The San Fransico 49ers have now had the time to recover from their Super Bowl heartache in February and they will fancy their chances of winning the NFC title this year.
The New Orleans Saints should not be too far behind them, but there are number of organisations desperate to prove their worth this season.
With that in mind, we look at the seven teams that are most likely to compete in the playoffs.
1) San Francisco 49ers
The 49ers won their seventh NFC title in 2019, beating the Green Bay Packers in the NFC Championship game.
They then went to the Super Bowl, before losing to Kansas City Chiefs in dramatic fashion after a thrilling display from quarterback Patrick Mahomes.
Tight end George Kittle has agreed a new five-year deal with the organisation, although the loss of DeForest Buckner may hurt them down the stretch.
The 49ers are 10/1 to win the Super Bowl in 2020, and they remain one of the best prospects from the NFC to get their hands on the trophy.
2) New Orleans Saints
Sean Payton’s New Orleans Saints cruised into the playoffs last term thanks to a 13-3 regular season record.
However, they were beaten in the first round of the playoffs, and their squad should be doing better than that.
Malcolm Jenkins arrives from Philadelphia Eagles and will add some experience to their defence and Payton’s outfit could make a competitive run towards the playoffs in 2020.
They are priced at 6/1 to win the NFC Championship, and their attacking firepower should give them a huge chance of doing just that.
3) Tampa Bay Buccaneers
The Buccaneers will fancy their chances after signing free agent Tom Brady. Brady decided to leave New England Patriots after winning six Super Bowls under Bill Belichick.
His arrival immediately makes the Bucs contenders for the NFC South title, particularly with tight end Rob Gronkowski joining him.
If either of them are near their best, then the Bucs will go close, and they are 6/4 to win their division, ahead of the Saints.
4) Seattle Seahawks
If Russell Wilson stays fit, Seattle have a chance. It is pretty simple really, but they do have some top players elsewhere.
All-Pro safety Jamal Adams left the New York Jets to join Pete Carroll’s side, and he will pair up with Quandre Diggs in the secondary.
Under Carroll, Seattle have reached the playoffs in eight of the last ten seasons, and they will go close once again.
They should still be San Francisco’s closest challengers in the division, and they are 9/4 to win the NFC West.
5) Dallas Cowboys
QB Dak Prescott is going into 2020 with a real point to prove. Well, in reality, he doesn’t need to prove anything after a fine campaign in 2019.
But he remains under the franchise tag and needs to show he deserves more money. He now has more support around him, while in defence they have added Ha Ha Clinton-Dix, Trevon Diggs, Everson Griffin and Dontari Poe.
Wide receiver CeeDee Lamb, who was their first-round pick in the draft, should relish playing with Prescott, and they have Mike McCarthy as coach.
So, it looks good for the Cowboys, and they are 16/1 to win the Super Bowl in 2020.
6) Minnesota Vikings
The Vikings were relatively quiet in free agency, but we still think they will go close as they try to win the NFC North.
Experience may be an issue, but they will be exciting to watch under coach Mike Zimmer.
Dalvin Cook and Adam Thielen look like the key players on offence, with Stefon Diggs now plying his trade in Buffalo.
They lost to the 49ers in the divisional round, but they will have learnt from that, and they look a good bet for the division at 9/5.
7) Green Bay Packers
Any team led by Aaron Rodgers needs to be considered, and the Packers are 13/1 to win the NFC Championship.
For them to have a chance, they need their offence to stay healthy, and Aaron Jones remains a chief weapon at running back.
Jordan Love was signed in the draft to put pressure on Rodgers, and that should bring the best out of him. Allen Lazard needs a breakthrough campaign, but the Packers went close last season and should be playing football in January once again.
*All odds correct at time of writing
