Oct 25, 2020; Paradise, Nevada, USA; Tampa Bay Buccaneers quarterback Tom Brady (12) celebrates against the Las Vegas Raiders at Allegiant Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Mark J. Rebilas-USA TODAY Sports

Bucs vault to NFC Championship favorites

A modest two-game win streak coupled with some shaky performances by top NFC contenders has vaulted the Tampa Bay Buccaneers into favorites to reach the Super Bowl at several sportsbooks.

The Kansas City Chiefs remain the heavy favorites to win Super Bowl LV by most all oddsmakers, including being offered at +400 by DraftKings and PointsBet.

Tampa Bay beat the Las Vegas Raiders 45-20 on Sunday to improve to 5-2. They’re just a half-game back of the Green Bay Packers and Seattle Seahawks (5-1), who suffered their first loss in a dramatic overtime game at Arizona.

The Seahawks’ past five games have been decided by one score and Seattle ranks last in the NFL in total defense by more than 50 yards per game over the next-worst team in yards allowed per game.

Those trends have contributed to Tampa Bay moving to the third Super Bowl favorite at DraftKings at +800, behind only the Chiefs and Baltimore Ravens (+600). The Pittsburgh Steelers, the lone remaining undefeated team in the NFL, are +850, followed by the Seahawks (+1000) and Packers (+1100).

The Bucs are also plus +800 at PointsBet, with the book offering the Ravens at +550 and the Steelers at +800. The Seahawks and Packers are both +1000.

Kansas City continues to garner the most action, with the Chiefs responsible for 21 percent of the handle and 31 percent of the total Super Bowl winner bets at DraftKings. Tampa Bay is second with 14 percent of the handle, while the Ravens are bringing in the second most total bets at 12 percent.

The Dallas Cowboys are 2-5 but remain a factor in the woeful NFC East. At +10000 to win the Super Bowl, they have brought in four percent of the handle and three percent of the total bets.

Handle Rank, Team (Odds), % of Handle, % of Bets
1. KC Chiefs (+400), 21%, 31%
2. TB Buccaneers (+800), 14%, 10%
3. BAL Ravens (+600), 8%, 12%
4. PIT Steelers (+850), 6%, 4%
5. SEA Seahawks (+1000), 6%, 4%
6. NO Saints (+1400), 5%, 6%
7. GB Packers (+1100), 5%, 3%
8. DAL Cowboys (+10000), 4%, 3%
9. NE Patriots (+6000), 4%, 2%
10. SF 49ers (+2800), 4%, 5%

Seahawks quarterback Russell Wilson remained the heavy MVP favorite at both sportsbooks despite his three-interception night against the Cardinals. He did tie Peyton Manning’s record with 22 touchdown passes through the first six games of a season and has thrown for 1,890 yards.

Wilson is being offered at -100 by PointsBet while DraftKings lists him at +100. Both books have Packers quarterback Aaron Rodgers at +400 and Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes at +450.

The Steelers moved to 6-0 in knocking the Tennessee Titans from the ranks of the unbeaten. Pittsburgh faces a tough road game at Baltimore this week as the Steelers are currently being offered at +2000 by PointsBet to go undefeated this season.

Meanwhile, the 0-7 New York Jets are +265 to go winless. For Jets fans, that could mean landing Clemson quarterback Trevor Lawrence, who is being offered at -1000 by PointsBet to be the No. 1 overall pick in the 2021 NFL Draft.

The next closest is Oregon offensive lineman Penei Sewell at +750, followed by Ohio State quarterback Justin Fields at +850. Sewell opted out of playing for the Ducks this season.

–Field Level Media

How the Super Bowl Odds Changed Through the Off Season

Super Bowl odds change as recreational and sharp bettors back their favorite team. This is a look at how the odds to win Super Bowl 53 have changed over the course of the last six months. See how the odds have shifted from post Super Bowl, to the draft and now through the preseason. The Cardinals have slid from 50/1 in February to 150/1 now, while the Chargers have improved to 16/1 after being posted at 35/1 initally. See how the rest of the teams stand:

Data provided by Bovada.

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Updated Super Bowl Odds as of 8/24/18

The buzz around the Browns preseason has moved them from the worst odds at 100/1 to now being a reasonable 66/1 for a team that didn’t win a game last season. Replacing them at the bottom of the totem pole are the Arizona Cardinals, Buffalo Bills and Miami Dolphins all at 150/1. The Jets aren’t far behind at 100/1 so the AFC East has three of the four teams with the lowest odds to win the Super Bowl and, of course, the best odds with the Patriots at 6/1. Check out the rest of the teams with how odds have shifted through many of the major moments of the offseason:

                                                         2/5/18             3/22/18           5/1/18        Current: 8/24/18 

New England Patriots                            5/1                    5/1                    5/1                    6/1

Los Angeles Rams                                18/1                  14/1                  9/1                    17/2

Minnesota Vikings                                 12/1                  9/1                    12/1                  19/2

Pittsburgh Steelers                                12/1                  12/1                  10/1                  19/2

Philadelphia Eagles                               9/1                    17/2                  8/1                    10/1

Green Bay Packers                                9/1                    14/1                  12/1                  11/1

New Orleans Saints                               18/1                  18/1                  22/1                  14/1

Atlanta Falcons                                     18/1                  20/1                  30/1                  15/1

Los Angeles Chargers                           33/1                  33/1                  35/1                  16/1

Houston Texans                                    25/1                  22/1                  25/1                  18/1

Jacksonville Jaguars                             28/1                  22/1                  35/1                  18/1

San Francisco 49ers                              20/1                  14/1                  15/1                  22/1

Dallas Cowboys                                    18/1                  28/1                  30/1                  26/1

Oakland Raiders                                    33/1                  22/1                  30/1                  28/1

Kansas City Chiefs                                28/1                  33/1                  40/1                  33/1

Baltimore Ravens                                  40/1                  50/1                  40/1                  40/1

Carolina Panthers                                  25/1                  33/1                  35/1                  40/1

New York Giants                                   50/1                  50/1                  75/1                  40/1

Denver Broncos                                    33/1                  25/1                  30/1                  45/1

Tennessee Titans                                   50/1                  50/1                  45/1                  45/1     

Seattle Seahawks                                  28/1                  25/1                  30/1                  55/1

Detroit Lions                                         40/1                  50/1                  60/1                  65/1

Cleveland Browns                                  100/1                66/1                  100/1                75/1

Washington Redskins                            50/1                  66/1                  80/1                  75/1

Chicago Bears                                      100/1                80/1                  100/1                80/1

Indianapolis Colts                                  33/1                  60/1                  40/1                  80/1

Cincinnati Bengals                                 66/1                  90/1                  100/1                90/1

Tampa Bay Buccaneers                         40/1                  50/1                  65/1                  90/1

New York Jets                                       66/1                  100/1                100/1                100/1

Arizona Cardinals                                  50/1                  66/1                  80/1                  150/1

Buffalo Bills                                          66/1                  66/1                  100/1                150/1

Miami Dolphins                                     66/1                  70/1                  100/1                150/1

Data provided by Bovada

Super Bowl Odds for Every Team Updated Weekly

The preseason has almost begun and that means it is time to place some wagers on the big game that will happen six months for now. In the table below are all the odds for possible Super Bowl champions alongside their odds when the wagers first opened. See how the offseason and the draft may have positively or negatively affected teams odds in the table below:

Data Provided by Westgate

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