With the 2014-15 NFL regular season just a few days away, football fans all across the country are geared up for football with hopes that their team will win Super Bowl XLIX.
We’re going to take a look at the NFL overall and see who looks good heading into the new season. Which NFL team has the best odds for Superbowl XLIX in Glendale, Arizona? That conversation is very much up for debate amongst the 32 teams who have just spent the last few months getting ready for the upcoming season.
Looking at the AFC East first, what conversation can be had in terms of the East without talking about the New England Patriots who have claimed ownership over their division for quite some time now. New England may not have a lot of flashy weapons but what they do have is consistency and strong coaching, it also doesn’t hurt to have a veteran quarterback in Tom Brady. The Patriots lost Aquib Talib to free agency but picked up Darrelle Revis, they didn’t lose much there.
The Dolphins are still searching for their identity but will feature a young quarterback in Ryan Tannehill and a decent nucleus of young players. The major question mark for the Dolphins will be their offensive line after all the drama a year ago. The Bills added receiver Sammy Watkins and should have quarterback EJ Manual back fully from injury this year. The Bills have speed all over the field, but have question marks all over it as well. The Jets added receiver Eric Decker and backup quarterback Mick Vick in the offseason and hope that Geno Smith has continued his progression from last year.
The Patriots (8/1 to win odds for Superbowl XLIX) are clearly the preseason pick to win the AFC East.
The AFC North is a bit tricky. All of the teams have tough, stingy defenses…but all of the teams also have major question marks on the offensive side. Cleveland drafted Johnny Maziel, who probably won’t start this year, but lost starting star receiver Josh Gordon to a year long suspension for violation of the league’s substance abuse policy. While their defense will be impressive, that offense will keep them on the field too much.
The Ravens could be the wildcard of this bunch as while they do have questions at the moment at runningback (even though they do have depth) with Ray Rice out to start the year and Bernard Pierce coming off a concussion. They will have both of those guys back by week 3 and they still posses a tough defense. The Bengals are tied for the best odds in this division (20/1 to win odds for Superbowl XLIX) and look to have the best offense as well. Their success will depend on how far their new offensive coordinator, Hue Jackson, fits in. The Steelers still have Ben Roethlisberger, and a tough defense that will keep them in close games.
The two teams that will fight it out in the North this year are the Bengals and the Steelers. Both of these teams have 20/1 to win odds for Superbowl XLIX.
The AFC South is the Indianapolis Colts (20/1 to win odds for Superbowl XLIX) division to lose. The Texans, Jaguars and Titans each added some players this year but all also have major question marks everywhere.
The AFC West runs through Denver. The Broncos (5/1 to win odds for Superbowl XLIX) may have lost receiver Eric Decker, but they gained Emmanuel Sanders…and lets not forget they have the best quarterback in the game right now in Peyton Manning.
The NFC East is another division that is going to be tough to call. None of the teams are overly impressive on paper defensively, although the Giants appear to have a strong secondary and the Redskins appear to have a strong pass rush. On another note the Cowboys have lost players and have had injuries this preseason/camp on top of having the worst pass defense in the history of the league last year. The Giants have a new offensive scheme and a new offensive line, question marks there. The Redskins (50/1 to win odds for Superbowl XLIX) have RGIII back fully from injury but have a first year coach in Jay Gruden. The Redskins are also looking to improve from a horrible special teams unit a year ago that cost them several games. The Eagles (25/1 to win odds for Superbowl XLIX) lost a key player in DeSean Jackson to the Redskins but were able to draft well and picked up Darren Sproles in the offseason. They didn’t do much to improve their defense though.
The Redskins & Eagles are the early favorites in the East.
The Packers are the early-on favorites in the NFC North. The Bears have decent weapons and might have the best receiver duo in the league with Alshon Jeffery and Brandon Marshall. But have a not-so-dependable quarterback in Jay Cutler and a defense that was riddled with injuries a year ago. The Lions are the wild card of this group. They have all the weapons offensively but have a lot of questions on defense. The Vikings are still looking for a starting quarterback and will ultimately only go as far as Adrian Peterson can carry them.
The Packers (10/1 to win odds for Superbowl XLIX) are the team to watch in the North.
The NFC South is always tough to call, this year will be no different. It’s easy to see that the New Orleans Saints are the class of this division but what is unknown at this point is how much will the Falcons bounce back this year after last seasons’ debacle of injuries. The Panthers don’t have a single receiver on their team with a catch from a season ago and Cam Newton is recovering from off-season ankle surgery and now a broken rib. The Buccaneers are hoping to continue forward with their rebuild efforts with new head coach Lovie Smith leading the way.
The Saints (7/1 to win odds for Superbowl XLIX) are the team to beat in the South.
The NFC West was the best division in football a year ago with three teams with 10+ wins. Two of those teams the 49ers & Seahawks went the playoffs last year with Seattle winning. The Seahawks are back and looking strong again. The 49ers have struggled a little bit this preseason and lost pass rusher Aldon Smith to a 9 game suspension as well. The Cardinals have a tough defense but have a lot of questions on offense. Carson Palmer has been mediocre in Arizona thus far but has had a offensive line that has been plagued by injury. The Rams have already lose their starting quarterback Sam Bradford, but have one of the better front 7′ in football.
The Seahawks (9/2 to win odds for Superbowl XLIX) are the early-on favorite but this division could come down to the last week of the season.
The AFC teams to watch in the playoffs will be the Patriots, Colts, Bengals and Broncos (Wildcard – Steelers, Chiefs)
The NFC teams to watch in the playoffs will be the Saints, Seahawks, Packers and Redskins (Wildcard – 49ers, Eagles)
