NFL Odds: Browns, Texans, Rams offer great value as Super Bowl longshots
Teams like San Francisco and Baltimore deservedly enter the playoffs as the top favourites to win the Super Bowl, but anything can happen in the postseason. We’re making the case for three longshots, Cleveland, Houston and L.A., to win the Super Bowl in 2024.
Don’t forget to check out our complete list of NFL game odds, NFL futures and NFL specials and props.
Cleveland Browns
Why the Cleveland Browns can win the Super Bowl:
This all seems to come down to Joe Flacco. The Browns have started five different quarterbacks this season, but it’s Flacco’s career-resurgence that punched Cleveland’s ticket to the postseason. The 38-year-old has won four of five starts, throwing for 1,616 yards, 13 touchdowns and eight interceptions. He’s 10-5 in the playoffs during his career, including a perfect 5-0 in the wild card round and he’s one of just two starting quarterbacks in the AFC who have won a Super Bowl, along with Kansas City’s Patrick Mahomes.
Houston Texans
Why the Houston Texans can win the Super Bowl:
Rookie quarterback C.J. Stroud is an offensive game-changer. Stroud finished his first regular season with 4,108 passing yards, 23 touchdowns and just five interceptions in 15 games. For comparison, Dallas’ Dak Prescott threw for 3,667 yards with 23 TDs and four INTs in 16 games during his rookie year, while Buffalo’s Josh Allen put up 2,074 passing yards with 10 TDs and 12 INTs in 12 games during his first season. Stroud has proven to be consistently aggressive downfield and he’s a superior improvisor. Houston could be a legit threat if Stroud, third-year receiver Nico Collins and rookie defensive end Will Anderson Jr. step up their performances even more during the playoffs.
Los Angeles Rams
Why the Los Angeles Rams can win the Super Bowl:
If you forget the first half of the season, the Rams look like a serious threat with head coach Sean McVay at the helm. They ended the regular season on a 7-1 run while boasting the hottest offence in the NFL. Quarterback Matthew Stafford is averaging just over 270 passing yards per game during that stretch, throwing for multiple touchdowns in five of his last seven games. L.A. has a great blend of veterans like Stafford, receiver Cooper Kupp and defensive lineman Aaron Donald (all members of the 2022 Super Bowl winning Rams) along with young stars making an immediate impact like rookie receiver Puka Nacua and second-year running back Kyren Williams.