Cardinals, Lions, Dolphins All See Their Super Bowl 54 Odds Improve; Do Any Longshots Have a Chance?

• The Miami Dolphins are the longest shot to win the Super Bowl at +15000
• The Detroit Lions are at +8000 but face an uphill battle in a very difficult division
• The Carolina Panthers could be a good value play at +5000

The Miami Dolphins, Detroit Lions, and Arizona Cardinals have all seen their Super Bowl 54 odds improve slightly. Is this just some random housekeeping done by the oddsmakers to limit potential losses, or do any of these teams have a case to be made for winning the Lombardi Trophy next season?

Super Bowl 54 Odds: Longshot Teams at +5000 or Worse

*Odds taken 06/20/19

Dolphins Are A Dumpster Fire

The Miami Dolphins are the longest shot to win the Super Bowl next season and you can cross them off the list. They’ve added Ryan Fitzpatrick and Josh Rosen at quarterback this offseason, but even Miami fans wearing the rosiest of rose-colored glasses can’t see this team making the playoffs.

By most accounts, this team is tanking, which is why they have Fitzpatrick under center. He’ll be protected by one of the worst offensive lines in football and he’ll have a thin receiving corps to work with.

The defense has two good cornerbacks in Minkah Fitzpatrick and Xavien Howard but that’s about it. Forget about Dolphins futures. This team is eyeing the 2020 NFL Draft.

Can Cardinals Be Scrappy?

The Cardinals are fresh off a tumultuous season but at least there has been an infusion of optimism. If Kliff Kingsbury is a Sean McVay-like genius and if Kyler Murray is Russell Wilson-like, this team can turn things around quickly. They injected a ton of talent on the offensive side of the ball in the draft, so there is upside.

The challenge is that they’re in a very good division with two teams that made the playoffs last year — the Rams and Seahawks — one of which went to the Super Bowl. Throw in a San Francisco 49ers side that will get star quarterback Jimmy Garoppolo back, and the Cardinals look like the fourth-best team by a wide margin.

The Cardinals will also have to play the first six games of the season without eight-time Pro Bowl cornerback Patrick Peterson.

A lot has to go right for this team to even make the playoffs, let alone the Super Bowl, so I wouldn’t bet this.

Are The Lions Underrated?

I almost want to invest in the Lions but they’re a franchise that often can’t get out of their own way.

They look decent on paper, with an offense led by a star quarterback in Matt Stafford, a couple of good receivers in Marvin Jones and Kenny Golladay, and now the addition of tight end T.J. Hockenson, a highly-touted first-round pick. And the running game should function with Kerryon Johnson and C.J. Anderson.

On defense, a quality unit added lineman Trey Flowers, cornerback Justin Coleman and second-round pick Jahlani Tavai.

At the same time, this is a team that went 3-7 down the stretch last season, was rumored to be frustrated with head coach Matt Patricia, and already has two star defenders (Darius Slay and Damon Harrison) holding out.

Beyond that, some wonder if the Lions really have their priorities straight. Do they really understand positional value? They drafted a tight end in the top ten.

To some extent, they look like they’re doing a really bad job of mimicking the New England Patriots. They signed Flowers and Danny Amendola, who were Patriots cast-offs. Shouldn’t that be a red flag?

Detroit is in a really tough division too with three other teams that can win the NFC. Given how poorly they performed in Matt Patricia’s first year, I simply can’t have faith in them here.

Panthers Worth A Play As A Longshot

If you’re looking for a longshot with a chance to win it all, take a look at the Carolina Panthers at +5000. This should be the best supporting cast that quarterback Cam Newton has ever had on offense. Meanwhile, Ron Rivera typically does a good job with the defense.

This team has won seven games or less four times in the last seven seasons and each of the previous three times, they’ve won at least 11 games the following season. If Newton is finally healthy, I can see this being a double-digit win team and a real threat in the NFC. They’re my longshot play at +5000.