Tampa Bay, Florida - The Tampa Bay Buccaneers come into the 2021 NFL regular season having won the Super Bowl last year and if they haven’t lost a step, an "ageless wonder" could lead them back to another championship for the second year in a row.

Tom Brady (44) has definitely settled into his role with the Bucs after one season, having led them to the franchise’s second Super Bowl ring this past February.

But the other possible contender in the NFC can clearly see the target on Tampa’s back as the 2021 regular season begins Thursday night.

Tampa kicks off the season Thursday by raising their Super Bowl LV championship banner and hosting a potential NFC contender in the Dallas Cowboys. Maybe the game prediction is up for grabs but in the long run, the Bucs seem like they’ll be the ones taking the NFC South as the Panthers and Falcons won’t seem to put up much of a fight in the divisional standings.

It’s looking like despite the quarterback battle that took place down in New Orleans, the Saints look to march up against the Bucs if not for the division title, definitely in the playoffs come January, no matter who’s their quarterback.

Now that Aaron Rodgers is finally back with the Pack, Green Bay looks to make a serious run at the Super Bowl. It might be win or bust, as this new season could very well be the last that Green Bay will ever have Rodgers at quarterback.

This factor alone is all the more reason for the Packers to give it their all this year. If not for the Bucs, and some questionable play-calling late in the game, the Packers could’ve ridden that number one seed and home-field advantage into a Super Bowl appearance last season.

As far as the rest of the NFC North is concerned, perhaps the Vikings would be the team that gives Green Bay the most trouble and while the Bears have a promising rookie quarterback in Justin Fields, they likely can’t become a real contender within just a single season’s time.

It’d be really easy to just write off the Lions simply because they are the Lions, but at least their new quarterback Jared Goff, who came over in a blockbuster trade with the Rams should be given a chance before you tank Detroit for the season.

It seems that every season, finding out who comes out as the division champion of the NFC East is a toss-up. Since 2005, all four teams in the division have won the title, but none has managed to hang on to it.

Last year, The Washington Football Team took the division crown, but they did it with a 7-9 record.

They could win it again, but the Cowboys might have something to say about that.

Dallas is looking to at least stay healthy at quarterback because if Dak Prescott is out again, for even a handful of weeks, Washington, or possibly anyone else could step ahead of the Cowboys. Prescott would be the first to tell anyone in Dallas that he’d love for history to not repeat itself, considering the compound fracture and dislocation to his right ankle that ended his season in Week 5 of last year.

Even if the Cowboys are moderately unfazed by injury, the NY Giants could be a team to notice as the division is up for grabs. They seem to have a healthy star athlete of their own ready to get back on the field in running back Saquon Barkley.

The Eagles might also be a random contender to take the top spot as they have a young second-year quarterback in Jalen Hurts, but one quarterback can’t carry the rest of the team on his back.

It’s pretty likely the Cowboys’ division to lose this season, as long as they don’t get bitten by the injury bug.

Over the last 10 years, the NFC West has had one team make it to at least
the conference championship game, with five of those appearances earning a spot in the Super Bowl.

The Seattle Seahawks are the only team to have won the Lombardi Trophy during this period. Quarterback Russell Wilson still has plenty in the tank and their defense has seemed to consistently fly under the radar in recent years, so look for them to at least find themselves in a Wild Card spot if they can’t come away with the division title.

The LA Rams are hoping to contend after the big offseason quarterback trade that sent Jared Goff to Detroit in exchange for Matthew Stafford. They still have a couple of offensive weapons with Cooper Kupp and Sony Michel, so as long as their defense can keep them from playing from behind, the Rams have good chances.

The Cardinals might make a push this season, but Kyler Murray will have to air it out to DeAndre Hopkins and AJ Green that the offense has to carry the team through the year.

The San Francisco 49ers, who were in the Super Bowl two years ago, are a very different animal now. They still have Jimmy Garoppolo at quarterback, but they also have Trey Lance, the third-overall pick in April’s draft, opening the door for a potential quarterback controversy to run throughout the year if nothing else goes well for them.

The 2021 NFL regular season kicks off on Thursday night, September 9 with the Buccaneers taking on the Cowboys.