Super Bowl 52 Futures Ahead of Wild Card Weekend: Bills Given a Chance

The Seattle Seahawks, Los Angeles Chargers, and Baltimore Ravens all saw their Super Bowl 52 hopes disappear in Week 17. Meanwhile, the Buffalo Bills ended the longest playoff drought in North American professional sports thanks to their victory over the Dolphins and the Bengals’ win over Baltimore.

With only 12 teams left standing ahead of Wild Card Weekend, here are the most significant movements in the Super Bowl 52 futures odds, along with your best value bets from each conference.

Bills No Longer AFC’s Super Bowl 52 Longshot

Entering Week 17, the Bills needed to beat the Miami Dolphins and have either (a) the Ravens lose or (b) the Chargers and Titans lose. Thanks to a 49-yard Tyler Boyd touchdown catch with 44 seconds remaining, the Bengals upset the Ravens and helped the Bills head back to the playoffs for the first time since the 1999 season.

Buffalo’s average odds to win Super Bowl 52 ahead of Week 17 were +16400, and as long as +20000 on a handful of betting sites. Heading into Wild Card Weekend, the Bills’ average odds to win Super Bowl 52 are +7600, and as short as +5500. This moves the Bills in front of the Tennessee Titans, who possess +8000 odds to hoist the Lombardi Trophy.

EXPERT ADVICE (AFC): Neither Wild Card team in the AFC is worth placing any money on. The Bills are 3-5 straight up on the road this season, they cannot stop the run, and LeSean McCoy is questionable at best for their matchup with the Jaguars. Meanwhile, the Titans are also 3-5 straight up on the road in 2017, and have been getting torched through the air all season.

The Jacksonville Jaguars remain your best value bet to win the Super Bowl among AFC teams. With the Patriots average odds at +190, there’s very little to be won betting the defending champions. And if there is a team that can take down Tom Brady and the Pats, it’s the Jaguars. Jacksonville can get after the passer without having to blitz, and have arguably the best cornerback duo in the league (Jalen Ramsey, AJ Bouye). You can get the Jaguars at +2200 at some betting sites.

Panthers Super Bowl 52 Odds Fade

The Panthers’ Week 17 loss to the Falcons has hurt Carolina’s stock at many online sportsbooks. Cam Newton and the offense only managed ten points against a very mediocre Atlanta defense, and they recorded less than 190 passing yards in 11 of their 16 games this season.

The most recent disappointing performance from the offense has Carolina’s average odds to win Super Bowl 52 at +2300, up from +1600 a week ago. You can get the Panthers as long as +2500.

EXPERT ADVICE (NFC): Although their defense makes them an enticing option in the NFC, the Panthers cannot be trusted against the New Orleans Saints during Wild Card Weekend. I also refuse to put my faith in Atlanta’s offense, especially considering they’ll have to play on the road each step of the way.

The two teams worth betting on to win Super Bowl 52 in the NFC are the Los Angeles Rams (+980 average odds) and New Orleans Saints (+950 average odds), simply due to quarterback play. Case Keenum has been great for the Vikings this year, but who knows how he will react in a playoff atmosphere; and Nick Foles has not proven he can lead the Eagles offense. Jared Goff is inexperienced, but I have a lot of faith in Sean McVay to prepare his quarterback for the bright lights, and Drew Brees is a Super Bowl champion who is still as deadly as ever with his arm.

If you have the bank for it, a bet on both the Rams and Saints at +1000 gives you a great opportunity for a big haul. If you only want to bet on one, I’d side with Brees and the Saints. If they both advance, New Orleans will get the easier matchup with the Carson Wentz-less Eagles in the Divisional Playoffs, while the Rams would travel to Minnesota, a place they already lost in Week 11 (24-7).