NFL Odds: Super Bowl 61 futures, prediction
Workers are still cleaning up the confetti at Levi’s Stadium in Santa Clara, following Seattle’s resounding 29-13 Super Bowl 60 triumph over the New England Patriots.
However, markets are already being set for next year’s prospective Super Bowl champs. The NFC has now produced the last two winners, and four of the last six champions.
Meanwhile, the AFC has not had a champion other than the Chiefs or Patriots since the Denver Broncos in Super Bowl 50 – over a decade ago.
Will the Seahawks repeat? Will the Patriots get back while tasked with a far more difficult schedule? Can the Chiefs return to glory? Will the Rams keep the NFC West atop the league? Will the Jaguars or a number of other teams finally hoist the Vince Lombardi Trophy for the first time?
Let’s break down the opening odds for next season’s Super Bowl.
NFL Super Bowl 61 Odds
Naturally, with recency bias, the Seahawks, at +800, are the early favourites to win Super Bowl 61.
With a hot, young coach in Mike Macdonald, a reborn and redeemed quarterback in Sam Darnold, the best wide receiver in the league in Jaxon Smith-Njigba, a Super Bowl MVP-winning running back in Kenneth Walker III, and a nasty defence, Seattle is rightfully atop the list of next year’s contenders.
The NFC West had arguably the three best teams in the league last season. The Rams (+900) are right behind the Seahawks in terms of early favourites, while the 49ers’ line of +1700 reflects concerns about the team’s ability to stay healthy and get over the hump.
The Bills and Ravens, both listed at +1200, are the AFC’s current favourites, with quarterbacks who are knocking on 30 and new head coaches entering the fold. The Pats have just the fifth-best odds in the conference at +1500.
NFL Super Bowl 61 Best Bet: L.A. Rams (+900)
As long as NFL MVP Matthew Stafford returns, the Rams have to be considered, along with the Seahawks, as co-favourites. For the second straight season, Los Angeles fell just short in the postseason against the eventual Super Bowl champs, and it can be argued that, in both instances, the Rams were the strongest opponent those teams faced in the playoffs.
Although he has said he is returning, there is no guarantee that, come late July, Stafford will be present at his 18th NFL preseason camp. There’s a logic to retiring off the 4,707-yard, 46 touchdown season he just had, especially since he already has a ring and has a history of injuries that allude to the possibility of another one to deflate championship hopes.
But Stafford is the right man for a franchise that has been continually guided expertly on the field by Sean McVay, who has one ring and has led his team to seven playoff and two Super Bowl appearances in nine seasons.
The Rams split with Seattle in the regular season before a heartbreaking 31-27 defeat in the NFC Championship Game. Stafford threw for nearly 1,000 yards, eight touchdowns, and zero interceptions in that classic trio of matchups.
The Rams should be right in the thick of it again next winter.
NFL Super Bowl 61 Prediction: Chicago Bears (+2500)
Before your jaw drops, bear in mind that both the Seahawks and Patriots were far longer shots to win Super Bowl 60 last offseason.
The Bears made the playoffs for the first time in five years, and won their first postseason game in 16 seasons under first-year coach and offensive guru Ben Johnson.
He returns, as does quarterback Caleb Williams, who took a major step forward in his second season with a franchise record 3,942 yards passing and 27 touchdowns. He is surrounded by a bevy of talent.
The defence needs to improve overall, although it did comfortably lead the league in turnover differential at +22.