The last four teams to play for the NFC championship have the same goal: Super Bowl or bust.Carolina, Arizona, Seattle and Green Bay are still the class of a conference that has far more pretenders than contenders. Its a smart bet one of the four teams will be in Houston playing for the Vince Lombardi Trophy in February.Reigning NFL MVP Cam Newton led the Panthers to a 17-1 record before Von Miller and the Broncos stifled them in the Super Bowl. Carolina returns the bulk of its roster except All-Pro cornerback Josh Norman, now in Washington. The offense should be even better because star receiver Kelvin Benjamin is back after a knee injury forced him to miss last season.Given the talent we have on the offensive side, its about every guy maximizing their role, Newton said. We dont want to look back and say we didnt maximize our opportunity with all these talents.The last eight teams to lose the Super Bowl have won at least 10 games the next season. But no team has reached the title game a year after losing since the 1993 Bills.You can never be satisfied, Panthers coach Ron Rivera said. We didnt win the Super Bowl. So that right there is enough for us to stay motivated and keep moving toward our goal.The Cardinals were 13-3 last year and are 34-14 under Bruce Arians. A blowout loss at Carolina in the NFC title game was a bitter end to a fine season. Carson Palmer is coming off his best season, but threw four interceptions against the Panthers. Palmer turns 37 in December, so theres urgency to win now.Seattle also was knocked out of the playoffs by the Panthers. The Seahawks might have even more depth than they did when they almost won consecutive Super Bowls in 2013-14.Running back Thomas Rawls -- Marshawn Lynchs replacement -- and tight end Jimmy Graham are back from significant injuries that ended their 2015 seasons early. Russell Wilson led the NFL in passer rating and is still improving.We know what it takes to win a lot of games, Wilson said.Aaron Rodgers and the Packers are looking to rebound after Minnesota ended their four-year reign in the NFC North. Star receiver Jordy Nelson is back after missing the season with a knee injury. Running back Eddie Lacy slimmed down. Even Rodgers altered his diet after minor knee surgery in the offseason.If everyone around him stays healthy, Rodgers should return to MVP form. He had 3,821 yards passing, 31 touchdowns and eight interceptions in a down year for him in 2015.The Vikings round out the top 5 in the NFC. But they need much more production from Teddy Bridgewater to have a chance to win the conference. Bridgewater finished in the bottom third of the NFL in most quarterback categories last season.Minnesotas offense still relies on Adrian Peterson, who led the league with 1,485 yards rushing last season. If the 31-year-old Peterson slows down, the Vikings could be in trouble.Whoever wins the NFC East could be an underdog in the playoffs, though a home game comes with winning the division.The Redskins finished first thanks to a breakout year from Kirk Cousins. They added Norman in free agency to bolster a poor defense. But no team has repeated in the division since the Eagles won four in a row from 2001-04.The Giants have a new coach, Ben McAdoo, and revamped defense. They re-signed Jason Pierre-Paul and added defensive end Olivier Vernon, defensive tackle Damon Harrison, cornerback Janoris Jenkins and linebacker Kennan Robinson.With Eli Manning and Odell Beckham Jr. leading the way on offense, New York could end its four-year playoff drought.McAdoo is one of four new coaches in the NFC. The Eagles hired Doug Pederson to replace Chip Kelly, who took over in San Francisco. Tampa Bay hired Dirk Koetter.Tony Romos back injury means Dallas might start the season with rookie Dak Prescott at quarterback. If so, it tempers the excitement surrounding running back Ezekiel Elliott, the No. 4 overall pick.Matthew Stafford and the Lions have to adjust to life without Calvin Johnson. Megatron retired in the offseason.Drew Brees is playing for a new contract 37 at age, so the Saints could be a surprise team. The Falcons aim for consistency after losing eight of 11 following a 5-0 start. The Rams try to bring a winner to town in the NFLs return to Los Angeles. The Bears will go as far as Jay Cutler takes them, usually nowhere.---AP NFL website: www.pro32.ap.org---Follow Rob Maaddi on Twitter: https://twitter.com/AP-RobMaaddi Black Nike Air Max 1 . - After leading the Saints to a fourth playoff appearance in five seasons, Drew Brees expressed confidence in the direction of his team and, perhaps more importantly, showed a willingness to listen to contract proposals if the team needs his help getting under the NFLs salary cap. Mens Nike Air Max Store . 10 VCU 85-67 on Thursday night at the Puerto Rico Tip-Off. The Seminoles (4-0) have scored at least 80 points in each of their games. http://www.supplyairmax.com/wholesale-nike-air-max-1/ . Wall made the comment in a speech to a Regina business crowd that included Lesnar. The U.S. wrestler and retired mixed martial artist says he was visiting his brothers farm in Saskatchewan and decided he wanted to hear what the premier had to say. Cheap Nike Air Max 1 . That left plenty of energy for pitching books and swatting away free agency questions. Anthony had 24 points and nine rebounds, and the Knicks avenged an embarrassing home loss with a rout of their own, beating the Boston Celtics 114-88 on Wednesday night for their third straight victory. Nike Air Max Online .5 million, one-year contract on Friday. Hawkins, who turns 41 in December, will compete with Rex Brothers for the closers role at spring training. NASHVILLE, Tenn. -- The Tennessee Titans are heading into their bye week with a fresh reminder of just how demanding -- and brutal -- the NFL can be.After climbing to 6-6 and a half-game back of first in the AFC South, Tennessee released starting cornerback Perrish Cox Monday before the Titans left for a week off.Theres no hidden messages, coach Mike Mularkey said of the decision to release Cox. This is the way the NFL is. If you dont perform at the level that we ask, then were going to find somebody that does. Theres never a hidden message.Mularkey said a week ago that he was thinking of not starting Cox, a six-year veteran who signed a three-year deal with Tennessee in March 2015. Coaches decided against what Mularkey said would have been a drastic move and instead started Cox for the ninth time in 12 games this season in a 27-21 win at Chicago .Cox led the Titans with three interceptions and had started 22 of 24 games with Tennessee since signing. But his struggles helped Tennessee rank 25th in the NFL against the pass.Tight end Delanie Walker, who also played with Cox in San Francisco, said he was a little shocked to see the cornerback released at this point.This is a business, and we do have a good GM and I think he makes the right decisions, Walker said.Mularkey said they did not see the consistency they needed from Cox. They gave rookie LeShaun Sims 36 plays at Chicago and planned to promote Kalan Reed, known as Mr. Irrelevant as the final NFL draft pick out of Southern Mississippi, from the practice squad to take Coxs spot on the roster.Tennessee hosts Denver on Dec. 11, and Mularkey said they will rotatte at cornerback, including veterans Valentino Blake and Brice McCain along with Sims and Reed.dddddddddddde need some better play at the corner position, Mularkey said.Even though practice couldnt hurt with the changes, Mularkey said his team needs a break after working 17 straight weeks including the preseason. The Titans will return in a week to practice before finishing with three of four games against teams with winning records.Mularkey said the Titans should have everyone available against Denver. Cornerback Jason McCourty bruised a knee in the win at Chicago, while defensive lineman Jurrell Casey sprained a foot. Running back DeMarco Murray may get the first two days of practice off next week to give his sore toe on his right foot some extra rest.The Titans would lose a divisional tiebreaker to both Houston and Indianapolis right now, having been swept by the Colts and just 1/3 in the AFC South. But their focus is in winning out hosting the Texans (6-5) on Jan. 1 in the regular season finale. A team whose last playoff berth was in 2008 heads into December still talking playoffs rather than draft status.Mularkey said this is a big opportunity for Sims and Reed.Were still right in the thick of things, Mularkey said. The more they can play, though, its going to benefit us somewhere down the road with them playing in important football games.---For more NFL coverage: http://www.pro32.ap.org and http://www.twitter.com/AP-NFL---Follow Teresa M. Walker at www.twitter.com/teresamwalker ' ' '