Super Bowl or Bust: The NFL Teams That Must Win in the Very Near Future

Drew Brees and the New Orleans Saints won Superbowl XLIV last season 31- 17 to capture the first Superbowl in franchise history. The championship itself safe to say was not really expected or demanded by the city of New Orleans.

More than anything it was really a small token for the people of New Orleans who had to deal with Hurricane Katrina a few years ago.

With that said these are the teams that have to win the big game if not this season certainly in the near future. None of these teams are in the situation the Saints were in last season.

Time for these teams to take the money of their backs.

New England Patriots

The New England Patriots are first on the list. Now I know what you're going to say. They won three Superbowls from 2001-2004 and almost completed the perfect season in 2007. Why is there pressure on them to win a Superbowl.

Here's why. The Patriots in the early part of the last decade and in 2007 were an unstoppable force. They played with the concept of team first and keeping everything in house.

In the playoffs they would always find a way to win although for the most part they never had a lot of star players. But now over the last couple of years other teams in the NFL have proven that the Pats are not invincible, even in the postseason.

The Pats have to win to bring back that invincibility factor that they had in the early part of the last decade. The Patriots are not feared anymore and they need to get that back ASAP.

Green Bay Packers

Bret Favre left the Packers two years ago and in those two seasons the Packers have a combined record of 17-16 including the postseason game versus Arizona that they lost last season.

Aaron Rodgers has certainly put up the stats to make Packer fans get over Bret Favre's departure but the best revenge would be for Aaron Rodgers to lead to Packers to the promise land. Doing that will make Packer fans say Bret Favre who?

The Packers have a good young team and if and when Bret Favre comes back to the Vikings this fall they will be picked by many to finish as a wild card team.

Why not exceed those expectations and not just get to the the Superbowl but, rub the Vikings faces in it and win it all. Afterall, winning is the sweetest revenge.

Indianapolis Colts

The Colts last season lost in the Superbowl to the New Orleans Saints and missed an opportunity to win their second Superbowl in four years. They missed their opportunity to take the Atlanta Braves tag off their backs.

The Colts have to win a Superbowl sooner rather than later. Meaning in the Peyton Manning era however many years is left in it. The Colts winning the Superbowl would put them at a whole new level they have never been in before.

Winning another ring would make the Colts the third team in the 21st century to win multiple Superbowls (Patriots and Steelers being the only two). Also Manning would add another ring to his finger so there will be no doubt in anyone's mind whether or not he is an all time great.

Its tough, but fact of the matter is sports is a business of what have you done for me lately. Manning and the Colts silenced the critics in 2006 that wondered whether or not they could ever win the big one. Now they have to prove they can win it again.

Baltimore Ravens

If you love defense then you love the Baltimore Ravens and you love the passion Ray Lewis brings to the game. You just fall in love with the way that he leads his troops into war.

He makes war sound like a good thing. Listening to one of his pregame speeches makes you want to run through a wall... Not an overstatement.

The Ravens are a team that many people like to see do well but many people feel the same way about the Minnesota Twins or Arsenal in the Premier League.

Its time for Ray Lewis and the Baltimore Ravens with the new weapons that they have on offense to win a Superbowl. Because Just about everyone from the 2000 Superbowl is gone.

And lets face it, we would all like to see them win one.

New York Jets

You see what you guys get for talking smack all last season and heading into this season. The J-E-T-S Jets Jets Jets have to win a Superbowl very quickly.

They have to appease the New York fans and media. Rex Ryan and the Jets have been talking the talk and pretty soon it will be time to walk the walk.

Two straight 9-7 seasons with two different starting QB means that you should be no more than a dark horse in the AFC. That now the team should be trying to take the right steps to become an elite team. 

Now because of the talking they are considered Superbowl contenders. The journey for the Jets begins on MNF against the Ravens. It's like what Ray Lewis said "they can keep talking while we keep working... someone's going to get hit". Can't wait for that game.

Dallas Cowboys

This is the year of Jerry Jones and the Dallas Cowboys. Everything is set up perfectly for them. They have Tony Romo, Miles Austin, Dez Bryant, Jason Witten and a powerful offensive line as well as a solid defense.

The big game is in their home stadium this year and they want to be the first team in NFL history to literally host the Superbowl. Can they do it? they certainly have the talent to do so.

They just have to hope that Tony Romo and Wade Phillips don't get in their way. The Cowboys are always preseason Superbowl contenders so it's about time they win it because this yearly preseason hype is getting old.

San Diego Chargers

The Chargers are number two on the list. They always have a good team but in the playoffs always seem to lose to inferior teams except in 2007 when they lost to a perfect Patriots team in the AFC Championship game.

The only team that the Chargers seem to have a lot of success against in the playoffs are the Colts. Last year they lost to a Jets team that they were clearly better than. However, when you don't take another NFL team seriously losing tends to happen.

The perennial AFC West winners need to win themselves the Lombardi trophy. Winning the Superbowl would do wonders for Philip Rivers career. As he is the only QB from the big three in his 04 draft class to have not won the Superbowl yet.

The Chargers have and explosive offense, a good defensive group and Darren Sproles on special teams returning kicks. It's time for them to harness all the talent that they have and win a ring. They can start by not getting off to a bad start like they have the last couple of years.

Minnesota Vikings

For me it was a big debate whether or not the Chargers or the Vikings should be No.1 on this list. But the Vikings are No. 1 because out of all the teams in the NFL they are the team who have to win the fastest.

Without Bret Favre at the helm they would be eliminated on wild card weekend on most years. If not they would be eliminated in the divisional round. No one knows how much longer Bret Favre will play in the NFL. Therefore, the Vikings window of opportunity is closing fast.

Ironically enough it's not because of the teams age, it's because of the age of their Quarterback. The Vikings reached the NFC Championship game last season.

They have to do better this season, they have to win the Superbowl. I believe that they have the most pressure to win it all this year. Even more so than the Chargers and the Cowboys. Although, those teams are not to far behind.