Should You Buy Low on Eagles’ Super Bowl 53 Odds?
- Odds on defending Super Bowl champion Philadelphia Eagles repeating have gotten a lot longer after 2-2 start
- Is there any value in betting the Eagles to win Super Bowl 53?
- Only one NFL team has repeated as Super Bowl champs in the past 20 years
The Philadelphia Eagles are discovering that it’s not so easy the second time around. At 2-2, not only are they looking up at other teams in the NFC, the Eagles are only the third-best team in the NFC East.
While online sports betting sites aren’t giving anyone in their division a better chance to win Super Bowl 53, there are a couple teams with much more favorable odds in their conference.
Super Bowl 53 Odds
The Eagles may still have the third-shortest Super Bowl 53 odds in the NFC, but they’re now seeing the sixth-shortest odds in the NFL, just three weeks after possessing the third-shortest at +920.
The Eagles as currently the third pick among NFC teams, but at odds of +1600.
Odds to Win Super Bowl 53
| Team | Odds |
|---|---|
| Los Angeles Rams | +333 |
| New England Patriots | +700 |
| Kansas City Chiefs | +750 |
| New Orleans Saints | +1100 |
| Jacksonsville Jaguars | +1100 |
| Philadelphia Eagles | +1600 |
| Minnesota Vikings | +1800 |
| Baltimore Ravens | +1800 |
| Green Bay Packers | +1800 |
*Follow the link in the table to see odds for all 32 teams
A Familiar Foe Awaits in Week 5
What better place and opponent for the Eagles to begin the charge back up the ladder than at home against the Minnesota Vikings? That’s Philly’s Week 5 opponent, the same team they took out 38-7 in last season’s NFC Championship Game.
A large Viking statue was sacked into the Schuylkill River along Kelly Drive early Tuesday morning.
Hmmmmm 🤔 Eagles play the Vikings Sunday pic.twitter.com/P0088UCFuU
— John Clark (@JClarkNBCS) October 2, 2018
Including that triumph, the Eagles are 11-1 straight up in their last 12 home games.
Reasons To Feel Good About The Eagles
Carson Wentz (knee surgery) is back under center and looking more like his old self each week.
Wide receiver Alshon Jeffery (shoulder surgery) caught eight balls for 105 yards in Week 4 against the Titans. Tight end Zach Ertz is on pace for the best season of his NFL career.
Through four games, Zach Ertz has 31 catches for 327 receiving yards. He is currently on pace for 124 catches for 1,308 receiving yards this season.
And then there’s this little factoid about Philly and treading water early in the season.
The last 6 times the Eagle were 2-2:
2010 – 10-6, made playoffs
2008 – 9-6-1, went to NFC Championship Game
2003 – 12-4, went to NFC Championship Game
2001 – 11-5, went to NFC Championship Game
2000 – 11-5, made playoffs
1989 – 11-5, made playoffs— Reuben Frank (@RoobNBCS) October 1, 2018
Reasons To Worry About The Eagles
On that list above, you see plenty of evidence that the Eagles have landed on their feet following slow starts. What you don’t see are any Super Bowl wins, and there’s a reason for that.
In Super Bowl history, 21 defending champs have started out 2-2 or worse. Eight of them rebounded to make the playoffs, including the 2017 Patriots, the team vanquished by Philly in Super Bowl 53.
Only 8 of 21 defending Super Bowl champions who started the next season 2-2 or worse have rebounded to make the playoffs
Seven of these teams endured losing seasons, and just one club, the 1993 Dallas Cowboys, bounced back from a 2-2 start and repeated as Super Bowl champions.
So there you have it. All the Eagles have to do in order to win the big game again is channel the Cowboys.
The Odds Are Against The Eagles
The fact of the matter is that Super Bowl champions rarely repeat in the salary cap era. Back-to-back titles happened seven times during the first 33 Super Bowls and once in the past 19. And it’s been 13 years since the Patriots won Super Bowls 38 and 39.
Doug Pederson today
“The sky is not falling. The ☀️ came up today. We're 2-2. We're still in good position, control our own destiny. A lot of football ahead of us and there is no panic”#FlyEaglesFly pic.twitter.com/PWh55Hbznl
— John Clark (@JClarkNBCS) October 3, 2018
So long odds or short odds, the Eagles are a bad bet to win Super Bowl 53.
Where is the Value in Super Bowl 53 Betting?
If you’re looking for a value pick to win the Super Bowl from the NFC, the New Orleans Saints (+1100) offer a much wiser option. And if it’s a longshot you desire, don’t overlook the surprising Chicago Bears (+2000).
After all, who would’ve picked the Eagles to win the Super Bowl at this point a year ago?
An industry veteran, Bob literally taught the course on the history of sports at Elder College. He has worked as a Sports Columnist for Postmedia, appeared as a guest on several radio stations, was the Vice President of the Society For International Hockey Research in Ontario, and written 25 books.
