NFL Power Rankings: With Super Bowl 2014 Over, A Very Early Look At Next Season; Can Seahawks Repeat?

russell wilson seattle Seahawks — Russell Wilson reached the Super Bowl in his second season. Reuters

Repeating as Super Bowl championships is not an easy thing to do. No team has won back-to-back NFL titles since 2005.

The Seattle Seahawks are coming off one of the more dominant seasons in recent memory. They led the league with 13 wins in the regular season, and blew out the League’s MVP and top offense in the Super Bowl.

Can Seattle win it all in 2015? Below are early NFL power rankings for next season.

1) Seattle Seahawks

There’s not much reason to think the Seahawks will take a step back next season. They are the youngest team to ever win a Super Bowl, so players like Russell Wilson and Richard Sherman may only improve. Seattle doesn’t have many key free agents to worry about re-signing, so they should be at the top of the NFL, once again.

2) San Francisco 49ers

The 49ers have made it to three straight NFC Championship Games. With a strong defense and Jim Harbaugh at head coach, they’ll be one of the Super Bowl favorites next season

3) Denver Broncos

Peyton Manning will be 38 next year, but he’s coming off, maybe, the best year of his career. Denver will still have an elite offense and finish with only a handful of losses.

4) Carolina Panthers

The team has gotten better in every season, since drafting Cam Newton. Equipped with a very good defense some playoff experience, Carolina could become a trendy Super Bowl pick as the season approaches.

5) New England Patriots

Until Tom Brady and Bill Belichick retire, the Patriots will be in contention to win it all. As is always the case, it’s hard to imagine any other AFC East team surpassing them.

6) Indianapolis Colts

They may have suffered a bad loss in the playoffs, but the Colts will only improve. Entering year No.3, Andrew Luck could make the leap into becoming an elite quarterback.

7) Green Bay Packers

No NFL player has been consistently as good as Aaron Rodgers over the last few seasons. If he stays healthy, the Packers will be very tough to beat.

8) New Orleans Saints

When they’re at home, the Saints might be the best team in football. The won their first ever playoff road game this season and will try to carry that success over to the regular season.

9) Philadelphia Eagles

Nick Foles was extremely efficient in his time at quarterback, but he isn’t likely to have the league’s best passer rating when playing 16 games. Still, they should be the heavy favorite in the NFC East after a very strong finish.

10) Kansas City Chiefs

Don’t expect the Chiefs to have another incredibly hot start to the regular season, but they’ll be solid under Andy Reid.

11) Baltimore Ravens

A lot of the Ravens’ losses were close last season. Having a veteran at quarterback and an above-average defense could help them bounce back and make a playoff run next year.

12) Cincinnati Bengals

Time may be running out for head coach Marvin Lewis, who has lost three straight first-round playoff games with the Bengals. Andy Dalton had another improved regular season, but he has to prove that he can win a playoff game.

13) Detroit Lions

Matthew Stafford leads an extremely talented offense that had a very disappointing finish to their season. With a new head coach at the helm, they might be able to put it all together.

14) San Diego Chargers

If Philip Rivers can carry over his level of play to the 2014 regular season, the Chargers will be a force to be reckoned with in the AFC.

15) Chicago Bears

The Bears have stability at quarterback in Jay Cutler, but their uncharacteristically bad defense will have to improve if they want a chance to compete in the NFC.

16) Miami Dolphins

Ryan Tannehill is talented and should get better after his sophomore campaign. Maybe another year under his belt will help prevent performances like the one at the end of the year that kept Miami out of the postseason.

17) Arizona Cardinals

Few teams overachieved like the Cardinals did this past season. They have a good defense, but Arizona could struggle with an ageing Carson Palmer at quarterback, as well as having to play the Seahawks and 49ers four times.

18) Pittsburgh Steelers

With a new offensive line coach and Ben Roethlisberger still at quarterback, the Steelers aren’t that far behind the Bengals and Ravens in the AFC North.

19) Atlanta Falcons

Four wins was an aberration for a team that was injury-riddled in 2013. However, the Falcons will need some semblance of a running game if they want to compete.

20) New York Giants

The Giants have a lot of work to do in the offseason, namely improving their offensive line. Eli Manning is entrenched at the quarterback spot, and the team won’t go anywhere if continues to throw so many interceptions.

21) Dallas Cowboys

Each year, the Cowboys underachieve and barely miss the playoffs. With Tony Romo coming off back surgery, the team shouldn’t be expected to have a big season.

22) Washington Redskins

A healthy Robert Griffin III should be much closer to his 2012 form than the way he played this past season. The team still needs to improve mightily on defense.

23) St. Louis Rams

Assuming Sam Bradford is healthy, the Rams could be competitive, but they play in too tough of a division to make a significant impact.

24) Houston Texans

The Texans have a few stars, so they shouldn’t be a last-place team, but they’ll still be rebuilding with a new quarterback.

25) Tampa Bay Buccaneers

The Buccaneers should use their high draft pick to improve their defense, which should be better next year. Their offense, though, needs more weapons.

26) New York Jets

With Geno Smith at quarterback, there will be a limit to how good the Jets can be, even if they have a good defense.

27) Tennessee Titans

Until Jake Locker proves that he can stay healthy and be a consistent quarterback, it’s hard to expect much from the Titans.

28) Buffalo Bills

Questions remain about how good EJ Manuel can be as a starter in the NFL, and they’re the least talented team in the division.

29) Minnesota Vikings

Christian Ponder didn’t work out, and the Vikings will struggle as they search for their quarterback of the future.

30) Cleveland Browns

The Browns haven’t won more than five games since 2007 and there’s nothing to indicate that trend will change.

31) Oakland Raiders

With no quarterback or big playmakers, there’s not much hope for Oakland.