Tommy Dutch
After seven games, an all-time record four NFL teams (the Bengals, Broncos, Panthers, and Patriots) remain undefeated, but plenty of other squads appear misguided and completely defunct. In a league known for parity, there is clear division within the ranks.
The 1972 Miami Dolphins have the only unbeaten season in history (if you include the playoffs). Although a bit of a long-shot, Tom Brady and the Patriots have the best chance to match their perfection. The Pats also head the current Super Bowl 50 futures, unsurprisingly.
While some coaches and players chase perfection, others are simply trying to keep their jobs. A sixth straight loss for the Titans made Ken Whisenhunt the second head-coach casualty of the season (Miami’s Joe Philbin bit the dust earlier) and Colin Kaepernick has been benched in favor of Blaine Gabbert – yup, that Blaine Gabbert – in San Francisco.
Who’s going to be out of work next? It will be interesting to see who is coaching and quarterbacking the Eagles/Lions game on Thanksgiving Day. Though one thing is for certain: Jim Caldwell will have the exact same look on his face, no matter what happens.
As we head into the latter half of the season, let’s take a look at the odds on all of the above, plus some end-of-year hardware!
2015-16 NFL Midseason Odds:
Odds on the next NFL coach to be fired:
Jim Caldwell (Detroit Lions): 1/1
Chuck Pagano (Indianapolis Colts): 3/1
Jim Tomsula (San Francisco 49ers): 9/1
Gus Bradley (Jacksonville Jaguars): 10/1
Mike Pettine (Cleveland Browns): 20/1
Odds on the next quarterback to be benched:
Sam Bradford (Philadelphia Eagles): 5/2
Kirk Cousins (Washington Redskins): 3/1
Matthew Stafford (Detroit Lions): 4/1
Ryan Fitzpatrick (New York Jets): 6/1
Andrew Luck (Indianapolis Colts): 10/1
Odds on the first unbeaten to lose:
Carolina Panthers: 1/1
Denver Broncos: 3/1
Cincinnati Bengals: 13/2
New England Patriots: 9/1
Odds to go undefeated (including playoffs):
New England Patriots: 18/1
Cincinnati Bengals: 40/1
Denver Broncos: 100/1
Carolina Panthers: 200/1
Odds to win Super Bowl 50:
New England Patriots: 7/2
Green Bay Packers: 13/2
Denver Broncos: 8/1
Carolina Panthers: 25/2
Arizona Cardinals: 14/1
Cincinnati Bengals: 15/1
Seattle Seahawks: 15/1
Minnesota Vikings: 30/1
New York Giants: 30/1
Pittsburgh Steelers: 35/1
Atlanta Falcons: 40/1
Oakland Raiders: 45/1
St. Louis Rams: 45/1
Indianapolis Colts: 50/1
New York Jets: 52/1
Dallas Cowboys: 55/1
Philadelphia Eagles: 55/1
New Orleans Saints: 75/1
Buffalo Bills: 125/1
Houston Texans: 150/1
Kansas City Chiefs: 150/1
Tampa Bay Buccaneers: 150/1
Miami Dolphins: 175/1
Washington Redskins: 200/1
Jacksonville Jaguars: 250/1
Tennessee Titans: 250/1
Baltimore Ravens: 300/1
Chicago Bears: 500/1
San Diego Chargers: 500/1
Cleveland Browns: 1000/1
San Francisco 49ers: 2000/1
Detroit Lions: 2000/1
Odds to win the NFL MVP:
Tom Brady (New England Patriots): 5/6
Cam Newton (Carolina Panthers): 4/1
Aaron Rodgers (Green Bay Packers): 9/2
Andy Dalton (Cincinnati Bengals): 6/1
Devonta Freeman (Atlanta Falcons): 35/1
Andrew Luck: LOL, NO
Odds to win Offensive Rookie of the Year:
Todd Gurley (St. Louis Rams): 3/2
Amari Cooper (Oakland Raiders): 3/1
Stefon Diggs (Minnesota Vikings): 5/1
Jameis Winston (Tampa Bay Buccaneers): 6/1
Marcus Mariota (Tennessee Titans): 12/1
Odds that the city of Los Angeles will have:
… no NFL teams next season: 3/4
… one NFL team next season: 3/1
… two NFL teams next season: 5/1
(Photo credit: Thomson200 (Own work) [CC0], via Wikimedia Commons.)
