Super Bowl 51 is creeping ever closer. Just three weeks remain in the NFL regular season, and the top playoff contenders are busy jostling for all-important seedings. At this point, let’s take a look at the Super Bowl odds for the top championship favorites, as well as a few under-the-radar teams whose odds could provide value.
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NFL Super Bowl 51 Futures Odds Update
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New England Patriots (+275)
The Patriots would be even more favored to win it all if star tight end Rob Gronkowski were healthy, but the Pats are looking good as it stands right now, too. They still have an elite quarterback in Tom Brady, who just torched the Ravens and their highly-rated defense to shreds on Monday Night Football. And they also have the inside track on the No. 1 seed in the AFC, which means a first-round bye and home-field advantage.
The much-maligned Pats defense also made a bunch of key plays in the Ravens game, which is a promising sign for Pats backers. If that defense finally begins to round into shape come playoff time, it’ll be tough to see how anyone stops New England.
Dallas Cowboys (+400)
The Dallas Cowboys’ championship credentials took a significant hit as they laid a bit of an egg in their loss to the New York Giants on primetime. Dak Prescott finally looked like an inexperienced rookie against the tough Giants D as he went just 17-of-37 for 165 yards and two interceptions.
There’s no reason to panic about Dallas, though. The Cowboys still have a commanding lead in the race for home-field advantage in the NFC. As long as the Tony Romo situation doesn’t turn into a full-blown soap opera in the final three weeks of the season, the Cowboys running game remains a force that will be tough to contain come playoff time.
Seattle Seahawks (+550)
The Seahawks are looking a bit wobbly in recent weeks with back-to-back road losses, as well as the huge blow of the Earl Thomas injury. And after a recent revival, Russell Wilson’s play has also wavered. He has a very un-Russell Wilson-like eight picks in his last three games.
The Thomas injury is the team’s biggest concern going forward, though. They failed their first test against a good quarterback as Aaron Rodgers picked them apart, and their secondary likely won’t get another legitimate test until the playoffs start. It’s never a good idea to count the Seahawks out, but Thomas’ absence is unprecedented to this team, and has the potential to derail their championship hopes.
Sleepers
Oakland Raiders (+1,600)
Despite their loss to the Chiefs sending them down from a No. 1 seed to a No. 5 seed, the Raiders should still have a playoff spot sealed by Week 16. Derek Carr played his worst game of the season against KC, but based on his entire body of work, that looks more like the exception than the norm.
The Oakland offense should be fine as long as Carr is healthy. Meanwhile, the defense continues to make some solid strides. Rookie Karl Joseph’s insertion into the starting lineup has made a real impact to that unit. Unsurprisingly, they struggled without him in the Chiefs game.
With an explosive offense and an improving defense, the Raiders look like a team no one would want to face in the postseason.
New York Giants (+1,600)
They say defense wins championships, and the New York Giants definitely have a good one. Despite missing star defensive end Jason Pierre-Paul, the Giants produced the best defensive performance anyone has had against the Dallas Cowboys this season. The impact of JPP’s absence moving forward is still a bit of a question mark, but they showed they could cope against the league’s top offense, which is encouraging.
The offense continues to be lackluster – and that’s putting it kindly – outside of Odell Beckham Jr., but haven’t we already seen this movie of a Manning winning the Super Bowl with a garbage offense and an awesome defense fairly recently?
Long Shot
Tampa Bay Buccaneers (+5,000)
Why not the Bucs? Tampa Bay is now up in the second wild-card spot thanks to a recent five-game winning streak, and still has a chance to grab the NFC South title. Jameis Winston looks like he’s finally turned a corner in terms of cutting down his costly turnovers. Meanwhile, Tampa Bay’s much-improved defense has turned into a turnover machine with 14 takeaways during its five-game run.
The Bucs’ upcoming matchup against the Cowboys at Jerry World in primetime on Sunday should tell more about their title credentials. But why wait then when you can get them at such high odds today? A mere $10 bet on the Bucs at their current odds of winning the Super Bowl would instantly net you $500!
Create a betting account now and get in early on Super Bowl futures before the NFL playoffs get underway.
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