Patriots, Cardinals favorites to win Super Bowl
The New England Patriots are defending Super Bowl champions. The Arizona Cardinals have never won a Super Bowl and have only two championships in over 90 years of professional football. Yet, those are the two teams that have the best odds of winning Super Bowl 50 at Santa Clara, according to Vegas Insider.
Both are listed at 9/2, with the 15-1 Carolina Panthers being put at 5/1 to win the Super Bowl, the third-highest odds of any playoff team. There are really six teams that Vegas is giving a shot to win the whole thing, with the Denver Broncos and Seattle Seahawks both at 6/1 while the Pittsburgh Steelers are at 7./1.
Frankly, it is surprising that Vegas has the Steelers so high. Sure, people will be betting on the high-octane offense to move the football and score points, but the defense is a mess and head coach Mike Tomlin is known for making some rough decisions in big moments. Ben Roethlisberger, Antonio Brown and Martavis Bryant are great players, but they are not enough to win three games on the road and advance to the Super Bowl.
The largest longshot is the Houston Texans, who are placed at 75/1. Houston made it to the playoffs because it won the woeful AFC South with a 9-7 record, although it did register a 7-2 mark sown the stretch. While the defense is solid and lead by J.J. Watt, the offense is pitiful and much of the roster lacks experience. The Texans are underdogs at home to lose to the Kansas City Chiefs this weekend.
Speaking of the Chiefs, they come in seventh in odds with a 24/1 line. If there is ever a sleeper in the playoffs, this might be the one to put some money on. Kansas City has a good quarterback, a good coach and a killer defense, and could be facing a fairly easy road. The Chiefs will face Houston on the road and then potentially could go to New England before hosting Pittsburgh. Before you dismiss them at New England, think about the whooping the Chiefs put on the Patriots last year, and then look how New England is playing at the moment.
This year, the AFC bracket seems more open than ever with any of the teams having a shot to win the Super Bowl sans Houston, which clearly is the weak sister of the bunch. Even the Cincinnati Bengals, who are sitting 25/1, could make a run if A.J. McCarron does enough to put the offense in good position. Certainly, the Bengals are going to have their hands full on Saturday night at Paul Brown Stadium against the Steelers.
On Saturday, all the fun begins. Only 12 teams remain, and four of them go home this weekend.
