The Seahawks, Patriots, Steelers, Packers, Cardinals, and Panthers are the football betting favorites to win the Superbowl in 2017. This shortlist should not come as a surprise taking into account how each of these teams ended the previous season, as well as the household names they have under center. Regardless of your personal feelings about these teams, betting on NFL right now is not the soundest move. Odds will be readily available as the season draws nearer and you might get better numbers right after the season has started. In a league where injuries make for parity, it is not wise to invest when the championship game is still such a long ways away.
Moreover, there are other teams in the fray. The Bengals have one of the best rosters in the league, but they’re always one penalty or coaching decision away from disaster. Minnesota will be an elite team next season too, but the Vikings might regress when faced with a tougher schedule. In the meantime, an interesting threesome is the Cowboys, Chiefs and Ravens. Dallas and Baltimore encountered major injuries to key players last season but the experience they gained by important backups will pay off next season. The Ravens are very intriguing, seeing how they lost nine games by eight points or less. Baltimore’s first five losses all were by six points or less, including four away defeats with a merciless West Coast swing to start things. Should they have better luck with injuries next season, the Ravens are an early pick to represent the AFC at NRG Stadium in Houston.
As for the rest, Houston is the most intriguing. They are just one competent quarterback short from taking it to the next level in the playoff progression; but as (bad) luck would have it for the Texans, above average quarterbacks do not fall from the sky or appear out of thin air. Houston is heavy on the defensive end and a young receiving corps will only improve with the ongoing development of DeAndre Hopkins. The Bucs are also eye-catching. They have offensive playmakers in all the right positions, and an underestimated offensive line. New head coach Dirk ‘Welcome Back’ Koetter may not be loved by all, but how much worse than Lovie ‘Howell’ Smith can he be? That is not to say that Tampa will take the place of Carolina in the NFC South, but deeming the Bucs the division’s second-most talented team isn’t as ludicrous as some people betting on NFL might think. Having said that, one could do much worse than forking over a few dollars on the Baltimore Ravens.
