Updated Super Bowl 53 Odds: Eagles Still Flying High, Rams a Real Threat

Frank LorenzoFrank Lorenzo | August 2, 2018
Eagles QB Carson Wentz throwing a pass.
Can Carson Wentz and the Eagles navigate their tough schedule and repeat as Super Bowl champs? (Photo: Keith Allison (flickr) CC License.)
  • The defending champion Philadelphia Eagles are still favorites to repeat
  • Tom Brady and the Patriots are seeking their fourth Super Bowl trip in five seasons
  • Which team’s Super Bowl odds offer the most value?

It’s hard to believe, but there are real live NFL games coming up. Training camps have opened, and it’s literally the largest casting call in sports right now.

Coaches and players are scrambling, trying to get in as much work as possible as they wage a constant battle of juggling cohesion, execution and effort, with jobs on the line.

These games aren’t exactly riveting television, and even the most die-hard football fan can – and will – lose interest less than two possessions in. Exhibition football is not where it’s at.

With that in mind, and the countdown to the real games kicking off in a little over a month, what better time to update our Super Bowl odds.

Updated Super Bowl 53 Odds

Team Odds
Philadelphia Eagles 7/1
New England Patriots 10/1
Los Angeles Rams 13/1
Minnesota Vikings 15/1
Pittsburgh Steelers 16/1
Green Bay Packers  20/1
Atlanta Falcons  20/1
Houston Texans 25/1
Jacksonville Jaguars 25/1
New Orleans Saints 30/1
Los Angeles Chargers 30/1
San Francisco 49ers 35/1
Carolina Panthers 35/1
Dallas Cowboys 40/1
Kansas City Chiefs 45/1
Oakland Raiders 45/1
Denver Broncos 50/1
New York Giants 50/1
Detroit Lions 55/1
Seattle Seahawks 60/1
Tennessee Titans 65/1
Baltimore Ravens 65/1
Cincinnati Bengals  65/1
Washington 70/1
Indianapolis Colts 70/1
Miami Dolphins 75/1
Tampa Bay Buccaneers 75/1
Chicago Bears 77/1
Cleveland Browns 80/1
Arizona Cardinals 85/1
Buffalo Bills 90/1
New York Jets 100/1

The Favorites

The top of the leaderboard doesn’t shift here, as the Eagles have earned the right (both on and off the field) as defending champs and early favorites to repeat.

Howie Roseman and company didn’t just rest on the accomplishment of delivering Philly its first ever Super Bowl, they made strong moves to get back to the dance. One of the biggest was the addition of lineman Michael Bennett. The ex-Seahawks standout appears to be impressing.

Meanwhile, the team’s biggest loss was the departure of Patrick Robinson, a castoff slot corner that turned into a gem. He will be missed, but there is optimism that the secondary, led by the safety tandem of Malcolm Jenkins and Rodney McLeod, has some fresh faces ready to step in. Learn the name Sidney Jones. If their secondary improves, watch out.

No leaderboard is complete without the requisite positioning of the New England Patriots within the top two. Bill Belichick and the Pats are seeking their ninth Super Bowl appearance in 18 years – including their fourth trip in the last five. It’s all business with the Patriots. No, seriously.

Forty year-old Tom Brady just led the Pats’ offence to the most points in the NFL last year (458), racking up a league-best 394 yards a contest doing so. So what if Julian Edelman is suspended to start, and Gronk is always injury prone. As long as TB12 is in the lineup, it’s plug and play and let the system and star lead you back to the promised land. And the love affair continues.

Meanwhile, the Rams surge forward from our post-draft odds board, all the way to third.

It’s a big question mark, as the Rams did little to add depth, so injuries could really create obvious weak links on the field. However, it’s hard to resist when a team that was already pretty damn good picked up stud after stud in the ultimate “all-in” offseason.

Ndamukong Suh was brought in to create an interior defensive line tandem with Aaron Donald (currently sitting out training camp on a contract dispute) the likes of which the NFL has never seen before. Aqib Talib and Marcus Peters are about as good a pair of corners you can have in the league. And Sammy Watkins departs and in comes speedster Brandin Cooks. All he does is go to any team and rack up 1,000 yard seasons.

Next Ones Up

Man, the NFC North is going to be crazy this year. The Vikings and Packers are definite contenders for the Super Bowl, but it’s going to be a war to just get out of the division.

Minnesota is an Eagles-lite clone, with studs up and down the roster on both sides of the ball. They are hoping that the free agent addition of QB Kirk Cousins will be the piece to take them over the top. Their offense was really good last year, but Minnesota is hoping to turn into an elite offensive unit, bettering their tenth place finish in points (382). Add that to a defense that led the league in yards surrendered at 275 a game, and if they can even come close to last season’s record-setting third down defense (teams converted just 25% on third down), this is a juggernaut.

This is around the time you’d usually mention that the only thing that can beat the Vikes is themselves, only that isn’t the case here. It’s Aaron freaking Rodgers. He’s the best player in football, and it’s not particularly close. Cue the highlight reel, and don’t forget he’s got extra motivation after the Vikings derailed his season a year ago, and he wasn’t happy about it.

Meanwhile, is it a last hurrah for this iteration of the Steelers? All indications point to the band breaking up as soon as next year, and that’s not just Le’Veon Bell potentially leaving for greener pastures. Ben Roethlisberger is thinking retirement every year now. And Antonio Brown … actually, no worries there.

If the offensive line keeps Ben upright, and Bell does make good on this being his best season ever, they are reasonably ranked here.

Value Teams

We’ll leave you with three pivots that, if they hit their stride, could conceivably lead to their team to compete for a Super Bowl.

Deshaun Watson, Texans (25/1): All indications in camp are that Watson is good to go. In just six starts, he blistered the NFL, leading his team a 34 point per game average, before tearing his ACL. The offense cratered, scoring 17 points in a game once the rest of their nine games.

Jimmy Garoppolo, 49ers (35/1): Never has a five-game garbage time win streak to close out a season met so much hype. But I think it’s warranted. Jimmy G is the real deal, and he’s got a young but sneaky fresh team of talents around him. 

Patrick Mahomes, Chiefs (45/1): There might not be a more talented group of skill position players ever bestowed on a second-year pivot. He’s got Travis Kelce at tight end, one of the toughest covers in the NFL. RB Kareem Hunt went for over 1,300 yards and eight TDs in his rookie year. Tyreek Hill exploded past defenders and into big play scores all over the field, and all Sammy Watkins needs to do is find the rest of the open space and he’ll be just fine. Mahomes, with just one pro start under his belt, is the key.

Frank Lorenzo

MTS co-founder Frank “Let It Ride” Lorenzo has been betting on sports since he was legally allowed to do so. (Did he do so before then, too? No comment.) He enjoys very strong coffee, neon lights, and passing on his wealth of betting knowledge to anyone who will listen.