(The Spread) – Four teams have seen their 2014 Super Bowl odds take a turn for the worst this week.
According to oddsmakers from online sports book Bovada.lv, the Titans’ odds have gone from 100/1 to win the 2014 Super Bowl up to 150/1, but Tennessee’s odds weren’t the only ones on the move this week. The Bills also saw their odds to win next season’s NFL title go from 125/1 up to 150/1, while the Steelers’ odds climbed from 25/1 up to 28/1. Finally, the Eagles’ odds climbed from 33/1 up to 40/1 to win the 2014 SB.
It’s not exactly clear why these team’s odds have climbed but there are some small signs. After studying Jake Locker’s game tape recently, ESPN NFL analyst Ron Jaworski came away believing that the quarterback has a “long way to go” to become a successful signal caller. Jaworski ranked Locker has his 31st-rated quarterback and while that wouldn’t affect Tennessee’s Super Bowl odds in and of itself, the thought of Locker not progressing could influence oddsmakers’ view of the Titans.
Meanwhile, the Buffalo News reports that there are no contract talks scheduled between the Bills and unsigned franchise player Jarius Byrd. With Byrd patrolling the Bills’ secondary, the team is a long-shot to win the Super Bowl. Without him, their odds become much longer.
In Pittsburgh, Ben Roethlisberger said his surgically-repaired right knee feels “brad new” after he underwent a score to clean up his meniscus back in June 5. It’s surprising then that the Steelers’ Super Bowl odds would get worse with no other big news coming out of Pittsburgh of late.
Finally, Lane Johnson remains unsigned due to a disagreement between the top 5 pick and the Eagles over the inclusion of offset language in his contract. While the two sides should iron out the issue soon (especially considering that since the new CBA was put into place two years ago that there hasn’t been a rookie holdout), the bigger problem in Philadelphia is who will be the team’s starting quarterback. There have been reports that Michael Vick is in danger of losing his roster spot and that Nick Foles is likely to start under center for Philly next season. If that’s the case, that could explain the dip in odds, although it’s not as if Vick did anything last year to illicit any sort of confidence that he’ll lead the Eagles to the promise land.
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