Updated Super Bowl Power Rankings
Now that there are 15 weeks in the books in the NFL, what do the updated Super Bowl odds look like for the contending teams?
1. New England Patriots
According to oddsmakers from online sports book Bovada.lv, the Patriots are 2/1 favorites to win the Super Bowl after holding on to beat the Steelers on Sunday. With their come-from-behind win in the fourth quarter on Sunday, the Patriots clinched the AFC East and now simply need to finish the year with two home wins over the Bills and Jets in order to secure home-field advantage throughout the AFC playoffs. It would appear as though all roads in the AFC will run through Foxborough yet again.
Bet Updated 2018 Super Bowl Odds
2. Pittsburgh Steelers
Even though they fell to the Patriots (and lost MVP candidate Antonio Brown in the process), the Steelers still have the next-best odds to win the Super Bowl at 5/1. Pittsburgh clinched the AFC North last weekend but missed an excellent opportunity to land the No. 1 seed in the conference. The Steelers will clinch a first-round bye with wins over the Browns and Texans in the final two weeks. If they slip, that could open the door for the upstart Jaguars to land the No. 2 spot behind the Patriots.
3. Minnesota Vikings
Of the teams in the NFC, the Vikings have the best odds to win the Super Bowl at 8/1. Minnesota essentially received an extra bye on Sunday by welcoming a hapless Bengals team to town. With their victory, the Vikings clinched the NFC North crown but still need to keep pace for a first-round bye because the NFC South teams are hot on their heals. The Vikings are at Green Bay and Detroit the final two weeks. In order to clinch home-field advantage throughout, they would need to win those two games and have the Eagles go 0-2 to finish. That’s unlikely.
4. Eagles, Jaguars, Rams and Saints
The Eagles are 12/1 to win the Super Bowl after hanging on to beat the Giants in East Rutherford on Sunday. They clinched the NFC East title last weekend and secured a first round bye after holding on in New York. They can move one step closer to securing home-field advantage throughout the NFC Playoffs if they can beat the Raiders on Sunday. They can also lock up home-field advantage with one more Vikings loss, so Philly will be rooting hard Saturday night for Green Bay to win at Lambeau.
The Jaguars, Rams and Saints are also all 12/1, respectively, to win the Super Bowl. Jacksonville is playoff bound for the first time in a decade and moved one step closer to securing the AFC South division after crushing Houston, 45-7. The Jaguars simply need to win one of their final two games at the 49ers or at the Titans, or get a Tennessee loss next weekend, to win the division.
Speaking of the Rams, they made a statement on Sunday in Seattle by routing the Seahawks to remain in first place in the NFC West. They will clinch the division with just one more win at Tennessee or home against San Francisco, or one more Seattle loss either at Dallas or home against Arizona the final two weeks. The Rams can only get a first-round bye in the unlikely event that they win out and the Vikings go 0-2 down the stretch.
Finally, the Saints sit atop the NFC South with a 10-4 record but could still wind up as a wild card team depending on what happens the final two weeks. They get a rematch against the Falcons this Sunday in New Orleans and will clinch a playoff berth by winning that game (or the following week at Tampa Bay). They would clinch the South by winning both.
8. Atlanta Falcons
The Falcons are currently in the sixth seed in the NFC after holding on to beat a banged-up Bucs team 24-21 in Tampa on Monday night. The defending NFC champions are 15/1 to win the Super Bowl and could still win the NFC South if it beats New Orleans in Week 16 and Carolina in Week 17. The Falcons would be a dangerous playoff team if they could get their offense in sync but they continue to struggle for consistency.
9. Carolina Panthers
It’s interesting to see the Falcons (15/1) listed ahead of the Panthers (25/1) in terms of Super Bowl odds considering that a) Carolina looks like the better team at the moment and b) the Panthers already beat the Falcons once this season. Nevertheless, the Panthers can lock up a playoff berth with a home win over the Bucs this week and could win the division by sweeping their final two games and having New Orleans lose one of its remaining two games. Atlanta is in New Orleans in Week 16, and Carolina goes to Atlanta in Week 17. Buckle up.
10. Kansas City Chiefs
Are the Chiefs back? Now a 28/1 long-shot to win the Super Bowl, they resembled the team that took the league by storm in September with their impressive victory Saturday night over the Chargers. They effectively have a two-game lead in the division after sweeping the Bolts this season. The Chiefs are a 10-point home favorite against the Dolphins in Week 16 and bettors are backing them at a 55% clip right now.
11. Ravens 40/1
12. Chargers 50/1
13. Cowboys 100/1
14. Seahawks 100/1
15. Titans 125/1
16. Bills 150/1
17. Lions 250/1