Super Bowl LIV Favorites Update
Wait … a Super Bowl article so soon? Yes!
We are creeping up on summer, which means preseason ball is just around the bend. So let’s look at the odds posted by the best online sportsbooks and compare that against what we know heading into this season.
The Favorites
Wouldn’t you know it? It’s the same four teams that dominated last season.
- New England Patriots +700
- Kansas City Chiefs +700
- Los Angeles Rams +900
- New Orleans Saints +900
Let’s have a peek at the Pats and Chiefs.
New England Patriots
The Pats took N’keal Harry, a wide receiver out of Arizona State, with the 32nd pick of the first round to try to give Tom Terrific another deep threat, who at 6-2, 228 is also big enough to body-check safeties. This is interesting because it is the first time that Belichick has drafted a receiver in the first round ever … and the first time for the franchise since 1996.
The Pats were a little more one-dimensional last season, and I would expect them to continue down the path of becoming a dominant rushing team in 2019. Tom has never been fleet-footed, but he has always been accurate and clutch as all get-out. But now that he is in his 40s, he’s slower and his accuracy and arm strength are starting to wain. Will defenses be more successful against a Pats team that may be primarily running the ball? Well, they are great at clock domination, and nickel and diming teams on short passes, so I wouldn’t at all be surprised to see them in the AFC Championship game once more.
The Pats will be tested right off the bat as they open their season against the Steelers on Sunday Night Football. The Patriots are six-point favorites in the affair.
Kansas City Chiefs
In Week 1, the Chiefs face the Jacksonville Jaguars. Can you guess who the favorite is? That’s right. The Chiefs are 4.5-point favorites against the Jags in early September. The Jags will still have an incredible defense, and they might prove tough to beat with Nick Foles as the field commander. But the Chiefs’ offense should be just as good in 2019 as it was last season, if not better.
Looking at the Chiefs’ schedule, they won’t get a real challenge until they face the Colts in Week 5. Yes, you could say the Ravens will be a test, but that is their home opener, and Lamar Jackson can’t throw downfield, so the Chiefs will simply outscore Baltimore. That said, they are likely to go 5-0 or even 6-0 – unless Deshaun Watson turns things around. They head to Denver after just four days of rest to face the Broncos in Mile High. Now, this isn’t a team so much as a situation that could cause upset for the Chiefs.
All in all, they are looking at a 13-win or 14-win regular season.
Sleeper Teams
Of course, the Saints and the Rams will be in the mix again. But what’s interesting is the two teams on the odds boards behind them: the Browns and the Bears. Cleveland and Chicago are the next two highest teams on the odds-boards behind the top four at +1200 each. So, keep an eye on those two teams to play spoiler in 2019.
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