The Green Bay Packers were due.
It had been 29 years since the Packers last won a championship, and Titletown residents were desperate for another title.
A five-year rebuilding plan under general manager Ron Wolf had come to fruition during the 1996 season. The Packers entered their matchup against the New England Patriots as the hottest team in the NFL and the heavy favorites to hoist the Lombardi Trophy. They had scored 30 or more points in their previous six games, the second-longest such streak in the Packers’ 78-year history, and were the first team since the undefeated 1972 Miami Dolphins to lead the league in both scoring offense (456) and scoring defense (210).