It’s the business end of the NFL regular season.
It’s the point where a single play could end up making or breaking a team’s hopes for another year. As we go through the final stretch, it has become apparent that a handful of teams have broken away from the rest of the pack, not only securing their Playoff place early but putting up performances that suggest they can go all the way.
Regarding the odds, the sportsbooks have picked out a quartet of teams and put them in the favorites bracket: The Lions, Chiefs, Bills, and Eagles. There is daylight between these four and all the rest in the Super Bowl LIX betting odds. It’s hard to argue with their candidacy, even if each team has a flaw.
But what about the teams that nobody is taking seriously? Or at least, those flying under the radar? While the four mentioned above are the most likely winners, it would be no surprise to see another couple of teams emerge in the coming weeks. Below, we will pick out another four. Teams that have something about them but that have not generated the type of buzz that others have.
1. Pittsburgh Steelers
The Steelers are still available at +2000 to win Super Bowl LIX. They currently have a 99% Playoff probability and boast one of the best defenses in the league. Perhaps the main criticism is that they have never looked like blowing teams away, yet their numbers speak for themselves. Still, in Mike Tomlin, the Steelers may have the NFL’s best head coach, and they look like the kind of awkward team that nobody will want to meet in the Playoffs. It’s almost unfashionable to talk about them as Super Bowl winners, but they keep grinding out wins.
2. Baltimore Ravens
Coming off a bye in Week 14, there is a sense that the Ravens must get their act together if they want to be serious challengers. The Ravens were among the favorites pre-season, yet losses to the Chiefs, Browns, Raiders, Steelers, and Eagles have suggested they are not up to the task. They have a relatively generous remaining schedule, so they should pick up enough wins to get into the Playoffs. Once there, it will be up to Lamar Jackson to show what he and the Ravens can do.
3. Minnesota Vikings
The Vikings have lost just two games this season, so you’d automatically assume they should be in the elite category. Not so. Few expected them to be in the mix this season, yet they keep winning. Their defeats, including an ultra-close one against the Lions, have been tight. It is difficult to work them out, but they are going to the Playoffs, and winning becomes habitual in the NFL, as in all sports. You can get pretty big odds on the Vikings at this point, and they might be the type of surprise package that was staring everyone in the face.
4. Green Bay Packers
The Packers have some very winnable games left on their regular season schedule, so it’s almost sure they will be in the Playoffs for another tilt at the Super Bowl. We’d put them in a similar bracket to the Steelers in that they haven’t been pulling up any trees this season yet continue to do enough to win. Even the games they lose tend to be by a thin margin, usually within a score. Like the Steelers, nobody will want to face Matt LaFleur’s team. Their offense has enough in it to worry a lot of coaches in the coming weeks. Priced at +2500, they might be the value pick for winning Super Bowl LIX.
