There is one clear favorite to win the Super Bowl in the upcoming NFL season.
The Los Angeles Rams’ acquisition of five-time First-Team All-Pro defensive end Myles Garrett separated them from the pack, but several contenders are close in the outright market.
Let’s get into each of the top five favorites and why they have a shot to be playing football well after the new year.
LA Rams +550
Adding Garrett and two-time Super Bowl champion cornerback Trent McDuffie should push the Rams defense from good to great, and the team kept its powerhouse offense together through the offseason.
The Rams lost last season’s offensive coordinator Mike LaFleur to the Arizona Cardinals’ head coaching job, but if new OC Nate Scheelhaase, who served as LA’s passing game coordinator last season, picks up the slack, it’s easy to see why this team is the runaway favorite.
BUF Bills +1000
The Bills may have finally got a dependable No. 1 target for Josh Allen in the form of DJ Moore. Last year, Buffalo led the league in rushing attempts, yards, and touchdowns, while ranking 25th in passing attempts with just one receiver — Khalil Shakir — catching over 40 passes on the season.
Defensively, Buffalo signed two talented veteran safeties in Geno Stone and CJ Gardner-Johnson, and they also drafted edge rusher TJ Parker from Clemson and cornerback Davison Igbinosun from Ohio State. If key players stay healthy, it could finally be the Bills’ year to get over the hump.
BAL Ravens +1000
Edge rusher Trey Hendrickson was Baltimore’s marquee offseason addition, and new head coach Jesse Minter is likely to provide a breath of fresh air after 18 seasons of John Harbaugh.
The Ravens invested in protecting QB Lamar Jackson when they selected guard Vega Ioane out of Penn State in the first round. If at least one of the two receivers they drafted in the mid-rounds, Elijah Sarratt or Ja’Kobi Lane, can make an instant impact, this team could feast on both sides of the ball.
SEA Seahawks +1100
Like most teams coming off of a championship, the Seahawks lost more impact players than they added in the offseason. Riq Woolen, Coby Bryant, and Super Bowl MVP Kenneth Walker all departed, as did offensive coordinator Klint Kubiak, who became the Las Vegas Raiders head coach.
But this team still has reigning Offensive Player of the Year Jaxon Smith-Njigba, Cooper Kupp, and AJ Barner as targets for QB Sam Darnold, and it added running back Jadarian Price with its first-round draft pick. Defensively, each of Seattle’s top-five ranked players in sacks remain on the team, as do second-team All-Pros Ernest Jones and Devon Witherspoon.
PHI Eagles +1600
One of three teams tied with the fifth-shortest odds to win it all, the Eagles’ main offseason storyline was the AJ Brown saga. He was finally traded to New England, with Philadelphia taking the bold route of replacing him by committee as WRs Dontayvion Wicks, Hollywood Brown, and rookie Makai Lemon all joined the team.
On defense, they signed reigning champion cornerback Woolen and traded two third-round picks to the Minnesota Vikings for veteran edge rusher Jonathan Greenard. The main question surrounding Philly’s defense is safety, as second-year player Andrew Mukuba and veteran journeyman Marcus Epps look set to be the starters.
NE Patriots +1600
Mike Vrabel may have dominated the offseason headlines, but it had nothing to do with football. If New England can ignore the outside noise,
The aforementioned Brown was the highest-profile newcomer for the Pats, who are coming off a Super Bowl loss to Seattle. Kevin Byard joined as a free agent, and he is coming off a First-Team All-Pro season in which he led the league in interceptions.
KC Chiefs +1600
Patrick Mahomes’ season-ending ACL injury was just one lowlight in a rare down season for the Chiefs in the Mahomes-Andy Reid era.
The Chiefs offensive line struggled to protect the franchise QB as the team ranked third-to-last in time in the pocket at 2.2 seconds, and it allowed the joint-most QB hits with 80 — tied with the Cleveland Browns. That said, only three Chiefs linemen started more than eight games, so if the group can stay healthy, KC can return to the top of the AFC.
Rest of League:
Odds via DraftKings
LA Chargers +1700
HOU Texans +1800
GB Packers +1800
SF 49ers +1900
DET Lions +1900
DEN Broncos +2000
CIN Bengals +2000
CHI Bears +2400
DAL Cowboys +2500
JAX Jaguars +3000
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