Chiefs, Vikings Trending in Opposite Directions

With a new quarterback about to make the trip to the City of Fountains, Kansas City is trending upwards on the NFL futures. Meanwhile, Minnesota – 2012’s surprise team – is trending in the opposite direction.

One month after Joe Flacco and the Baltimore Ravens held the Lombardi trophy aloft, bookmakers have been busy recalculating early odds relating to Super Bowl XLVIII, which will be played at MetLife Stadium in East Rutherford, N.J., on Feb. 2, 2014.

In less than a week, free agency will open and odds will be on the move again. Whilst we already know where the likes of Joe Flacco and Alex Smith are going to sign, the prospect of any number of other impact players packing their bags and shipping out to pastures new will see the bettors and odds makers alike in a near frenzy.

For now though, it’s Kansas City that has made the biggest impact on the updated NFL futures.

Already impressing bookmakers this offseason, Kansas City resigned receiver Dwayne Bowe this week.

On the morning after Super Bowl Sunday, the Chiefs opened with 50/1 odds to win next year’s big game. With Andy Reid installed as the team’s new head coach and a No. 1 overall pick in June’s NFL Draft, bookmakers liked Kansas City to improve on this year’s woeful 2-14 record.

Then came the news that a deal had been brokered with San Francisco to bring Alex Smith to Kansas City. Before the print was even dry on the sports pages, odds of the Chiefs winning Super Bowl XLVIII shortened to 40/1.

The 10-point drop in odds represents the biggest positive movement on the NFL futures so far this offseason. In fact, the Chiefs are the only side to show considerable improvement with bookmakers over the past month.

In total, only six teams have seen their odds shorten. Odds for both Washington and Philadelphia have shortened by five points, while New Orleans is four points to the better. The other teams showing improvement are San Francisco and Atlanta.

At the other end of the spectrum, Minnesota has taken a hit in the eyes of bookmakers.

Minnesota released received Michael Jennings this week.

On Feb. 4, the Vikings were assigned odds of 35/1 to win Super Bowl XLVIII, ranking the side joint-16th in the league.

The most recent NFL futures list now has the team at 50/1 to lift the Lombardi trophy, tied for 22nd in the league. The 15-point difference marks the biggest movement on the entire list. It appears that bookmakers feel the Vikings overachieved this season, and will have a tough time of it next year.

Tampa Bay is another loser on the most recent futures list. The Buccaneers opened the offseason with 50/1 odds and tied for 22nd in the rankings. Those odds have lengthened to 60/1, with the ranking falling to joint-27th.

Tennessee has also seen its odds drop from 66/1 (tied-27th) to 75/1 (tied-29th), marking the third biggest negative shift on the standings.

With just five days left until the new NFL season officially opens with the start of free agency, these odds are about to get thrown back in the mix.

With teams jostling for position and signing new players, the next few days may be your last chance to get each team at these odds. If you’re looking to back an underdog, you might not get better odds than right now. In fact, even at the top of the futures list, the likes of Green Bay at 11/1 and New Orleans at 14/1 might not be around for very long.

Updated Odds to Win Super Bowl XLVIII
San Francisco 13/2
New England 15/2
Denver 8/1
Green Bay 11/1
Seattle 12/1
New Orleans 14/1
Baltimore 16/1
Houston 16/1
Atlanta 16/1
Pittsburgh 18/1
NY Giants 20/1
Chicago 25/1
Dallas 25/1
Washington 25/1
Philadelphia 30/1
Indianapolis 33/1
Cincinnati 35/1
San Diego 35/1
Detroit 40/1
Kansas City 40/1
NY Jets 40/1
Carolina 50/1
Miami 50/1
Minnesota 50/1
St. Louis 50/1
Tampa Bay 60/1
Arizona 66/1
Cleveland 66/1
Tennessee 75/1
Buffalo 100/1
Oakland 100/1
Jacksonville 150/1
All odds supplied by Bovada.