With the playoff matchups set and only 12 teams left in the running for Super Bowl 52, the New England Patriots will start the postseason as the favorites on the Super Bowl 52 futures odds.
The Patriots are a +220 favorite on the Super Bowl futures as they await their first postseason opponent after earning a first-round bye. Getting home-field advantage throughout the postseason should be a big boost to the Pats’ chances of at least returning to the Super Bowl, as they have won six straight home playoff games and nine of their last 10.
Following New England on the Super Bowl futures odds is the No. 2 seed from the NFC, the Minnesota Vikings at +375. The Vikings also received a bye through the first round but will only retain home-field advantage throughout if they can avoid a matchup with the top-seeded Philadelphia Eagles. The Vikings were 7-1 at home this season and 6-2 on the road.
The other two teams receiving first-round byes are the Pittsburgh Steelers and Philadelphia Eagles. The Steelers are right behind Minnesota on the odds at +550, while the Eagles are further down the list in sixth at +1200. The Steelers could use the week off to give Antonio Brown extra time to return from injury. During the regular season, Pittsburgh faced five of the other 11 postseason teams, defeating Minnesota, Kansas City and Tennessee, and losing to New England and Jacksonville.
The Eagles would likely have much better odds on the futures if Carson Wentz were healthy. Since losing Wentz in Week 14, the Eagles have gone 2-1, but more concerning is the regression of their offense, which has scored only 19 points in their last two games.
Ahead of the Eagles on the Super Bowl futures are the New Orleans Saints at +750 and the Los Angeles Rams at +800. Both are home favorites this weekend, which looks good for the Saints after they went 7-1 in New Orleans this season. However, the Rams were just 3-4 at home this season.
The Super Bowl odds for the other two favorites in action this weekend include +2000 for the Kansas City Chiefs and +2200 for the Jacksonville Jaguars. The Chiefs may be the hardest team to figure out because bettors don’t know which one will show up in the postseason. The one that started 5-0 with wins over New England and Philadelphia? The one that went 1-6 over seven games, losing to the Giants, Jets and Cowboys? Or the one that finished the regular season with four straight wins?
Looking at the rest of the Super Bowl futures odds, you’ll find the Atlanta Falcons at +1800, the Carolina Panthers at +2500, and the Tennessee Titans and Buffalo Bills at +7500. All four are underdogs this weekend and would need an upset on the road to keep their Super Bowl hopes alive. The best pick from the four might be the Panthers, who went 3-2 as a road underdog this season.