After New England was routed by the Kansas City Chiefs at home as an 8-point favorite, some bettors may have expected them to drop considerably on the Super Bowl futures. New England took a hit, but they remain the Super Bowl betting favorite at +450.
For anyone with a short memory, New England began the season last week at +325.
While the Patriots saw their odds drop slightly, the Green Bay Packers got a slight bump following their Week 1 win over the Seattle Seahawks. Green Bay is up to +750 after beginning the season at +800. They get another tough test this week on the road against the Atlanta Falcons, whom they lost to in last year’s NFC championship game.
Also heading into Week 2 at +750 are the Pittsburgh Steelers. Pittsburgh won in Week 1, but they weren’t great and didn’t even cover the spread against the Cleveland Browns. The oddsmakers may be chalking this up to early season rust, especially for running back Le’Veon Bell, who had trouble getting going in Week 1 after a contract holdout during the preseason.
One interesting mover on the Super Bowl futures this week is Seattle. The Seahawks began the season with a loss to Green Bay but still saw their Super Bowl odds improve, going from +1200 last week to their current perch at +900. Seattle may have lost in Week 1, but their defense showed signs of life that it hasn’t shown in a few years.
They’re a massive 13-point favorite this week against San Francisco and a blowout win could propel them up the odds even further.
One other notable riser on the odds this week was Kansas City. The Chiefs are up to +1600 from +2800 following their unexpected upset win over the Patriots. The Chiefs offense tore up the New England defense riding rookie running back Kareem Hunt and receiver Tyreek Hill to victory. If the Chiefs go on an early season run, the best odds bettors might get could be available right now.
Teams that saw a noticeable decline on the odds this week include the New York Giants and the Houston Texans.
The Giants started the season at +1800 but plummeted to +3300 after a Week 1 loss to Dallas. The New York offense was dead against Dallas and they had better hope the return of Odell Beckham energizes them or their trip down the odds could continue.
Houston started the season at +2500 on the Super Bowl futures but showed they didn’t belong there in Week 1. The Texans were 6-point favorites in an embarrassing 29-7 loss to the Jacksonville Jaguars. Starting quarterback Tom Savage lost his job at halftime and may not get it back. The Texans have a chance to rebound against the Cincinnati Bengals this week, or their season could be sunk before it even really begins.