Super Bowl 2016: Date, Location for 50th NFL Championship Game

The 50th edition of the Super Bowl has quite a tough act to follow after Sunday's amazing game that saw the New England Patriots top the Seattle Seahawks 28-24.

Next year's battle for the Lombardi Trophy will take place at Levi's Stadium in Santa Clara, California, the home of the San Francisco 49ers, on February 7, 2016.

CBS' Jason La Canfora was already looking ahead before Sunday's thriller unfolded:

Since it just opened last July, Levi's Stadium is a prime, fresh venue that should serve as an excellent host for the big game. Nicknamed the "Field of Jeans," its ability to stretch to 75,000 in capacity is ideal for a Super Bowl site.

An estimated $1.3 billion construction cost should reveal Levi's Stadium as a state-of-the-art atmosphere for viewers of next year's game to take in.

Tifway grass is going to make the game itself a bit less of a track meet. Teams that prefer to run the ball more often amid this pass-heavy NFL era will likely benefit from the conditions, which will be a contrast from pure turf and make it a touch more difficult for receivers to gain separation.

Vic Tafur of The San Francisco Chronicle noted how oddsmakers view the Golden State's pro football franchises and their chances of staying at home for the Super Bowl:

It certainly seems like a long shot. The Oakland Raiders are undergoing a coaching change and have a lot of needs to be filled around promising 2014 draft picks in linebacker Khalil Mack and quarterback Derek Carr.

The same change on the sidelines is occurring in San Francisco, as Jim Harbaugh is out and Jim Tomsula was the in-house solution the 49ers front office opted for. Dual-threat QB Colin Kaepernick was inconsistent, but a healthier defense should aid the team's effort to bounce back after missing the playoffs.

If it's any consolation to grieving Seahawks fans, their team has opened as the favorite to hoist the Lombardi Trophy (h/t Sports Illustrated):

Just to appear in the game for a third year in a row would be a remarkable achievement considering the parity the NFL fosters. Despite throwing a heartbreaking interception just short of the goal line, Seahawks quarterback Russell Wilson is still confident:

A lot of Seattle's future fortunes may depend on just how severe the elbow injury and potential recovery time is for All-Pro cornerback Richard Sherman.

From the initial report that surfaced through ESPN's John Clayton, Sherman's status moving forward looks to be questionable:

The Seahawks' Legion of Boom secondary was humbled by a terrific Tom Brady in Super Bowl XLIX, and it must remain intact for Seattle to maintain its consistent greatness of the past several years.

And no team has been better than the Patriots over the past decade-and-a-half or so. Their combination of Brady and head coach Bill Belichick is second to none. Now the duo has combined for four Super Bowl rings in six appearances.

As long as those two are still in New England, which figures to be for at least another couple of productive years, the Pats can't be counted out.

That may not be what the rest of the NFL wants to hear given New England's embarrassment of riches, but that is what having all-time greats at two of the most vital spots in Brady and Belichick will tend to bear.