NFL Football Betting: Broncos, Niners Early Super Bowl Favorites

The Baltimore Ravens were the surprise winner of Super Bowl XLVII but based on the early futures odds they’re not expected to repeat–at least in the view of sportsbooks and the betting marketplace. Instead the early Super Bowl betting odds have the Denver Broncos and San Francisco 49ers jointly installed as +600 favorites to win the Vince Lombardi trophy. The Broncos will return Hall of Fame quarterback Peyton Manning for another season while the Niners will be back with their punishing defense and dynamic young quarterback Colin Kaepernick under center.

Two other NFL teams are currently priced at single digit odds to win the 2014 Super Bowl. The #3 betting entry is a very familiar name–the New England Patriots are priced at +625. As is the case seemingly every year the Patriots have needs to address in the off season but the feeling among NFL betting enthusiasts and the bookmakers that serve them is that as long as Tom Brady is the quarterback and Bill Belichick is the head coach that New England has the tools and the brainpower to mold the team into a championship contender. Just behind the Patriots is the upstart Seattle Seahawks, a team that enjoyed a breakout year in 2012 under head coach Pete Carroll and rookie quarterback Russell Wilson. The Seahawks also enjoy arguably the toughest home field advantage in the league and are priced at +770 to win the Super Bowl.

Following the Seahawks is a logjam of teams priced between +1000 and +2000. The Green Bay Packers are +1050 followed by the Houston Texans (+1450), the New Orleans Saints (+1550) and the Atlanta Falcons (+1700). Defending Super Bowl champion Baltimore is next at +1800–the Ravens return quarterback Joe Flacco but will have to defend their crown without the emotional leader of the defense, Ray Lewis, who retired after the season. The New York Giants are +1840 and the Pittsburgh Steelers are +1900.

Looking at the bottom of the futures odds there are five teams priced at 100/1 or higher. The Buffalo Bills are +10500 to win the Super Bowl ahead of the Arizona Cardinals at +11500. The Tennessee Titans are +12500 and at the ‘bottom of the barrel’ are the Jacksonville Jaguars and Oakland Raiders. The Raiders are the biggest longshot of any NFL team, priced at +18500 to hoist the Vince Lombardi trophy. The Jaguars are only marginally better, priced at +18000.