Super Bowl odds: Packers, Chiefs lead crowded field ahead of divisional round
Four blowouts and two crazy finishes later, eight teams remain in the hunt to hoist the Lombardi Trophy in February. As was the case throughout the regular season, there aren't any "elite" teams separating themselves from the pack - but two clubs are still clear front-runners to meet in the Super Bowl.
The Packers and Chiefs entered the postseason as title favorites and, unsurprisingly, haven't seen any movement following a mostly predictable wild-card round that saw five of six favorites advance. The Bills and Buccaneers are the only other teams priced shorter than 7-1 and round out the group of divisional round favorites at theScore Bet:
TEAM | ODDS |
---|---|
Green Bay Packers | +350 |
Kansas City Chiefs | +400 |
Buffalo Bills | +500 |
Tampa Bay Buccaneers | +550 |
Los Angeles Rams | +700 |
Tennessee Titans | +850 |
San Francisco 49ers | +1100 |
Cincinnati Bengals | +1300 |
Despite the short price, there may never be a better time to buy the Packers (+350), who are -5.5 favorites against the 49ers - the biggest spread of the weekend - and will almost certainly be favored the rest of the way. Green Bay went 3-1 in the regular season against the remaining postseason field, with its lone loss coming against the Chiefs with Aaron Rodgers sidelined.
Kansas City (+400) owns the second-shortest title odds but is currently the weekend's shortest favorite (-2.5) ahead of a rematch with the Bills (+500), who smoked the Chiefs in Week 5 and are coming off one of the most dominant playoff wins we've ever seen. The winner will almost certainly be a sizable favorite in the AFC title game, so if you like either team's chances on Sunday, now may be your best value opportunity to buy into a Super Bowl run.
Speaking of that side of the bracket, the Titans (+850) and Bengals (+1300) are both title long shots despite one of them being guaranteed a win this weekend. That shouldn't come as a surprise: these two teams are the worst in the field by power rating and virtually any advanced metric, though Tennessee could see a bump with Derrick Henry (foot) expected to return this week.
It may seem peculiar to price these two clubs so differently to win the Super Bowl given that Tennessee (-3.5) is a slim favorite on Saturday. Two key factors are at play: home-field advantage and matchups. The Titans would host either Buffalo or Kansas City next week and have a clear advantage in the run game, which has been an Achilles heel for those defenses this season.
It's a much closer split in title prices between the Bucs (+550) and Rams (+700), who are both coming off dominant wild-card wins ahead of their clash on Sunday. The weekend was costlier for Tampa Bay (-3), which is favored this week despite a rash of injuries along the offensive line. That could spell trouble against Los Angeles' terrifying pass rush, which sacked Tom Brady three times in a 34-24 win in Week 3.
Even if you like the Rams to win again this week, there may not be a ton of value betting their title price. Los Angeles went 0-3 in the regular season against its potential NFC title opponents and will likely be an underdog in each of its remaining games barring a home rematch with the 49ers (+1100).
That matchup should raise concern, too: San Francisco has won six straight against its division rival and dominated the season series. The Niners should have also beaten Green Bay in Week 3 and looked every bit like a Super Bowl contender in last week's statement win over the Cowboys, which spells potential value on this group's modest title price.
C Jackson Cowart is a sports betting writer at theScore. You can follow him on Twitter (@CJacksonCowart) or email him at [email protected].
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