It seems like only yesterday that Sean McVay guided the Los Angeles Rams to Super Bowl Glory at the SoFi Stadium, Inglewood, California, with the Rams running out 23-20 winners over the Cincinnati Bengals, yet a new season is upon us, and all 32 NFL franchises are about to begin their quest for Super Bowl LVII glory. Both sides were outsiders before the opening fixtures; which are the teams that the best Super Bowl betting sites think could defy the odds and lift the famous Vince Lombardi trophy?
The Los Angeles Rams were as long as +2000 to win the Super Bowl during last season’s preseason and never went shorter than +1200 before they kicked off against the Chicago Bears. The Cincinnati Bengals were even longer, starting as +8000 at the turn of the year before drifting to +15000 before their curtain-raiser against the Minnesota Vikings. Bookmakers have shortened both teams’ odds for the upcoming campaign, with the Rams currently priced around +1100 and the Bengals +2000 as preseason gets underway.
Buffalo Bills Are The Clear Favorites
Current odds, in addition to experts’ opinions, put the Buffalo Bills as the clear Super Bowl favorites. The Buffalo Bills were only 13 seconds away from reaching their second consecutive AFC Championship game, but the Kansas City Chiefs tied the game before winning in overtime, which extended the Bills’ Super Bowl drought. Head coach Sean McDermott has an exciting roster to choose from, one that has an immensely talented offense and a solid defense. McDermott brought in eight-time Pro-Bowl Von Miller to the defensive unit, and Miller could prove to be the difference this season. At +650, there is not a lot of value backing the Buffalo Bills to win their first ever Super Bowl ring.
Anyone who managed to get some of the +2500 offered on the Tampa Bay Buccaneers grabbed themselves some value because the Buccs go into preseason as the +750 second-favorites. Why is there such a disparity between those betting odds? Because of one man: Tom Brady. The 45-year-old, seven-time Super Bowl-winning quarterback called time on his illustrious career only to make a dramatic U-turn and pledge himself to the Buccaneers for at least one more season. The Buccs were great value at +2500 but not so much at +750.
Los Angeles Chargers Have Every Chance of Ruffling Some Feathers
Those football fans looking for some outsider bets for the Super Bowl should look no further than the Los Angele Chargers. The Chargers have shortened from +2500 in February to +1600 as punters have made the Chargers one of the best-backed teams to win Super Bowl LVII. You have to go back to 1994 to see when the Chargers last reached the Super Bowl; they lost to the San Francisco 49ers 49-26 that day. Chargers have not reached the playoffs for the past three seasons, missing out last year at the expense of the Las Vegas Raiders. Why are the Chargers a solid outside bet for Super Bowl LVII glory with such a patchy record?
First, the Los Angeles Chargers have improved on those three campaigns. They went 5-11 in 2019, 7-9 in 2020, and 9-8 last time around. Whether the Chargers navigate their way to the playoffs and beyond will depend much on how quarterback Justin Herbert performs. Since the Chargers selected Herbert as the sixth overall pick in 2020, Herbert has made the quarterback position his own. Herbert threw 5,014 yards and 38 touchdowns with a 97.7 rating last year, and he is only getting better.
Acquiring the services of cornerback J.C. Jackson from the New England Patriots and trading the 2022 second-round and 2023 sixth-round picks with the Chicago bears for outside linebacker Khalil Mack adds some much-needed steel to a defense that struggled at times during the previous campaign. The Chargers were weak against the rush in 2021-22, but if head coach Brandon Staley and his team can plug those gaps, the Chargers have a legitimate chance of causing a major upset this season.
