The playoff brackets are now set for January’s NFL postseason actions. In the NFC, the San Francisco 49ers and the Green Bay Packers have the two byes, with the New Orleans Saints preparing to host the Minnesota Vikings and the Philadelphia Eagles preparing to host the Seattle Seahawks in the wild card round. In the AFC, the Baltimore Ravens and the Kansas City Chiefs have the byes, with the New England Patriots (playing in a wild card round for the first time since 2009) preparing to host the Tennessee Titans and the Houston Texans preparing to host the Buffalo Bills in the wild card round. We have the updated Super Bowl LIV odds for each of the 12 remaining contenders to hoist the Lombardi Trophy.
Updated Super Bowl LIV Odds – December 31st Edition
The #NFLPlayoffs are set! pic.twitter.com/JUPNOiDKSA
— NFL (@NFL) December 30, 2019
- Baltimore Ravens +220
- Kansas City Chiefs +375
- San Francisco 49ers +400
- New Orleans Saints +600
- Green Bay Packers, New England Patriots +1000
- Philadelphia Eagles, Seattle Seahawks +2800
- Houston Texans, Minnesota Vikings +4000
- Tennessee Titans +4500
- Buffalo Bills +5000
The Baltimore Ravens had already locked up the top seed in the AFC after knocking off the Cleveland Browns on the road, 31-15, in Week 16, but even with their starters resting, they were still able to roll to a 28-10 romp over the Pittsburgh Steelers in their season finale. Quarterback Lamar Jackson is the favorite to win the league’s MVP award. They might show a little rust when they host the divisional round game in two weeks, but it is hard to see the 14-2 Ravens slipping too badly right now, given how easily they are winning games.
The Kansas City Chiefs got a gift from the Miami Dolphins, who went to Foxboro and delivered a shocking 27-24 upset of the New England Patriots. That loss by New England (combined with Kansas City’s ten-point defeat of the Los Angeles Chargers) gave the Chiefs a bye. The Chiefs have gotten their offense humming back to where it was in the 2018 campaign; also similar to that team are the concerns on defense. Even though the Chiefs retooled in the offseason, adding talent to the defensive side of the ball, it remains to be seen if they can get stops when they need them.
The San Francisco 49ers needed help from the Seattle Seahawks (in the form of a delay of game penalty on 1st and goal in the waning minutes) and from the officials (in the form of a non-call on pass interference on 3rd and goal on that same drive, and again in a questionable review of what looked like a touchdown catch on 4th and goal) to win the NFC West, but win it they did, and now they get to rest for a week. Their defense remains ironclad, but their offense remains a question mark at times.
The Philadelphia Eagles are in the tournament after winning the last four games of the regular season. They passed a Dallas Cowboys team by beating them at home in Week 16 and then beating the Giants in Week 17. However, prospects look grim in the postseason, as tight end Zach Ertz remains questionable with a rib and back injury, and injuries in their offensive and defensive lines could make them vulnerable against Seattle. However, the Eagles have won a Super Bowl recently using a backup quarterback, so don’t underestimate coach Doug Pederson.
The New England Patriots looked uncharacteristically vulnerable against Miami at home in Week 17. This was a game that should have been a gimme, but Tom Brady threw two interceptions, including a pick-six, and he was missing open receivers all day long. The Patriots’ defense, which was operating at historic levels through the first third of the season in terms of points permitted per game, allowed the Dolphins to mount a comeback drive in the waning minutes to score the touchdown that would send the Patriots to a wild card game instead of having the bye week to rest.
