Updated Super Bowl LIII Odds – January 18th Edition

On Sunday we will see the two conference champions crowned, as the Los Angeles Rams visit the New Orleans Saints in the NFC Championship, and then the Kansas City chiefs will host the New England Patriots in the AFC Championship. The two games are seen by sports betting pros as even matches, with the point spreads in both cases sitting at three for the home teams. For those who like to wager on futures, we have the odds to win Super Bowl LIII for each team below, as well as our thoughts on each team’s chances to hoist the Lombardi Trophy two weeks from Sunday.

Updated Super Bowl LIII Odds – January 18th Edition

Offense wins championships? Make your pick. #NFLPlayoffs pic.twitter.com/zkK85krbkD

— NFL (@NFL) January 18, 2019

• New Orleans Saints                                                                                      7/4
• Kansas City Chiefs                                                                                       5/2
• New England Patriots                                                                                  17/5
• Los Angeles Rams                                                                                       18/5

The New Orleans Saints have the best running back unit. With Alvin Kamara and Mark Ingram II, the Saints have a back who is good at avoiding contact, in Kamara, and the top back in yards after first contact per attempt in Ingram (3.2). However, the Rams saw C.J. Anderson go wild against Dallas last week. Can they get similar results when they don’t know what the opposing defensive line is doing? They also have the top linebacker corps, with Demario Davis the highest rated linebacker of the four remaining teams. New Orleans gets to host the NFC title game, with their raucous crowd likely making life difficult for the Rams’ signal callers on both sides of the ball. The Kansas City Chiefs have the best quarterback of the four, at least in terms of statistical proficiency this season. Patrick Mahomes II threw 50 touchdown passes this year and looked confident in the Chiefs’ divisional round win over Indianapolis. Drew Brees and Tom Brady have a lot more postseason experience, but until Mahomes looks intimidated by the situation in which he finds himself, it’s hard to pick against him at quarterback. Mahomes has the speedy Tyreek Hill as a target, who had 754 deep receiving yards this year, along with tight end Travis Kelce, who posted the second-highest yards per route among all tight ends. Sammy Watkins just makes life tougher for opposing secondaries. With Chris Jones, Justin Houston and Dee Ford all terrorizing pass rushers, the Chiefs should be able to harass even the quick-releasing Tom Brady in the AFC title game. The New England Patriots are riding their reputation in — but they also delivered a smackdown of the Chargers in their divisional playoff game. They do have a strong secondary despite all the yards they give up, thanks to shutdown corner Stephon Gilmore. They also put together a ferocious pass rush against the Chargers. Tailback Sony Michel had terrific numbers against the Chargers, but the Chiefs’ defensive line should have something to say about that. While Tom Brady remains ageless, his wide receiving corps is less than desirable, and Rob Gronkowski has not played nearly close to his dominant form this season at tight end. The Los Angeles Rams also have solid play at linebacker, as Cory Littleton has broken up more passes (8) than any other player at his position this year. Aaron Donald had 106 pressures this season, which makes you wonder how dominant the unit would have been if Ndamukong Suh had played a little harder. Josh Reynolds and Brandin Cooks make a decent pair at wide receiver, but can you imagine how scary the Rams would be if they still had Cooper Kupp healthy? Then there’s Jared Goff — which one will the Rams see in New Orleans? The fearless conductor of a high-flying offense? Or the tentative one who made some head-scratching throws against Dallas and threw too many picks down the stretch? That will likely make a large part of the difference against the Saints. Our Prediction: Chiefs and Saints play in Super Bowl LIII, with Kansas City winning it all