looks like the are a bit of a descending team, making the NFC North more of an open division than it's been in some time. Plus, playing in a brand-new stadium should provide a boost. Minnesota is simply trending in the right direction for long-term succe s.6) New England PatriotsThis is a quarterback-and-coach-driven league, and as long as is their quarterback and Bill Belichick is their coach, the will be a factor. Don't overreact to . The bottom line is, Brady showed no signs of slowing down at 38. In fact, when you look at his numbers from 2015 -- 4,770 pa sing yards, 36 TDs against seven picks, a pa ser rating of 102.2 -- and consider what he had to work with, you'd almost think he was getting better. He's still able to put plenty of mustard on that ball, and he's still a competitive force -- after all, he  Josh Andrews Jersey nearly pulled out a win at the end of the AFC title game in Denver. Offensive-line play, a lack of run-pa s balance and injuries to key players like and were an i sue. But very few people will dispute that Belichick is the best coach in the NFL; consider that New England won 12 games in 2015 with . He's just so well-prepared. Brady's age -- and the fact that he'll have to stop playing at some point -- cannot be completely ignored, of course, which is why New England is at the bottom of this list. But while there are no guarantees the Pats will continue to win in the post-Brady era, whenever