Choosing the Super Bowl 53 champ when all you need to do is pick the winner’s conference seems like an easy task. It’s a 50/50 choice between the NFC and AFC. Once you go through the numbers, though, you’ll find it’s not that simple. The AFC vs. NFC Super Bowl odds reflect that it won’t be an easy choice.
On the latest “Who Will Win Super Bowl LIII” prop odds, the NFC is favored at -125. For now, the AFC checks in at -105. Last year, the Philadelphia Eagles brought the Super Bowl title back to the NFC for the first time in four years. Prior to that, the AFC had given us the last three Super Bowl winners. This was thanks to the New England Patriots and the Denver Broncos.
AFC vs. NFC Super Bowl Odds: Patriots are Overall Favorite on Super Bowl Odds
The AFC may be the underdog on the props. Yet, they do have the overall favorite on the Super Bowl 53 futures. That would be the Patriots. However, after the Patriots, there is a run of NFC teams before another AFC team shows up.
If you’re looking at legitimate Super Bowl contenders, the NFC clearly has the AFC beat this season. . The AFC has the Patriots. On the other side, the NFC has the Minnesota Vikings, Los Angeles Rams, the reigning Super Bowl champion Eagles, and the Green Bay Packers. The NFC also has a couple teams that could duplicate the Eagles’ feat last year of surging to the top of the conference and surprising everyone with a Super Bowl victory. Those teams are the New Orleans Saints and the Atlanta Falcons.
Going by the Super Bowl futures again, other than New England, only two other AFC teams are currently getting better odds to win the Super Bowl than the Saints. That would be the Jacksonville Jaguars and the Pittsburgh Steelers.
AFC vs. NFC Super Bowl Odds: Question for Bettors on Super Bowl LIII Prop Wager
There is one question that bettors needs to ask before making their pick on the “Who Will Win Super Bowl LIII” prop odds. That is, whether the NFC having more Super Bowl contenders is a good thing or a bad thing. Think of it this way. For the Patriots to get back to the Super Bowl, their toughest test according to the oddsmakers would be the Steelers or Jaguars. Pittsburgh just tied a team that had lost 17 straight games and have the Le’Veon Bell holdout over their heads. Meanwhile, New England has won eight straight against the Jaguars. Not to mention, the Patriots have beaten the Steelers and the Jaguars in the last two AFC title games.
For the Eagles to get back to the Super Bowl, they’ll likely have to get through one or more of the Vikings, Rams, Packers or Saints. The same goes for any other NFC team, with Philadelphia added to the list. It didn’t keep the Eagles from winning it all last season, but taking a beating against the league’s best takes its toll after a while. How you judge a team’s strength of schedule should be considered before making your props pick.