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With each passing week, it seems that another contender goes down — while other teams that we had thought might be headed for disaster could contend after all. The rout that Carolina delivered on Monday Night Football over the Miami Dolphins showed us that Cam Newton might be back — but what will he do next week? The Dallas Cowboys had cobbled together three straight impressive wins before showing that their roster has exactly zero depth in an embarrassing loss to the Falcons. The Pittsburgh Steelers played down to their road competition again but still pulled out another win in Indianapolis. As you consider your Super Bowl LII odds, here are some of the latest odds for you.
Carson Wentz, in his second season at quarterback, looks like a seasoned veteran. Tailback Jay Ajayi, recently arrived from Miami via trade, gives them a legitimate elite tailback. Their defense is quick and aggressive, with a secondary that can deliver shutdown coverage and a front seven that can harass the passer and jam the run. If I have to choose a team right now to win the Super Bowl, I pick the Eagles.
Updated Super Bowl LII Odds – November 14th
The first team to play a Super Bowl at home? https://t.co/bjVU26WezV (via @MoveTheSticks) pic.twitter.com/8ORQXYFtmH
— NFL (@NFL) November 13, 2017
New England (3-1)
Wow, those New England Patriots looked dominant against Denver on Sunday night. They rolled to a 41-16 win in the Mile High City, and the Patriot defense, which had taken a lot of flak (and rightly so) for its porous approach to pass coverage, stifled the Broncos’ offense and embarrassed a Denver defense that just a few weeks ago looked like a dominant unit. However, Denver was featuring Brock Osweiler at quarterback, and what a fall he has taken since leading the Broncos to the playoffs just a few seasons ago. He looks tentative and holds onto the ball too long. Denver was right to let Houston ink Osweiler to a huge free-agent contract, and frankly, I’m wondering why they brought him back at all. When your offense can’t get first downs, your defense gets exhausted, and over time the unit will give up — which seems to be what has happened here. So keep an eye on that Pats secondary when they play elite competition.Pittsburgh (4-1)
If the Steelers could play every game at home, they might run the table. They look confident at home. Le’Veon Bell pounds the ball through holes large enough to drive a truck through. Ben Roethlisberger has plenty of time in the pocket to find Antonio Brown and other targets down the field. The defense stands tall and holds opponents under 20 points with ease. But when the team goes on the road, it’s almost like the offense is sleepwalking. They score just enough to win (except for that loss in Chicago), but they look like they think there is a switch they can flip, which is an approach that can spell doom in the playoffs, when you run into better opposing defenses. So I’d like to see some more dominant performances out of the Steeler offense away from Heinz Field before I pick them to win the Lombardi Trophy.Philadelphia (9-2)
The Eagles have won three NFL championships, but it’s been 57 years since the last one. They went to Super Bowls after the 1980 and 2004 seasons, losing to the Oakland Raiders and the New England Patriots, respectively. However, they finally look like they might be the real deal and have the fortune of playing in the NFC East, where all the other teams have major flaws.
Carson Wentz, in his second season at quarterback, looks like a seasoned veteran. Tailback Jay Ajayi, recently arrived from Miami via trade, gives them a legitimate elite tailback. Their defense is quick and aggressive, with a secondary that can deliver shutdown coverage and a front seven that can harass the passer and jam the run. If I have to choose a team right now to win the Super Bowl, I pick the Eagles.
