The confetti has only just settled following the New England Patriots' historic win in Super Bowl LI, but it's no time to rest for theScore's NFL editors.
We turn our eyes toward the future and make five predictions for what will transpire in the coming season:
Patriots will repeat as Super Bowl champions
New England remains a tier above every team in the NFL and will continue to be the league's standard-bearer in 2017. It's remarkable that the Patriots breezed through the competition without Rob Gronkowski, and the all-world tight end will be ready ahead of next season. Armed with approximately $65 million in cap space, the Patriots can improve their roster in whichever way Bill Belichick prefers. The prospect of a 17-2 champion making major upgrades spells doom for the rest of the NFL. - Arun Srinivasan
Half the playoff field will turn over
The 2016 season was full of teams looking to make that next step, but falling just short. The Titans, Broncos, Buccaneers, Redskins, Vikings, and Eagles all looked poised to be part of this year's postseason at certain points of the year before various factors kept them out. With some of those teams expected to continue their progression and other former playoff contenders like the Ravens, Bengals, Cardinals, Panthers, and Saints set to recapture their former glory, there will be a high turnover of teams in the 2017 postseason. - Mitch Sanderson
Winston, Mariota will lead teams to conference title games
Jameis Winston and Marcus Mariota, the first two picks in the 2015 NFL Draft, will take a major step in their development and lead their respective teams to division titles and deep playoff runs. They'll do it by outplaying elite passing peers Matt Ryan, Cam Newton, and Drew Brees (in Winston's case), and Andrew Luck (in Mariota's). It won't be long before the pair rival Tom Brady and Aaron Rodgers for consideration as the game's very best. - David P. Woods
A running back will win Rookie of the Year
Ezekiel Elliott couldn't do it despite leading the league in rushing as a rookie, but with an uninspiring crop of incoming quarterbacks and a stable of backs slated to be taken in the first round, Leonard Fournette, Dalvin Cook, and Christian McCaffrey lead the list of backs who could win Rookie of the Year next year. - Michael McClymont
Chargers will take L.A. by storm with epic season
Football's return to Los Angeles didn't exactly go as planned, with the Rams and their boring brand of football failing to inspire much interest. But with the Chargers on the horizon, L.A. will catch NFL fever. Led by an MVP season from Philip Rivers, the Chargers are the surprise contenders of the 2017 season and quickly supplant the Rams as the city's No. 1 team. - Jack Browne
Romo will play in the Super Bowl
The list of suitors for Tony Romo's services this offseason should actually be relatively short. At this stage in his career, the star quarterback will presumably only have interest in a situation where he can chase down a ring. Whether it's the Broncos, Texans, or Cardinals (in the event of a Carson Palmer retirement), Romo is still capable of putting a borderline contender over the top. Finally making that Super Bowl appearance would cap off what has been a great NFL career. - Dan Wilkins
