We are less than a week away from the beginning of the 2015 NFL season. Has there been a more interesting off-season and/or preseason in recent memory? There is not one huge story, there are so many that maybe they are not getting their just due on the “hugeness” scale.
In any other year a four game suspension and a court battle between the Commish and the Super Bowl winning quarterback would be all anyone is talking about. While it had been getting a lot of ink, it hasn’t been the same as, say, the Ray Rice domestic battery saga got a couple of years ago. Why? Because there are so many other big stories happening in this preseason.
There is the whole RGIII vs. the Redskins saga. There is nothing like a good quarterback controversy to get the tongues wagging, but can anyone recall a time when a quarterback had such a promising rookie season and then just tanked like this? Then we have the Johnny Football vs Cleveland situation. Will he ever be a starting quarterback and if not, how long does Cleveland keep him? And let’s not forget that we have a Tim Tebow sighting in Philadelphia. What a story it will make if the Eagles keep him and cut Mark Sanchez!
That same situation is going on all over the NFL. If Cam Newton gets off to a slow start will there be some grumblings in Carolina? He is in his fifth season and has one playoff game win over an Arizona Cardinals team down to their third string quarterback. When a QB gets drafted as the #1 pick in the draft, at some point he must win a Super Bowl or the pick was a bust. Cam needs to stat looking like a guy who can win a Super Bowl soon. Losing his number one deep threat in Kelvin Benjamin for the year sure does not help.
When the games begin on Thursday, September 10 however, it will be about what is happening on the field. The ultimate goal is of course, to win the Super Bowl. In theory, 32 teams begin the year with an equal shot. But we all know some teams have a better chance than others. So do the oddsmakers. Let’s look at the odds on Bovada to win it all in early February.
【Super Bowl 50 Winner Odds】
※ Current Odds Date & Time: September 5, 1:00 p.m. (GMT)
With Jordy Nelson down for the season and now Randall Cobb injured as well, we do not like Green Bay as the favorite. We also do not like Seattle as much with the Jimmy Graham for Max Unger trade. The Seahawks line will feel that one and so will Russell Wilson when he is being sacked more often this season.
A team that has just looked impressive in the preseason so far has been the Philadelphia Eagles. And you can say “yeah but it’s preseason” and we get that, but their first string looked great against the Colts first string and then did it again on Green Bay’s first string. Another one we like is the Dallas Cowboys at +1400. Tony Romo to Dez Bryant is going to rack up big fantasy points this season and the Cowboys vs Eagles games are going to be ones not to miss.
Bovada also has futures odds on winning the NFC and AFC as well as each division championship. The most competitive division looks as if it will be the AFC North. Here are the odds:
【AFC North Division Winner Odds】
※ Current Odds Date & Time: September 5, 1:00 p.m. (GMT)
The least competitive division looks like the AFC South. According to Bovada we might as well just pencil the Colts in for the playoffs. Of course that has been nothing unusual for years now. These odds are:
【AFC South Division Winner Odds】
※ Current Odds Date & Time: September 5, 1:00 p.m. (GMT)
Some teams who we feel may be a little bit better than their odds include the Jaguars with second year quarterback Blake Bortles, who has looked good in the preseason and the Minnesota Vikings with their second year quarterback Teddy Bridgewater who has been fantastic in the preseason. Will either of these win the Super Bowl? No. But just in case it might not be a bad idea to put down a few bucks just in case. A $100.00 bet on the Jags would pay out $20,000.00 and on the Vikes would pay out $2,800.00.
Other teams who we like the odds include the Miami Dolphins at +2500, the Detroit Lions at +4000, the San Diego Chargers at +4000 and the New Orleans Saints at +4000. The reason we like Miami is the signing of Ndamukong Suh to an already decent defense. With Cameron Wake that D-Line should be really good.
We like the Saints, Chargers and Lions because they all have really good quarterbacks that are capable of having a great year and if they do, they can go a long way. Drew Brees has already gone all the way in his career and Philip Rivers and Matthew Stafford have the talent to do it as well. A $100.00 bet on any of those would pay $4,000.00 and on the Dolphins would pay $2,500.00. We like those odds.
Teams we feel like the odds are not good would be the Buffalo Bills at +5000 and the Tampa Bay Bucs at +10000. How are the Bills with Tyrod Taylor as their starting quarterback only going to pay off $1,000.00 more for winning the Super Bowl than Philip Rivers and the Chargers, Drew Brees and the Saints, Stafford and the Lions or even Carson Palmer and the Arizona Cardinals? That makes no sense. And I’m sorry, but I will take my chances with Bortles in his second year at +20000 over Tampa Bay with their rookie quarterback in Jameis Winston at +10000.
