Can the Carolina Panthers really go all the way? With just a month remaining in the 2015 NFL regular season, the Panthers are closing in on perfection, and are rightly installed as a Super Bowl 50 favorite. However, there are more than a few contenders right there in the mix to lift the Lombardi Trophy in Santa Clara.
Let’s take a look at six of those Super Bowl contenders – broken down into favorites, sleepers and a long shot – and see their current championship odds after Week 13.
Meanwhile, look ahead to Week 14 of the fantasy football season by checking out who the experts view as top pick-ups for the week.
[sc:Football ]Super Bowl 50 Futures Update
Favorites
Carolina Panthers
[sc:NFL240banner ]The Panthers defense had an off-night on Sunday night, as it gave up a season-high 38 points to Drew Brees and the New Orleans Saints. Thankfully, the Panthers can now fight fire with fire with those high-powered passing offenses.
Cam Newton threw five touchdown passes – the second time he’s done so in the last three weeks – to set a new career-high with 25 passing TDs with four games left on the year.
The Panthers are still a perfect 12-0 and remain in pole position for the No. 1 seed in the NFC. (They’re also +300 to go through the regular season undefeated.) With a prolific passing attack to complement their solid running game and defense, they look well worth their price at +500 to win the Super Bowl.
Arizona Cardinals
The Arizona Cardinals are two games behind the Panthers atop the NFC, but are actually co-favorites at +500 to win the Super Bowl. The Cards displayed their incredible depth as they managed to rack up 175 rushing yards on the St. Louis Rams despite missing their top two running backs, Chris Johnson and Andre Ellington.
However, the Cards’ championship hopes continue to rest on the arm of Carson Palmer and that explosive passing game. The veteran QB threw two more touchdown passes against the Rams, giving him 29 on the year (second in the NFL).
New England Patriots
After starting the season with 10 straight wins, the Patriots have now lost back-to-back games, the most recent one coming at home to the Philadelphia Eagles. But even after dropping down to the No. 3 seed in the AFC, the Pats remain the top Super Bowl favorites in the conference at +500.
New England is still incredibly beat up, particularly on offense, but Danny Amendola and Rob Gronkowski will be back to make this a very dangerous team come playoff time.
Sleepers
Seattle Seahawks
The Seattle Seahawks’ offensive revival continued with their very impressive 38-7 win over the Vikings. The Seahawks have now scored 34.5 points over their last four games, with Russell Wilson throwing touchdowns for fun and rookie Thomas Rawls running riot. The Seahawks will most likely have to go through the wild-card round in the NFC, but don’t sleep on them at +800 to win their second Super Bowl in three years.
Pittsburgh Steelers
The only offense playing better than the Seahawks are the Pittsburgh Steelers, who just hanged 45 points on the Indianapolis Colts on Sunday night. The Steelers are averaging 35.8 points over the past month, with Ben Roethlisberger and his incredibly talented receivers tearing opposing defenses to shreds.
With such an explosive offense coupled with an improving defense, Big Ben and co. will be the wild-card team no AFC champion wants to face. The Steelers are sneaky +800 sleepers to go all the way in Santa Clara.
Long Shot
New York Jets
After a very rocky stretch in November, the Jets have righted the ship with back-to-back wins to climb back up to AFC wild-card contention. Ryan Fitzpatrick has led the resurgence through the passing game, and has connected with his receiving duo of Brandon Marshall and Eric Decker five times in the past two games.
While the Jets would rather see their fading running game return to its early-season success, the combination of a strong passing game and very solid defense can make New York a worthwhile Super Bowl long shot at +4,000.
Complete Super Bowl 50 Odds
| TEAM | ODDS |
|---|---|
| Carolina Panthers | +500 |
| Arizona Cardinals | +500 |
| New England Patriots | +500 |
| Denver Broncos | +700 |
| Seattle Seahawks | +800 |
| Green Bay Packers | +800 |
| Pittsburgh Steelers | +800 |
| Cincinnati Bengals | +900 |
| New York Giants | +2,500 |
| Kansas City Chiefs | +3,000 |
| Dallas Cowboys | +4,000 |
| Minnesota Vikings | +4,000 |
| Indianapolis Colts | +4,000 |
| Philadelphia Eagles | +6,500 |
| Buffalo Bills | +8,000 |
| Houston Texans | +10,000 |
| Tampa Bay Buccaneers | +10,000 |
| Washington Redskins | +12,500 |
| Atlanta Falcons | +20,000 |
| Oakland Raiders | +20,000 |
| Miami Dolphins | +30,000 |
| Chicago Bears | +30,000 |
| St. Louis Rams | +50,000 |
| Jacksonville Jaguars | +60,000 |
| Detroit Lions | +100,000 |
| New Orleans Saints | +100,000 |
| San Francisco 49ers | +100,000 |
Create a betting account now and cash in on the potential Super Bowl champions’ futures odds.
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