When you read about futures opportunities in NFL betting, you read a lot about the teams most likely to vie for the title in Super Bowl LV. Most handicappers have the Kansas City Chiefs, the San Francisco 49ers and the Baltimore Ravens at the top of their lists. However, every year it seems like there is at least one team that shakes up the bracket. Last year, it was the Tennessee Titans who ousted the New England Patriots AND the Baltimore Ravens before building a double-digit lead in Kansas City over the Chiefs…only to see the Chiefs come back and win in the AFC Championship. Three years ago, it was the Jacksonville Jaguars who somehow got almost 50 points in Pittsburgh in the divisional round of the playoffs and led New England on the road to start the fourth quarter of the AFC Championship…only to see that lead slip away. Which sleeper will it be this year?
Check out some of our thoughts on what could happen this coming NFL season.
NFL Betting:
What Sleeper Teams Are Poised to Break into the 2020 Playoffs?
Carolina Panthers | Check the Playoff Odds
I like the Carolina Panthers a lot. They are changing head coaches and starting quarterbacks after a largely virtual off-season, thanks to the COVID-19 pandemic, but Teddy Bridgewater has proven himself with the Vikings and the Saints. He has three solid wide receivers (D.J. Moore, Curtis Samuel and Robby Anderson). He has a two-way threat in tailback Christian McCaffrey. Could the Panthers snag a wild card? They absolutely could.
Cleveland Browns | Check the Playoff Odds
Heading into 2019, I was bullish on the Cleveland Browns. Baker Mayfield almost got them to the verge of the postseason as a rookie and set a new record for touchdown passes by a first-year signal-caller. However, the Browns had some major issues in 2019. Their offensive line was depleted by injury, leaving Mayfield to run for his life. The team finished 6-10, but they did go to Baltimore and beat the Ravens by 15 points in Week 4. This year, the Browns have solidified their O-line and have a terrific group of skill players around Mayfield. Their defense remains one of the best in the AFC. If they can’t keep up with the Ravens, I like them to snag a wild card.
Arizona Cardinals | Check the Playoff Odds
The Arizona Cardinals went 5-10-1 in Kyler Murray’s rookie campaign. He threw for 3,722 yards, 20 scores and a dozen picks, and he ran for 544 yards and four more touchdowns, winning the Offensive Rookie of the Year award. He already had Christian Kirk and Larry Fitzgerald as targets, and now he has four-time Pro Bowl wide receiver DeAndre Hopkins. Kenyan Drake ran for 643 yards last year — on just 123 attempts. The problem for Arizona last year was the defense, which was dead last a year ago in yards permitted and 28th in points permitted. They picked Isaiah Simmons eighth overall to join Patrick Peterson in the defensive backfield, and they also added De’Vondre Campbell and Jordan Phillips to bolster their defense as well. With those additions, they will approach the .500 mark — if not snag an NFC wild card.
Denver Broncos | Check the Playoff Odds
The Denver Broncos finished the year 7-5 after an 0-4 start. Rookie quarterback Drew Lock started five games down the stretch, and the team went 4-1 in those games. He threw for 1,020 yards with seven scores against just three picks, completing 64.1 percent of his passes. The Broncos improved their offense in the draft, using their first two picks to add Jerry Jeudy (WR, Alabama) and K.J. Hamler (WR, Penn State). They also added tailback Melvin Gordon via free agency. On defense, the ageless Von Miller led a defense that allowed just 19.8 points per contest and stacked up 40 sacks. The Broncos went 3-3 in a difficult AFC West last year — and three if their nine losses were by a total of six points, so they could emerge as an intriguing wild card.
NFL Sleepers that can reach the Playoffs, what about the Super Bowl…
