Super Bowl 50 is right around the corner, but not before we sink our teeth into some spectacular playoff battles beginning with the ever-dynamic Wild Card round.
With postseason seeding all locked-in after Week 17’s games, the oddsmakers have finally released the latest odds for the playoff hopefuls looking to hoist the Lombardi Trophy in Santa Clara this February. Let’s have a quick rundown of some of the leading candidates and dark horses that will battle it out starting this weekend.
And you might as well check out our AFC and NFC Championship futures coverage right after this to maximize your NFL postseason betting experience.
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Super Bowl 50 Futures Update
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Arizona Cardinals
[sc:NFL250 ]In spite of getting blown out by the Seattle Seahawks in the season finale, the Arizona Cardinals are the overall +400 favorite to win it all.
The Cardinals had a superb season, one that’s pretty much the best regular season in team history. Led by revitalized quarterback Carson Palmer and an outstanding receiving corps, Arizona finished its campaign with franchise bests in total wins, point differential and total scoring output.
Most of all, the Cards have something that has been the bane of many of the other playoff contenders: health. Even without Chris Johnson in the team’s running game, another Johnson (David) filled in extremely well in the former’s absence. The same could also be said of Arizona’s defense, which lost star free safety Tyrann Mathieu late in the season, but have been just as stout without him in the lineup.
With no glaring weakness on both sides of the ball, the Cards certainly deserve the distinction of being the early front-runner in the playoffs.
New England Patriots
A plethora of unfortunate injuries both on offense and defense have the New England Patriots reeling at the wrong time. Cap that off with a humiliating loss to the Miami Dolphins this past Sunday, and there really should be no reason as for why they’re still worth considering as Super Bowl 50 favorites.
Alas, that didn’t stop the powers that be in Vegas from pegging New England at +425 in repeating as league champions. In essence, all the Pats really need are three key ingredients: Bill Belichick, Tom Brady and Rob Gronkowski.
For as long as Belichick is calling the shots, the Brady-to-Gronk connection is still alive and well, and with a first-round bye in hand for some of their key pieces to recuperate from said injuries, the Patriots are still as dangerous a club in the playoffs just as they have been for the better part of the past 15 years.
Carolina Panthers
Strangely enough, the Carolina Panthers are currently priced at just +450 to win the Lombardi, same with their fellow NFC rivals the Seattle Seahawks. Take note that this season’s Panthers are just the seventh team in NFL history to finish with 15 regular season wins, and that dab master Cam Newton will likely end up with the season MVP trophy by his side.
Then again, Carolina’s imposing defense had subpar performances over the last handful of regular season contests, so that may be the reason why they’re not entirely in good graces with the oddsmakers right now. Another factor could be that the last-seeded Seahawks are scorching hot entering the playoffs, and it’s looking more and more like they’ll indeed be the Panthers’ first opponent in the Divisional round.
But once the Carolina D has done its necessary tweaks and preparations during the team’s first-round bye, the rest of the playoff contenders better be ready for the Panthers on the prowl for the franchise’s first-ever Super Bowl title.
Sleepers
Pittsburgh Steelers
Uh oh, the Pittsburgh Steelers (+600) – and not the New York Jets – eked their way into the playoffs, and that’s bad news for the rest of the AFC playoff field. Pittsburgh has tremendous firepower, a rather tenacious defense, a solid finish to the second half of the regular season, and extensive postseason experience to deem them serious contenders indeed.
Ben Roethlisberger, who averaged 328.2 passing yards for the season (third-best in NFL history), would want nothing more than a third Super Bowl ring around his finger, and not even his mid-season absences due to injuries have been able to ultimately hold him and his team down. Taking the absence of stud running back Le’Veon Bell into account as well, it’s quite a surprise all the more that the Steelers are still playing at such a high level.
A favorable wild card matchup against the Cincinnati Bengals this Saturday also raises the team’s chances of making a deep playoff run. As you probably know by now, the Bengals turn into little kittens come playoff time, and Pittsburgh has been their Achilles’ heel ever since they’ve been butting heads in the AFC North.
Kansas City Chiefs
If you’re the type of guy who loves rooting for the hottest team heading into the postseason, look no further than the Kansas City Chiefs, who are priced at a cool +1,500. That is quite a bargain, alright, considering that they are still in the midst of a franchise-best 10-game winning streak.
Although, only a third of the past nine teams that had 10-straight victories to close out a season have actually won a Super Bowl, and the last team to do that were the 2003 Patriots. But head coach Andy Reid has probably shrugged off that statistic, especially with his stifling defensive unit on lock and Alex Smith finally throwing the football with greater care and better numbers compared to his previous lackluster seasons.
And just like the Steelers, Kansas City has the benefit of squaring off against a winnable opponent in the Wild Card round in the Houston Texans, who have a relatively sound defense themselves but with an offense that doesn’t create much problems for the opposition. Should the Chiefs beat the Texans in dominant fashion this coming Saturday, you’ll be glad you took them at such a sweet deal while the rest of their doubters pegged them merely as a one-and-out.
Long Shot
Washington Redskins
Yes, Kirk Cousins, we like the fact that you and your Washington Redskins are NFC East champs and that you guys are in the postseason.
Who would’ve thought that it was really Cousins and not Robert Griffin III that would send Washington back into the playoffs? No longer lingering behind RG3’s shadow, Cousins would go on to finish his stellar campaign with the NFL’s best completion percentage (69.8) this regular season, having thrown at least one TD pass in all 16 games. It took him longer than expected to be his near-unstoppable self as we speak, but there’s no denying that he’s the heart and soul of the his team’s inspired late-season run.
However, the Redskins’ defense is just alright, they only went 1-4 against teams with winning records this season, and they’ll have one heck of a first-round opponent to overcome on Sunday in the Green Bay Packers.
They are peaking right now, sure, but the Seattle Seahawks (as mentioned earlier as well) are soaring far greater heights than them, with Russell Wilson totally zoned-in as he leads his team towards a third-straight Super Bowl appearance.
Which begs the question: you like that price of +2,500 for Washington as this season’s Lombardi Trophy winners now?
Complete Super Bowl 50 Odds
Team
Odds
Arizona Cardinals
+400
New England Patriots
+425
Carolina Panthers
+450
Seattle Seahawks
+450
Denver Broncos
+600
Pittsburgh Steelers
+600
Kansas City Chiefs
+1,500
Green Bay Packers
+2,000
Minnesota Vikings
+2,200
Cincinnati Bengals
+2,200
Washington Redskins
+2,500
Houston Texans
+4,000
Create a betting account now before the NFL playoffs officially kick off this weekend and while these odds are still at top value.
