Online betting players woke up on Monday to find their updated Super Bowl odds, as the picture was finalized after Week 17 ended and now, the real fun begins next Saturday with the AFC wild-card round. Here is a look at the 12 teams looking to lift the Super Bowl trophy in Dallas on February 6th.
AFC
New England Patriots (+175): The Patriots have won eight in a row and have the probable MVP in Tom Brady, who powers the highest-scoring offense in the NFL. The defense is young, but makes plays when they need to, and we all know coach Bill Belichick is a defensive genius. Not to mention, they get a bye and will be at home, where they would love to avenge a loss to Baltimore from last year, and that is the only time since 2006 that Brady has lost at Gillette Stadium.
Pittsburgh Steelers (+600): The Steelers have won two of the last five Super Bowls, and they’re loaded with championship experience, and the defense is, well, a Pittsburgh defense (No.2 overall, No.1 in rushing by a mile). The offensive line has to protect Ben Roethlisberger better, but that’s not new. Troy Polamalu came back in the regular-season finale, and now has a week off to rest his injured Achilles.
Baltimore Ravens (+1400): The Ravens may have the Defensive Player of the Year in Ed Reed, who led the league in picks, but missed the first six weeks of the season. But overall, the Baltimore defense isn’t as fierce in the front seven as they used to be. Mainly, Baltimore’s NFL betting odds hinge on Joe Flacco, who has thrown one touchdown and six picks in five career playoff games. He has to be better if the Ravens are going to come out of the AFC.
Indianapolis Colts (+1600): Betting against a Peyton Manning team is one of the scariest things in the NFL, and this year is no different. The defense is sketchy and are missing one of the best players (Clint Session), the offensive line hasn’t been that great, and even though the ground game has improved in recent weeks, we’re still skeptical. Still…it’s Peyton Manning, and that means the Colts have a very good chance of getting to the AFC championship game, at least.
New York Jets (+2800): If you’re looking for a long shot bet, here you go. The Jets have been all over the map this year, and they haven’t really been dominant (six of their 10 wins have come by nine points or less), and there was the 45-3 debacle in New England, not to mention coach Rex Ryan’s off-field problems. But the Jets have all the talent to come out of the AFC, they just need quarterback Mark Sanchez to take care of the ball.
Kansas City Chiefs (+4000): The Chiefs are a great story, going from 4-12 to 10-6, and they’re hosting their first playoff game since 2003. But they looked out of sorts in their finale against Oakland, and that could be due to the impending exit of offensive coordinator Charlie Weis, who is going to the University of Florida. The running game is in good hands, but the big question mark is Matt Cassel, who has never thrown a pass in the playoffs. He has experience from being in New England, but he only got some mop-up time, back in 2005. Also, how will coach Todd Haley handle his first postseason trip?
NFC
Atlanta Falcons (+600): The Falcons are NFL betting monsters at the Georgia Dome, but they showed some nerves by losing to the Saints late in the season. Atlanta has played one playoff game since 2004, which they lost to Arizona in 2008, and now Matt Ryan is going to have a real chance to confirm his “Matty Ice” nickname. And do you trust the defense?
New Orleans Saints (+800): The defending champions showed they still may be the team to beat when the chips are down due to their win in Atlanta, and strangely, despite a worse record, they may be better than last year. The defense is stronger and more consistent, and even though Drew Brees hasn’t been spectacular, Brees at B+ is better than 95% of the league at A+.
Chicago Bears (+1000): When it comes to physical tools, there may not be any better quarterback in the league than Jay Cutler. But he makes some boneheaded throws, such as his last pick against Green Bay in the regular-season finale and it makes us wonder, can you really trust Jay Cutler in the playoffs right now? The Chicago defense may have to carry the team as we’re betting Cutler will throw at least two picks in his first playoff game….at least.
Green Bay Packers (+1200): The Packers are a better bet than the Bears, not only due to their win over them in Week 17, but we trust Aaron Rodgers far more than Cutler (concussions and all, although Cutler had some too), and Green Bay has a better secondary. Rodgers is really the key to Green Bay’s NFL betting chances here: he’s third in the league in passer rating.
Philadelphia Eagles (+1200): The Eagles are the most explosive team in the league, but we’re wondering how banged up Michael Vick and DeSean Jackson are after missing the final game of the regular season. Without these two, the Philadelphia offense is rather pedestrian. The defense lost their leader, linebacker Stewart Bradley, a couple of weeks ago as well. Healthy, the Eagles can play with any team, but they may have too many ailing players to even get past Green Bay in the first round.
Seattle Seahawks (+12500): The worst playoff team in the history of the league. Matt Hasselbeck will likely be back in the lineup after Charlie Whitehurst started the make-or-break game against St. Louis, but neither of those two inspire confidence. The defense is one of the worst in the league and have given up 30 points or more in eight of their 16 games. They also get the Saints in the first round, and we know the Seahawks are decent at home, but they’re not worth a dark horse wager in your sports betting book.
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