After another week of NFL action, the Super Bowl odds of all NFL teams have been updated reflecting the team’s current records. As expected, there are a few surprises, and some teams have started pulling away from the rest of their division rivals trying to secure the guaranteed playoff spots. Not surprisingly, some of the teams that entered the season with great odds have seen their chances go down due to their slow start to the season.
One of the biggest surprises is the Dallas Cowboys, who went from 25-1 odds of winning the Super Bowl prior to the start of the season, to 18-1 odds this week. The Cowboys odds significantly improved because of the team’s 5-1 start to the season.
After quarterback Tony Romo injured his back during preseason, the Cowboys were an afterthought when it came to contenders. However, rookie quarterback Dak Prescott has filled in very well for the injured Romo, and running back Ezekiel Elliot is leading the league in rushing yards, and has been a big part of the Cowboys’ success as well.
Other teams that significantly improved their Super Bowl odds include the Minnesota Vikings, who are the only undefeated team left in the NFL, and the Atlanta Falcons, who should be 5-1 right now if not for a blown pass interference call at the end of their game against the Seattle Seahawks on Sunday.
The Falcons started the season with 80-1 odds of winning the Super Bowl, and their odds are now 20-1. Despite their hot start, the Falcons seem to be the most improved team with a lot of skeptics because they started hot last year and floundered down the stretch.
The Vikings were a playoff team last year and were expected to be contenders this year. However, after quarterback Teddy Bridgewater went down with a season ending injury in the preseason, the Vikings chances of making the Super Bowl were significantly reduced.
Despite not having Bridgewater and Adrian Peterson, who got injured in the second game of the season, the Vikings have been able to remain undefeated thanks to their suffocating defense, which has shut down all their opponents so far.
The Vikings started the season with 20-1 odds of winning the Super Bowl, now their odds are 8-1. In addition to their defense, the Vikings have also gotten a lot of help from Sam Bradford, who they traded for after the injury to Bridgewater. Bradford, who was made expendable after the Philadelphia Eagles drafted Carson Wentz, has proven his doubters wrong and has played much better than expected for the NFC North leading Vikings.
Now that we have mentioned the teams with improved Super Bowl odds, it’s time to take a quick look at some of the teams that started with high Super Bowl odds but haven’t been able to live up to the expectations.
The Carolina Panthers are the biggest disappointment in the NFL so far, after a 15-a season that included a trip to the Super Bowl last season, the Panthers were expected to be one of the top teams in the NFC once again, but the team stumbled from the first game of the season, and don’t look like they will be going to the playoffs this year. They started the preseason with 12-1 odds of making the Super Bowl, now they are at 40-1.
