Wild card weekend has ended and we’re left with eight strong competitors looking ahead at Super Bowl 50. Every home field team ended up losing in the first week of the NFL playoffs, but it’d be insane to see the same happen this week as the road teams face some stronger competition. Some winning teams like the Packers and Chiefs really strutted their stuff, winning by double digits and putting up over 30 points on their competitors. For the Seahawks and the Steelers, their veteran leadership really paid off as they barely escaped unscathed in their wins. Realistically speaking, the Seahawks and Steelers shouldn’t have won their games, but in the end they prevailed due to ridiculous situations in both games.
Analyzing The Odds to Win Super Bowl 50
Why Bet on the Arizona Cardinals at +400 Odds
The Cardinals have looked nothing short of special this year, minus their last-game collapse against Seattle. They likely have the easiest trek into the Super Bowl of any team in the NFL. This week they go up against the Green Bay Packers, a team they decimated by over 20 points just a few weeks ago. Unless something major has changed, they should easily destroy the Packers. At this point they’d go into the championship game of the NFC with a Seahawks or Panthers team in their path that oddsmakers think the Cardinals could beat. Currently the Cardinals have the best odds to win their game this week, and the best odds to win the Super Bowl at +400. It’s hard to find many reasons not to like the Cardinals as a Super Bowl 50 betting favorite.
Why Bet on the New England Patriots at +400 Odds
In the AFC it seems that there’s always a few strong competitors, but over the past ten years, the Patriots have always been among the top teams. Coming off a victory in last season’s Super Bowl, which was Tom Brady’s fourth, the Patriots are hard to top as far as postseason experience. As far as the AFC goes, the competition is fairly soft this year. As long as the Patriots can get their team together and start performing at a high level again, their road to the Super Bowl is cake. The best team they’d have to play is the Broncos, who have a struggling Peyton Manning and a defense that has regressed significantly in the last few weeks.
No surprises here: The Patriots are one of your favorite teams to win Super Bowl 50
Why Bet on the Seattle Seahawks at +450 Odds
After barely sneaking into the playoffs, the Seahawks are still one of the top teams as far as odds to win Super Bowl 50 go. Don’t ask me how, but they’re at +450 right now after somehow winning against the Vikings after Blair Walsh missed a 27-yard field goal that would have won Minnesota the game. If they get past the 15-1 Panthers, they’ll still have to go up against an Arizona or Green Bay team that would be a difficult challenge. The Seahawks, like the Patriots, have experience here where teams like Arizona and Carolina don’t, so expect them and their stellar defense to keep games close. In these clutch situations, Seattle always seems to prevail, which is why oddsmakers have them at +450.
