Long-suffering fans in cities like Buffalo,Detroit and Cincinnati hope this is the year when the NFL once again crowns a first-time Super Bowl champion.
The league hasn't had a team win its first Super Bowl since the 2017 season when Philadelphia beat New England to give the Eagles their first Lombardi Trophy.
The seven straight seasons without a first-time champion is the second longest in NFL history, trailing only the 10 straight seasons between when the New York Giants won their first Super Bowl in the 1986 season and the Denver Broncos won their first in the 1997 season.
It would be far from a long shot this year as the Bills enter the season as one of the favorites to win it all, according to BetMGM, with 7-1 odds, along with the Baltimore Ravens and defending champion Eagles.
The Bills famously lost four straight Super Bowls in the 1990s and have won playoff games in each of the last five seasons. Buffalo is the first team ever to go five straight seasons with a playoff win and no Super Bowl appearance.
Four other teams that haven't won a Super Bowl title are in the top 13 when it comes to odds to win it all this season. The Detroit Lions, who have never been to a Super Bowl, have the fifth-best odds at 10-1, Cincinnati is tied for seventh at 20-1, Minnesota is tied for 11th at 25-1 and the Los Angeles Chargers are 13th at 30-1.
The only other franchises without a Super Bowl win are Arizona, Atlanta, Carolina, Cleveland, Houston, Jacksonville and Tennessee.
The other biggest North American pro sports leagues have all crowned first-time champions in the past three seasons with the Texas Rangers winning their first World Series in 2023, the Denver Nuggets winning their first NBA title in 2023 and the Florida Panthers winning their first of back-to-back Stanley Cups in 2024.
The Oklahoma City Thunder also won their first NBA title in June but the franchise had previously won it all in 1979 when it was located in Seattle.
The opener between the Pittsburgh Steelers and New York Jets will feature familiar faces in unfamiliar uniforms.
Aaron Rodgers will make his Pittsburgh debut after starting Week 1 at quarterback for New York last season, while Justin Fields has taken the opposite journey going from the Steelers to the Jets.
This marks the first time two starting QBs faced off in Week 1 after starting the opener the previous season for the opponent. There have been six other QBs who started an opener against the team they played for in Week 1 the previous season, according to Sportradar. Russell Wilson faced Seattle and Baker Mayfield played Cleveland in 2022; Sam Darnold took on the Jets in 2021 and Chad Pennington did it in 2008; Kurt Warner faced the Giants in 2005 and Jack Kemp played the Chargers in 1963.
Rodgers will be making his 18th straight start in a season opener, tying Brett Favre for the second longest streak by a quarterback. Drew Brees started in 19 straight openers.
Rodgers will also join Wilson (Broncos) as the only QBs to start a game for a team they had previously beaten in a Super Bowl. Rodgers won MVP in his only Super Bowl appearance following the 2010 season when Green Bay beat Pittsburgh.
The 41-year-old Rodgers isn't the only QB in his 40s getting a Week 1 nod. Joe Flacco, 40, will get the start for Cleveland against Cincinnati, marking the third time two QBs 40 or older started a season opener in the same season. Tom Brady and Brees did it in 2019 and '20.
Flacco will be starting an opener for a fourth franchise after previously doing it for Baltimore, Denver and the New York Jets. He will be the 12th QB to start an opener for at least four teams. The only QBs to start openers for more teams are Ryan Fitzpatrick (six), Vinny Testaverde (five), Kerry Collins (five) and Josh McCown (five).
New Orleans starts the season without a quarterback on the roster who has won a start in the NFL.
Spencer Rattler gets the nod against Arizona after losing all six starts last season in his first season, while rookie Tyler Shough will serve as his backup.
This marks the 11th time since 2000 a team started a season without a QB on the roster with at least one NFL win with Green Bay the last to do it in 2023 with Jordan Love and Sean Clifford.
The volatility in the NFL often leads to teams going from out of the playoffs to the top of the division thanks to easier schedules, normal regression and the randomness of a short season.
That hasn't happened at all in the AFC as of late.
Buffalo, Baltimore, Houston and Kansas City have all won back-to-back division titles. The only other times since the 2002 realignment that all four division winners in a conference repeated came in the 2019 AFC and the 2012 AFC.
All four teams are favorites to win again, according to BetMGM. There has only been one time since the 1970 merger that a conference had the same division winners for three straight seasons with Dallas, Minnesota and the Los Angeles Rams doing it from 1976-78.
It's been the opposite case in the NFC East, which hasn't had a repeat winner since Philadelphia won four straight division titles from 2001-04. The defending Super Bowl champion Eagles are looking to end that drought this season.
Inside the Numbers dives into NFL statistics, streaks and trends each week. For more Inside the Numbers, head here.
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FILE - Pittsburgh Steelers quarterback Aaron Rodgers (8) looks on during practice at NFL football minicamp, Tuesday, June 10, 2025, in Pittsburgh. (AP Photo/Gene J. Puskar, File)
Detroit Lions coach Dan Campbell answers a question during a news conference after a preseason NFL football game against the Houston Texans Saturday, Aug. 23, 2025, in Detroit. (AP Photo/Paul Sancya)
