There are currently five teams in the NFL that are prohibitive favorites to win the Super Bowl this season which includes the Rams, Saints, Chiefs, Patriots and Chargers all of which are 9:1 or less in terms of odds of winning it all. This article will look at each team individually and at the end I will give my prediction of which team I believe has the best chance of winning it all. We will start with the worst team out of those five in the Los Angeles Chargers.
Los Angeles Chargers (+900)
The Los Angeles Chargers are currently +900 to win the Super Bowl this season and they are the 3rd best team in the AFC according to the odds. The Chargers play in the same division as the Chiefs and currently trail the Chiefs by 1 game in the division. They match-up against the Chiefs in week 15 in what is a pivotal game that could help decide who wins the division this season as with a Chiefs win they will have won the season series and be up by one game in the division which would just about wrap up the division. The Chargers are an under the radar team that very few people are talking about and of the five teams with the best chances they arguably have the best defense ranking 7th in scoring defense, 11th in rushing defense and 10th in passing defense. They also have an above average offense 6th in scoring, 10th in rushing and 8th in passing.
New England Patriots (+500)
The New England Patriots continue to be an elite team year in and year out and are still among the favorites this season to win the AFC championship game. They play in the easier division of the three AFC favorites to win the Super Bowl and will lock up their division with a win on Sunday. They continue to struggle on defense giving up yards, but they are one of the better scoring defenses in the NFL. They rank 9th in scoring defense, 13th in run defense and 24th in pass defense. Tom Brady continues to make his mark as the best quarterback of all time as he is still one of the best quarterbacks this season even at his age. The Patriots rank 7th in scoring, 11th in rushing and 9th in passing this season.
Kansas City Chiefs (+450)
The Kansas City Chiefs are +450 to win the Super Bowl and with a win next week against the Chargers those odds will increase greatly as they would virtually lock up the division and if they win out they would have home field advantage throughout the playoffs and have one of the hardest stadiums for opponents to come in and win. They are led on offense by MVP favorite Patrick Mahomes who is 14 touchdowns away from tying Peyton Manning’s record for most touchdowns in a season. The Chiefs have the most explosive offense, but may struggle running the ball since the incident with Kareem Hunt forced them to release him. Kansas City ranks 27th in scoring defense, 22nd in run defense and 32nd in passing defense. The defense is the one thing that will give the Chiefs any kind of concern in the playoffs especially if they were to face the Rams or Saints in the Super Bowl both of which have prolific offenses. The Chiefs rank 1st in scoring, 13th in rushing and 3rd in passing.
New Orleans Saints (+300)
The New Orleans Saints have a prolific offense at home, but have struggled at times on the road which is why last week’s loss against the Dallas Cowboys could prove to be costly especially if the Rams don’t lose another game this season as the Saints hold the tie breaker with the Rams after beating them earlier in the season. The Saints came within one play of making the NFC Championship game last season and have improved on defense as the season has progressed. New Orleans ranks 13th in scoring defense, 1st in run defense and 30th in pass defense. Their offense remains one of the best in the NFL, but is almost unstoppable at home. New Orleans ranks 3rd in scoring, 9th in rushing and 11th in passing.
Los Angeles Rams (+250)
The Rams are the current favorites to win the Super Bowl this season at +250 and have only lost one game this season which was on the road against the New Orleans Saints. They have a good overall team, but have shown they cannot be consistent on defense, but if they win out they will be tough not to bet on to win the NFC as they will have home field throughout the playoffs in the NFC. Los Angeles ranks 19th in scoring defense, 18th in run defense and 17th in pass defense. If not for the season Patrick Mahomes is having Todd Gurley would be the runaway favorite to win it as he has been a huge factor in the Rams explosive offense. The Rams rank 2nd in scoring, 4th in rushing and 4th in passing.
Out of the five favorites to win the Super Bowl the team that nobody is talking about and going under the radar is the Chargers. The Los Angeles Chargers have a team that can play from behind as they have an above average passing offense, but the thing they do best is play clock control as they have the best defense of the five teams and one of the best running games in the NFL. I look for their odds to go up if they win next week against the Chiefs and if they come away with a win in that game they will be the favorite to win the AFC. I think they can slow down any of the teams they will face in the playoffs and with them being the best overall team of the favorites they are my pick to win it all and they have good value to add to that.
