KANSAS CITY, Mo. — The NFL season is just over one month away and it's already time to starting thinking about who is going to make it to the Super Bowl in February.
The Tampa Bay Buccaneers won their first title since 2003 in February when Tom Brady led them to a 31-9 win over the Kansas City Chiefs.
According to new odds from BetOnline.ag, those two teams are both the favorites in their respective divisions to make it back to the Super Bowl.
While both the Chiefs and Bucs are favored to win their conferences pretty substantially, there are some interesting options down the board.
Let's run through the three of the best options in each conference.
AFC
Chiefs +270
The Chiefs are major favorites and it's no surprise. They led the NFL in total offense last year, they have arguably the most talented quarterback in the league in Patrick Mahomes, the best offensive mind in the league at head coach in Andy Reid and they've been to each of the past two Super Bowls. They weren't particularly busy in the offseason, but did add Joe Thuney at guard, Jarran Reed on the defensive line and Jerick McKinnon at running back. With Mahomes and Andy Reid, it's just really hard to pick any team other than the Chiefs to win the AFC, especially when they were crushed in the Super Bowl this past year. Only three teams have ever made it to the Super Bowl three years in a row, but the Chiefs still seem two steps ahead of their AFC counterparts.
Bills +600
The Buffalo Bills come in at second on the odds to win the AFC Championship, after they made it to the game last season before losing to the Chiefs. The Bills have now made the playoffs each of the past two seasons and they should be there again. Josh Allen had a breakout year with over 4,500 yards and 37 touchdowns as well as a giant leap in completion percentage. We saw the addition of Stefon Diggs really unlock something special in that Bills offense. Buffalo had a top five offense and top five defense in the AFC and all signs point to another successful year for the team led by Sean McDermott. The question will be whether they can take down the Chiefs when it counts.
Ravens +900
The Baltimore Ravens come in at +900 to win the AFC Championship and I actually think this is pretty strong value here for a team that you could argue should be closer to +600. The Ravens made some key additions this offseason in G Kevin Zeitler, WR Sammy Watkins and EDGE Justin Houston. Baltimore had the No. 1 offense in the AFC in 2019 thanks to an MVP year from Lamar Jackson, but there was a dip in production from Jackson in 2019. The Ravens still won a playoff game before falling to the Bills in the divisional round. Their defense also allowed the fewest points per game last season. If they can get their offense back to the level it was at in 2019, or at least close, the Ravens could challenge the Chiefs and Bills.
SUBSCIRBE to the Locked On NFL podcast, your daily show for news, rumors and analysis around the league.
NFC
Bucs +300
Tom Brady is now 44 years old and isn't showing signs of slowing down. In his first season away from the Patriots, he took the Tampa Bay Buccaneers to the Super Bowl and won. And, seemingly everybody from that team is back to try to do it again. Brady has won his conference championship game in four of the past five seasons. In spite of that, I actually think it's a lot easier to take the Chiefs as the favorite to win their conference than the Bucs because I think the Packers and Rams are a lot closer to Tampa's level than Buffalo, Baltimore, Cleveland are to Kansas City's. But, this Bucs team is unbelievable, they'll be a force next season again and their overall roster is definitely the best in the conference.
Packers +700
The Packers have been to each of the past two NFC Championship games, losing both, and they've lost four NFC Championship games since 2015. Aaron Rodgers is back maybe for one last hurrah in Green Bay before he potentially explores another location after this season. Their offense can be the best in the NFC with Rodgers slinging it and Davante Adams on the receiving end. Allen Lazard has proven to be a viable No. 2 receiving option. Robert Tonyan emerged as a tight end with a lot of potential last season. Meanwhile, Randall Cobb is back in the mix for the slot plus the Packers are high on 3rd round pick Amari Rodgers. The Packers have been as close as possible to the Super Bowl each of the last two seasons and this could be it for the Rodgers-era. They're a strong choice at +700.
Seattle Seahawks +1200
For what I think is a pretty strong value, I like the Seahawks at 12-1. You look at the Cowboys and Seahawks both at 12-1 and Seattle is multiple steps ahead of Dallas, in my opinion. Russell Wilson was the unanimous MVP through Week 5 last season before the Seahawks went on to lose three of their next four. They still went 12-4 and Wilson showed a lot. They lost some key players this offseason including the Shaquill Griffin, Quinton Dunbar, David Moore and Jarran Reed. Regardless, this is a top 10 NFL team being led by a top tier NFL QB in Wilson. Plus, the receiving duo of D.K. Metcalf and Tyler Lockett will be one of the NFL's best and then you have a top 10 running back in Chris Carson. They're in the toughest division in football with the Rams, 49ers and Cardinals, which is why you see the 12-1 number, but this is an organization that has missed the playoffs one time since 2012. This could be the year they break back out.
