The annual offseason shakeup has just about come to an end, as the NFL picture is coming into clearer focus as the 2018 season approaches. Despite all the activity, the odds at the top are similar to the end of last year.
The two Super Bowl participants are getting the best odds to win the 2018 title, as the New England Patriots and the ageless Tom Brady lead the way, with the defending champion Philadelphia Eagles right behind them. The Eagles won the Super Bowl last year with Carson Wentz sidelined due to a torn ACL, and will be getting their star quarterback back in the fold this season. As long as Brady is leading the way with New England, his team will be in the championship mix.
The next tier of teams includes the Minnesota Vikings, Los Angeles Rams and Pittsburgh Steelers, all of whom found solid success a season ago and should once again be on the short list of contenders. The Vikings added Kirk Cousins at quarterback while Los Angeles really beefed up its defense. The Steelers are always a threat behind the three-pronged offensive attack of Ben Roethlisberger, Antonio Brown and Le’Veon Bell.
Those are the top contenders, but what about the upstarts? Those are the choices that can really pay off lucratively in NFL Futures betting.
NFL Odds
Arizona Cardinals +15500
Atlanta Falcons +2000
Baltimore Ravens +4700
Buffalo Bills +6700
Carolina Panthers +3828
Chicago Bears +14000
Cincinnati Bengals +9500
Cleveland Browns +9500
Dallas Cowboys +2900
Denver Broncos +4700
Detroit Lions +4400
Green Bay Packers +1550
Houston Texans +1950
Indianapolis Colts +6300
Jacksonville Jaguars +1900
Kansas City Chiefs +2810
Los Angeles Chargers +2150
Los Angeles Rams +1050
Miami Dolphins +11500
Minnesota Vikings +1000
New England Patriots +642
New Orleans Saints +1700
New York Giants +4500
New York Jets +13500
Oakland Raiders +2900
Philadelphia Eagles +740
Pittsburgh Steelers +1100
San Francisco 49ers +2700
Seattle Seahawks +5000
Tampa Bay Buccaneers +5300
Tennessee Titans +4350
Washington Redskins +7500
Odds Analysis
It’s easy to understand why those five teams lead the way, but the intrigue comes in the next group of teams. The Green Bay Packers struggled last year because of an injury to star quarterback Aaron Rodgers, but when he is healthy the team is one of the best in the NFL. The New Orleans Saints were on the wrong end of a miracle finish in last year’s playoffs and have the talent to compete. The Jacksonville Jaguars have the most ferocious defense in the NFL and hope to find some offensive improvement to make another deep run in 2018.
One of the most intriguing teams in the NFL is the San Francisco 49ers. After several seasons of subpar play, the 49ers seem to be finding their groove. The early returns on quarterback Jimmy Garoppolo are good, and the team made several moves to improve both sides of the ball in 2018, most notably with the signing of cornerback Richard Sherman.
The Houston Texans are another intriguing team as they return promising quarterback Deshaun Watson and superstar defensive end J.J. Watt. The Eagles were a dark horse a season ago and were still able to win the Super Bowl with a backup quarterback, so anything is liable to happen in 2018.
Keep an eye on the second tier of teams as the NFL can be hard to gauge this early because of all the injuries and unlikely success stories.
NFL Super Bowl Pick: The New Orleans Saints seem to have the right mixture of a great quarterback, an improved running game and a solid defense. They play in a pretty tough division but have the talent to make a deep run. At the odds of +1700, New Orleans is an intriguing buy low choice as there are several NFC teams ahead of them. Go with the Saints to capture this year’s Super Bowl in NFL futures betting.
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