Super Bowl Odds: Divisional Round
With four playoff games in the books, the Saints remain the favorites to win Super Bowl LII. That said, with two six-seeds advancing to the Divisional round, there are some intriguing long-shots that could offer bettors value when it comes to the latest NFL futures.
New Orleans Saints
According to oddsmakers from online sports book BetNow.eu, the Saints remain current Super Bowl favorites at 9/4. New Orleans has been a Super Bowl favorite for over a month and once the team clinched homefield advantage throughout the NFC playoffs, it was going to be tough to knock the Saints off that pedestal. Drew Brees and Co. are currently 9-point home favorites to beat the Eagles on Sunday in the Divisional round.
Los Angeles Rams
The Rams have the next-best odds to win Super Bowl LII behind the Saints. Despite their struggles down the stretch, including Jared Goff’s slump and a defense that is prone to giving up big plays, Sean McVay’s team can post big offensive numbers and employs a one-man wrecking crew along its defensive line in Aaron Donald. Listed as a 7-point home favorite this Saturday night against the Cowboys, the Rams would move on to the NFC Championship Game between either the Saints or Eagles with a victory this weekend.
Kansas City Chiefs
While third behind the Saints and Rams, the Chiefs have the best odds of the AFC teams to win the Super Bowl at 11/2. Kansas City dropped back-to-back games in December versus the Chargers and Seahawks but took care of business in Week 17 against the Raiders to earn the No. 1 seed in the AFC. Now the playoffs in that conference run through Arrowhead Stadium. Patrick Mahomes is likely to win this year’s MVP but Andy Reid-coached teams have a history of postseason failures and the Chiefs defense is forces the KC offense to out-score opponents to win.
New England Patriots
Tom Brady and Bill Belichick are always in the Super Bowl conversation but there’s a reason why the Pats are listed fourth to win this season’s NFL title at 6/1 odds. Rob Gronkowski is a shell of his former self, one of the only deep threats the team had (Josh Gordon) is lost to suspension and Brady did not play at his normal level down the stretch. That said, the bye week likely did Brady and the Patriots wonders and if you don’t think this team can make another Super Bowl run, well then you haven’t been paying attention the past two decades. New England is currently a 4.5-point home favorite versus the Chargers on Sunday.
Los Angeles Chargers
The Chargers won one more game than the Patriots during the regular season but due to playing in the same division as the juggernaut Chiefs, L.A. will play at least one more road playoff game. (The only way the Chargers would host the AFC championship next week is if they upset the Patriots and the Colts upset the Chiefs.) Although the final score was within one possession, the Chargers dominated the Ravens in Baltimore on Sunday. Despite a lousy postseason history themselves, the Bolts have one of the most talented and deepest rosters in the league, not just their conference. Oddsmakers realize that as well, which is why the Chargers are only 8/1 to win the Super Bowl despite playing on the road this weekend against the Patriots. Based on roster talent alone, L.A. is a significant value at its current Super Bowl odds.
Dallas Cowboys, Indianapolis Colts & Philadelphia Eagles
These three teams are grouped together because they have identical 15/1 odds, respectively, to win the Super Bowl. The Cowboys defeated the Seahawks on Sunday as a small home favorite (although they allowed a horrible backdoor cover in the process), while the Colts (+1.5 at Houston) and Eagles (+6.5 at Chicago) pulled off upsets on the road. The Colts are 6-point road favorites versus the Chiefs in the first Divisional round matchup of the weekend while the Eagles are 9-point road pups to the Saints in the final playoff game on Sunday. While it’s hard to bet against the postseason magic of Nick Foles, the best bet in this group might be the Colts. Once 1-5 on the season, Indy is playing its best football of the year and given the Chiefs’ home playoff failures, it’s not out of the realm of possibly Indy advances to the AFC title game with another upset this weekend. As for Dallas, the ‘Boys have a tough roe to hoe if they’re going to reach the playoffs. Even if they get past the Rams this Sunday, a rematch versus a pissed off Saints team in New Orleans likely looms (provided Foles doesn’t sprinkle his devil magic on the Saints this weekend).