The oddsmakers are smiling on the New England Patriots, thanks to the timely implosions of their top conference rivals.
Bovada increased the Patriots odds of winning the Super Bowl from 15/4 to 13/4, while the Broncos (12/1 to 16/1), Chiefs (16/1 to 18/1), and Bengals (20/1 to 22/1) have all fallen. The Broncos lost to the Steelers and have struggled to perform in the second half, the Chiefs have an uphill climb from the wild card spot, and the Bengals are trying to replace quarterback Andy Dalton.
The Patriots? Well, they're sitting pretty. The #2 team in the AFC is actually the Steelers (13/2), and they're currently not even in the playoffs.
Outside of New England, the next three best teams are the Panthers (4/1), Seahawks (19/4), and Cardinals (13/2). There will be some cannibalization in the NFC as only one of these powerhouses will be able to represent their conference in the Super Bowl- and that's why the Patriots have better odds. There's no one in the AFC that can stop them.
The Patriots are 23/20 odds of winning the AFC (yes, very specific), with the Steelers (3/1) and Broncos (13/2) trailing. The trio of Carolina (9/5), Seattle (11/4), and Arizona (11/4) all have better odds than the Steelers of representing their conference.
Quarterback Tom Brady has 1/2 odds of leading the NFL in touchdown passes.
What do you think of these odds?