2014 NFL Championship Odds (and some Picks to Click)
June 23, 2014
Super Bowl 50 (that’s right – 50- the NFL is dropping the Roman numerals for this one) is more than 7 months away, but this is a great time to get in on some future bets. Think of it as an investment. You can place a wager on your friendly online sportsbook right now on the team you think is going to win the Super Bowl in February. In case you were wondering what the odds are, here you go:
| Team | Odds to Win Super Bowl (based on $100 bet) |
| Arizona Cardinals | +$5,000 (50 to 1) |
| Atlanta Falcons | +$4,000 (40 to 1) |
| Baltimore Ravens | +$4,000 (40 to 1) |
| Buffalo Bills | +$8,000 (80 to 1) |
| Carolina Panthers | +$3,000 (30 to 1) |
| Chicago Bears | +$3,000 (30 to 1) |
| Cincinnati Bengals | +$3,000 (30 to 1) |
| Cleveland Browns | +$7,500 (75 to 1) |
| Dallas Cowboys | +$4,000 (40 to 1) |
| Denver Broncos | +$600 (6 to 1) |
| Detroit Lions | +$6,000 (60 to 1) |
| Green Bay Packers | +$1,500 (15 to 1) |
| Houston Texans | +$4,000 (40 to 1) |
| Indianapolis Colts | +$3,000 (30 to 1) |
| Jacksonville Jaguars | +$22,500 (225 to 1) |
| Kansas City Chiefs | +$4,000 (40 to 1) |
| Miami Dolphins | +$6,000 (60 to 1) |
| Minnesota Vikings | +$10,000 (100 to 1) |
| New England Patriots | +$1,000 (10 to 1) |
| New Orleans Saints | +$2,500 (25 to 1) |
| New York Giants | +$4,000 (40 to 1) |
| New York Jets | +$7,500 (75 to 1) |
| Oakland Raiders | +$22,500 (225 to 1) |
| Philadelphia Eagles | +$2,500 (25 to 1) |
| Pittsburgh Steelers | +$3,500 (35 to 1) |
| San Diego Chargers | +$4,000 (40 to 1) |
| San Francisco 49ers | +$800 (8 to 1) |
| Seattle Seahawks | +$600 (6 to 1) |
| St. Louis Rams | +$8,000 (80 to 1) |
| Tampa Bay Buccaneers | +$8,000 (80 to 1) |
| Tennessee Titans | +$7,500 (75 to 1) |
| Washington Redskins | +$5,000 (50 to 1) |
The favorites are the same teams that performed well last year. Many of last season’s top teams return their core group of players. So the smart money appears to be on teams such as Seattle (defending champs), Denver and San Francisco. As so many teams have learned in the past, what you did last year has no bearing on the following season.
Seattle and Denver have talent – especially Seattle. The Seahawks have a talented running back (Marshawn Lynch), a steady quarterback (Russell Wilson) and a championship caliber defense. Denver has Peyton Manning at quarterback and his teams rarely aren’t in contention. But there are no guarantees in the NFL. There are always disappointing teams.
Teams don’t always return to greatness for a couple of reasons. First off, a team like Seattle isn’t used to winning. They are no longer the “hunter”, they are now the “hunted”. This makes winning more difficult. Denver’s concern is Peyton Manning’s health. He’s held up fine the past 2 seasons, but his age makes his health an issue. If he goes down with an injury, Denver is a .500 team at best.
That doesn’t mean you shouldn’t wager on Denver and Seattle
I’m not trying to talk you out of betting on these 2 teams. They really do appear to be the most likely Super Bowl contenders. But there are some other teams worth mentioning. San Francisco was close last year and the year before. Their biggest challenger will be Seattle, but if they can pull off a victory in the playoffs against Seattle (assuming they meet), the 49ers have a good chance to win it all.
New England still has Tom Brady and the alleged cheating tactics of Bill Belichik. They play in a weak division and should coast to at least a first round bye. Like last year, Denver will probably be the team standing in New England’s way in the AFC. But it only takes a victory on that one day to propel them into the Super Bowl where anything can happen.
