Interested in American football but don't know which franchise to follow? These English top-flight comparisons will help you make the right choice
Leicester City – Denver Broncos
The defending champions, like Leicester, lost one of their key players over the summer.
Peyton Manning, who looked a spent force for much of his final campaign in the NFL, wasn’t as vital to the Broncos’ Super Bowl win as N’Golo Kante was to the Foxes.
Manning was the face of the franchise, though, and Denver’s chances of defending the title depend almost entirely on how their new arrivals at quarterback can replace the 40-year-old.
Arsenal – New Orleans Saints
A flashy attack, one of the best offensive-minded coaches in the league, and a shoddy defence that constantly lets them down. Sound familiar?
The Saints won the Super Bowl in 2009, but their inability to stop the opposition scoring has held them back ever since.
Quarterback Drew Brees is the Mesut Ozil of the NFL – a genius passer who is a pleasure to watch, but must make his team-mates better this season.
Tottenham – Carolina Panthers
The Panthers may have fallen just short of winning it all last season, but they were one of the most exciting stories in the NFL.
They are also poised to be a perennial contender in the next few years – possessing a coach in Ron Rivera who seems to be getting everything right at the moment and a young star in Cam Newton who may be the league’s best offensive player.
Think Harry Kane with another couple of years under his belt. And much more charisma.
Manchester City – Seattle Seahawks
After winning their division just once in the 1990s, the Seahawks are now among the most consistently dangerous teams in the NFL.
Some big spending and smart recruitment saw them win the Super Bowl in 2013, and they were one play away from defending their title a year later.
Like Manchester City, they are relative newcomers at the summit of the NFL in comparison to the more traditional superpowers, like the Broncos, Packers and Steelers.
Last year was disappointing – they were beaten in the second round of the playoffs – but they will be in the mix again this season.
Manchester United – New England Patriots
No one likes them, they don’t care.
The Patriots are the pantomime villains of the NFL, led by curmudgeonly coach Bill Belichick and golden boy quarterback Tom Brady.
They’ve had some scandals in recent years, but like United are the most hated team in the league for one reason – they win.
The Patriots have lifted the Lombardi trophy four times since Belichick became the head coach in 2000.
Fancy seeing your team win a Super Bowl in the next few years? Play it safe and pick the Pats.
Liverpool – Dallas Cowboys
With five Super Bowls in their history, the Cowboys are one of the most successful teams in NFL history.
Since winning three between 1992 and 1995, however, they have failed to even make it past the second round of the playoffs.
Like Liverpool, Dallas fans are always keen to remind their rivals of their former success, even as it fades further and further into the past.
But with a talented roster, particularly offensively, they could be back in title contention soon.
West Ham – Los Angeles Rams
The Rams will need to get used to not just a new stadium this season, but also a new city after leaving St Louis for the West Coast.
The similarities with West Ham don’t end with their relocation, either.
In running back Todd Gurley, they have a star player who emerged in similar fashion to Dimitri Payet in 2015.
With him running the ball, they are an interesting outside bet to make the playoffs this season – and they could go even further.
Chelsea – Green Bay Packers
The Packers have historically been one of the best teams in the NFL. Last season, though, they were surprisingly underwhelming.
Their key player is quarterback Aaron Rodgers, who won the league’s most valuable player award in 2014.
Like Eden Hazard, though, he struggled with injuries and inconsistent form last year.
Green Bay have made few personnel changes this summer – as is the case every year – and they are again one of the favourites to lift the Lombardi Trophy.
Southampton – Philadelphia Eagles
The polar opposite of the Packers are the Eagles, who seem to field a new-look team every season.
They follow Southampton’s method of replacing key players every summer, and like the Saints, their performance on the field never seems to suffer.
The Eagles haven’t been among the top teams in the league for a while – their last Super Bowl appearance came in 2004 and they haven’t been past the first round of the playoffs in seven years.
But they are remarkably consistent, having recorded just two seasons with more losses than wins in a decade.
Crystal Palace – Buffalo Bills
The Bills won’t win anything this season. They will be fun to watch, though, mainly because of their coach.
Rex Ryan, like Palace boss Alan Pardew, is always good for a soundbite in post-game press conferences and gets plenty of camera time on the sideline.
Swap embarrassing dad dancing for foul-mouthed tirades and they’re basically the same person.
If that’s not enough, both teams wear red and blue. Which is nice.
And now to complete the set…
Everton – New York Giants
The Giants are dodgy defensively, but they have Eli Manning and Odell Beckham Jr. Like Ross Barkley and Romelu Lukaku, they are among the most dangerous tandems in the league.
Bournemouth – Miami Dolphins
The Dolphins’ Adam Gase is the NFL equivalent of Eddie Howe. The league’s youngest coach isn’t a big name, but is capable of leading them to some unexpected success this season.
Burnley – Tennessee Titans
Not much is expected of the Titans, but having made a couple of interesting additions over the summer, they might be surprisingly average.
Hull – Cleveland Browns
By far the most dysfunctional team in the league, the Browns have no chance of winning a title any time soon. No-hopers, then, or the ultimate underdogs?
Middlesbrough – Kansas City Chiefs
The Chiefs are short on marquee players, but they are well-rounded and in Andy Reid they have a coach that, like Aitor Karanka, can extract the best from his players.
Stoke – Tampa Bay Buccaneers
Looking to shake off their reputation for grinding out results in less-than-inspiring fashion, the Buccaneers have actually stockpiled a number of exciting attacking players.
Sunderland – San Francisco 49ers
The 49ers have struggled near the base of their division for the past couple of seasons, and could now completely bottom out. A big task looms for their new coach, Chip Kelly.
Swansea – Minnesota Vikings
There’s not much to get excited about in Minnesota. In star running back Adrian Peterson, though, they have their Gylfi Sigurdsson – a player they can rely upon heavily.
Watford – Pittsburgh Steelers
Like Watford, the Steelers rely heavily on a dynamic duo of attacking stars – Ben Roethlisberger and Antonio Brown. If one of those two goes down, they’re finished.
West Brom – New York Jets
The Jets won’t win any fans for their style of play, but they have a physical defence and will cause upsets this season. Tony Pulis would be proud.
