Updated Super Bowl LIII Odds – December 21st Edition

When it comes to looking at the odds to win the Super Bowl, the NFL is becoming more and more interesting every week. The top teams in each conference — the Los Angeles Rams and the Kansas City Chiefs — both took surprising home losses last week, making a way for the New Orleans Saints to take over the top seed in the NFC. As we look toward the coming postseason, the AFC still has only two teams (the Chiefs and the Chargers) who have clinched spots, and one of those two teams could come out with a wild card slot despite having a record that is as many as two games better as their host in the first round. In the NFC, three teams have clinched playoff spots, but there are still three teams that could win the NFC East and five teams in play for the two wild cards. Take a look at updated Super Bowl LIII odds below as well as our thoughts on some of the contenders.

Updated Super Bowl LIII Odds – December 21st Edition

.@ColinCowherd lays out how the NFL playoffs will unfold pic.twitter.com/20lG2XOZLr

— Herd w/Colin Cowherd (@TheHerd) December 19, 2018

• New Orleans Saints                                                                                                  3/2
• Los Angeles Rams                                                                                                   5/1
• Kansas City Chiefs, Los Angeles Chargers                                                          7/1
• New England Patriots                                                                                              8/1
• Pittsburgh Steelers, Chicago Bears                                                                       14/1
• Houston Texans                                                                                                        16/1
• Dallas Cowboys, Seattle Seahawks                                                                       25/1
• Minnesota Vikings                                                                                                    30/1
• Baltimore Ravens                                                                                                     40/1
• Indianapolis Colts                                                                                                     50/1
• Philadelphia Eagles, Tennessee Titans                                                                 100/1
• Carolina Panthers, Miami Dolphins, Washington Redskins, Cincinnati Bengals                                                                                                   2000/1
• Cleveland Browns                                                                                                    5000/1

New Orleans (12-2) gets to host Pittsburgh and then play Carolina to finish up their season. They’ve gotten an historic season from quarterback Drew Brees, but it is Sheldon Rankins who has been the biggest surprise. He earned his Pro Bowl slot, with eight sacks and 12 tackles for loss, and he has contributed to the Saints’ resurrection on defense — a unit that leads the NFL in shutting down the run. That capacity will play a huge role in the Saints’ postseason hopes. Kansas City (11-3) has a young, elite quarterback for the first time since…Len Dawson? That will make a huge difference in the team’s status as a contender. However, their defense is virtually nonexistent, and it’s hard for a team to use a video-game style to roll through the postseason, when each play becomes more important and teams with defensive prowess step up to make the big plays. The L.A. Chargers (11-3) have come from behind to chase down the Chiefs and would win the AFC West if they finish a game ahead of Kansas City. Philip Rivers is playing clutch ball as well as he ever has in his career, and wide receiver Mike Williams has made huge contributions this year, with a team-best nine receiving touchdowns, and his coming-out party may well have been his role in beating Kansas City last week. The L.A. Rams (11-3) have seen their defense from 2017 disappear, and they have had to win games with their high-flying offense. We see how that failed to pay off in a mystifying home loss to Philadelphia, as backup quarterback Nick Foles led the Eagles to 30 points and a 17-point lead before the Rams woke up, too late to come all the way back. Outside the top four, Houston and Chicago are also intriguing. Both teams have mobile quarterbacks who are putting up personal bests in terms of numbers, and both teams have physical defenses that control the rhythm of games. Chicago actually beat the Rams at home, and Houston gave New England a run for their money. Can they pull off a postseason upset? It wouldn’t surprise me one bit. What about New England? Their defense has been unimpressive, and their offense has bogged down at the wrong point on multiple occasions this year — and they just lost wide receiver Josh Gordon to an indefinite suspension. With disappointing losses to Tennessee, Miami and Pittsburgh just the darkest spots on the Patriots’ resume this year, they need a jump-start if they plan to make it to the Super Bowl, let alone win it.