Most fans of NFL betting love an underdog, and what better underdog story than when the Seattle Seahawks blew out the favorite Denver Broncos 43-8 at Super Bowl XLVIII. Both teams were number one seeds in their conference and the game pitted the NFL’s number one defense (Seahawks) against the NFL’s best offense (Denver). Ultimately defense proved that “Defense wins Championships” by holding the best the AFC had to offer that year to a measly 8 points. In doing so the Seahawks won their first title in team history and became the first Super Bowl winning team to score over 40 point while keeping their opponent under 10. It was certainly one of the most memorable Super Bowls of our lifetime, but what are the chances of the Seahawks making history this upcoming season? Let’s check the sportsbooks and see what the odds tell us:
Seattle Seahawks +880
Odds to win NFC Championship
Seattle Seahawks +470
Odds to win NFC West
Settle Seahawks -110
According to NFL betting the Seattle Seahawks are guaranteed to a ticket to the Super Bowl. The only team that has higher odds to take home the Vince Lombardi Trophy are the New England Patriots, listed at +755 odds (which is surprising given that Brady’s suspension is upheld and they’ll be Brady-less for the first four games). It might be a little surprising that the odds favor the Seahawks over the Panthers, given the amount of success that the Panthers enjoyed last season. In the end sportsbooks decided once again that ‘Defense wins Championships” and elected last year’s number one defense (points) over last year’s number one offense (points) as NFC favorites.
In fact, these odds become even more ironic when considering that the Carolina Panthers were the team that sent the Seahawks sailing home last year in the NFC’s divisional round. That game was in no way a blowout and was ultimately decided by the Panthers coming out on top on an onside kick. When two teams of this caliper face each other it’s always hard to predict a winner, and 99% of the time it comes down to the individual matchups. In the end these games are decided by one or two plays, and Carolina was able to make a couple more plays during that game.
The Seahawks defense is the most solidified group of individuals within the league. Last season Seattle allowed the least amount of points and had the best rushing defense in the entire NFL. Their passing defense wasn’t much worse as they were second overall in the NFL. The offense also performed well placing in the top five for points, yards overall, and rushing yards. Their passing game could use improvement as it was ranked 20th overall, but don’t blame Russell Wilson. Wilson was able to post a QB rating of 110.1 with a ratio of 34 touchdowns to a lowly 8 interceptions. With a quarterback posting such a high rating, and an immovable wall as your defense, it’s easy to understand why the Seahawks are the favorites in the NFC. Who knows, maybe they’ll pull off another blowout in the Super Bowl and surprise all of NFL betting once again.
