With only a few days left before the new NFL season kicks off the New England Patriots remain heavily favored to bring home another Super Bowl title.
The season-ending injury to Tom Brady’s security blanket Julian Edelman didn’t seem to matter very much to the oddsmakers. The latest Super Bowl 52 odds have New England well on top as a +325 favorite. New England opens the season Thursday night at home against the Kansas City Chiefs as a 9-point favorite. Keys to watch will of course be who ends up filling Edelman’s shoes and what that means for the Patriots’ dynamic offense overall.
Still slotted in behind the Patriots on the Super Bowl 52 futures are the Green Bay Packers at +800. Green Bay gets a real test right away in their season opener at home against the Seattle Seahawks as a 3-point favorite. If Green Bay can crush Seattle (like they did last season 38-10) they could get a big push up the odds. If you want to bet on Green Bay now might be the time.
Rounding out the top of the Super Bowl odds are the Oakland Raiders at +1000. The Raiders get their season started on the road against the Tennessee Titans as a 1.5-point underdog. If the oddsmakers are right and Oakland loses to Tennessee this week what will that mean for their standing on the futures? In case you’re wondering Tennessee is well down the odds list at +3300.
The aforementioned Seahawks show up next on the odds list at +1200, along with the Pittsburgh Steelers and the Atlanta Falcons.
The Seahawks made a big acquisition earlier this week by grabbing defensive lineman Sheldon Richardson from Buffalo for wide receiver Jermaine Kearse. The pickup may not register on the average fans’ radar, but it could end up being a big one if it can push Seattle’s defense back up to where it was when they made it to back-to-back Super Bowl games.
The Steelers got some good news this week when wide receiver Martavis Bryant was reinstated from suspension. That means he’ll be in the starting lineup in Week 1 alongside Antonio Brown. That gives Ben Roethlisberger two prime targets to work with, and that doesn’t even include running back Le’Veon Bell. Pittsburgh is almost assured a win in Week 1 against the Cleveland Browns as a 9-point favorite.
The Atlanta Falcons don’t seem to be getting much respect for a team that made it to the Super Bowl last season and boasted the top offense in the NFL. That’s what happens when you blow a 28-3 lead. At +1200 Atlanta could be worth at least a couple bucks if they can dominate on the offensive side of the ball again this season. The Falcons start the season on the road against the Chicago Bears as a 7-point favorite.