Saints and 49ers Open as Co-Favorites to Represent NFC in Super Bowl 55, Eagles Listed at Short +700 Odds
- The New Orleans Saints and San Francisco 49ers have opened as co-favorites to finish first in the NFC next season
- The Philadelphia Eagles are the third choice despite going just 9-7 last season, but should re-load under Howie Roseman & co. this offseason.
- See the full odds for each team in the NFC to reach the Super Bowl in the upcoming NFL year
There was a three-way tie atop the NFC last season between the Green Bay Packers, New Orleans Saints and San Francisco 49ers as all finished with stellar 13-3 records.
The 49ers ended up winning the tiebreaker and rode the No. 1 seed from the conference all the way to the Super Bowl.
Oddsmakers expect quite a battle for the best record in the NFC again this year, as the Saints and 49ers are co-favorites to reach Super Bowl 55 in Tampa.
Odds to Win 2021 NFC Championship
| Team | Odds |
|---|---|
| Saints | +500 |
| 49ers | +500 |
| Eagles | +700 |
| Cowboys | +900 |
| Packers | +900 |
| Seahawks | +900 |
| Rams | +1400 |
| Vikings | +1500 |
| Bears | +1600 |
| Falcons | +2000 |
| Buccaneers | +2000 |
| Cardinals | +2200 |
| Giants | +2500 |
| Panthers | +3300 |
| Lions | +3300 |
| Redskins | +5000 |
Odds taken March 4.
This marks the second year in a row that the Saints open as co-favorites in their NFL conference championship odds.
New Orleans went on to win the NFC South and conference’s No. 2 seed before being stunned by the Minnesota Vikings at home in a divisional round playoff game.
The other co-favorite, the Los Angeles Rams, failed to make the playoffs after reaching the Super Bowl the previous season and opening last season at +500 in the 2020 NFC Championship odds.
49ers’ Losses Should Be Minimal
That the 49ers and Saints are tied for the top choice to capture the NFC crown this upcoming season, which is not a big surprise. With all due respect to the Packers, San Francisco and New Orleans were the two best teams in the NFC last season.
The 49ers will have almost all their key players back and should be motivated after blowing a 10-point lead in the fourth quarter and losing to the Kansas City Chiefs in the Super Bowl.
Three starters are set to become unrestricted free agent later this month: wide receiver Emmanuel Sanders, center Jon Garland and defensive end Arik Armstead.
The 49ers would like to re-sign Armstead but have just an estimated $13 million in salary cap space. They are also looking to clear salary so they can sign tight end George Kittle and defensive tackle DeForest Buckner to extensions.
Though San Francisco still looks like the top NFC team, one thing that should make bettors wary of the 49ers is the possibility of suffering the Super Bowl hangover, which comes from losing in the big game. Just ask the Rams.
Brees’ Return Gives Saints Good Shot
With ageless quarterback Drew Brees deciding to come back for another season rather than retire or take a television analyst job, the Saints will again be dangerous.
Walker: Drew Brees is coming back — and, no, that Super Bowl window hasn't closed just yet https://t.co/5mTLT8AaJS via @nolanews
— Contessa & Co. NOLAFixer (@contessaco_nola) February 26, 2020
They also figure to be fueled by heartbreaking playoff losses each of the last two years. Bad officiating has haunted them both times.
The Saints, though, might need to do some rebuilding in the secondary as cornerback Eli Apple and safety Vonn Bell are set to become UFAs along with linebacker A.J. Klein, wide receiver Ted Ginn Jr., guard Andrus Peat and defensive tackle David Onyemata.
It might be best to hold off on the Saints until we see how they fill those potential holes in free agency and the draft.
Eagles Surprise Third Choice
The Eagles are a bit of a surprise as the No. 3 choice.
Philadelphia needed to win its last four games of the regular season just to finish 9-7 and win a lackluster NFC East in 2019. The Eagles then got bounced at home by the Seattle Seahawks in a wild card playoff in which they lost quarterback Carson Wentz to a concussion.
Carson Wentz is being evaluated for a concussion because of this play pic.twitter.com/0nuu4cPBRc
— John Clark (@JClarkNBCS) January 5, 2020
Wentz clearly has the talent to be a top-flight quarterback, but durability is certainly a concern. Though he played in every game last season, his 2017 and 2018 seasons were cut short by injury.
That is why the Eagles seem to be a risky proposition.
Falcons Worth Watching
A team that represents potentially good value is the Atlanta Falcons at +2000.
The Falcons won six of their last eight games in 2019. That salvaged both what appeared to be a disastrous season following a 1-7 start along with coach Dan Quinn’s job.
And any team with the pass-catch combination of Matt Ryan and Julio Jones strikes fear in opponents.
John Perrotto has been covering and writing about sports for various outlets for over 40 years. His work has appeared in the likes of USA TODAY, ESPN.com, SI.com, Forbes.com, The Associated Press, Baseball Digest, and more. John is based out of Beaver Falls, PA.
