Who’s Your 2021 Super Bowl Winner Now?

Prior to the season’s start, the Kansas City Chiefs and the Baltimore Ravens were popular plays among Super Bowl futures bettors. And for good reason. The odds were palatable enough and both teams are loaded with talent. Provided they stay healthy, there is a very good chance we’ll see them duke it out in the AFC Championship game.

The Carolina Panthers play host to the Baltimore Ravens on Nov 21, 2010 | Action Sports Photography / Shutterstock.com

However, if we have learned anything through the first two weeks of the 2020-21 NFL season, injuries can adversely affect a team’s chances of making a Super Bowl run in the blink of an eye. Not to mention that the NFL is always full of other surprises.

Along with the aforementioned Chiefs and Ravens, the San Francisco 49ers also generated a fair amount of early betting action. Why not? They are a relatively young and very talented team coming off a Super Bowl appearance. Bookmakers had them listed at about +1000 before the season started. How things have changed.

They were already dealing with a host of key injuries entering their Week two game against the Jets. That list of injuries only grew. Raheem Mostert and Jimmy G. both got hurt. Fortunately, Jimmy G. won’t miss much if any time and Raheem Mostert will be back soon. However, Nick Bosa and Solomon Thomas are lost for the season. That hurts. Many bettors who invested in the Niners to win the 2021 Super Bowl are looking to bail out. The Niners are now sitting at about +1400 to win the Super Bowl.

Best Betting Sites for Super Bowl 2021: 

Another team that understandably attracted plenty of future bets is the New Orleans Saints. Bookmakers were offering them at +1200. They started the year on the right foot, but they suffered a setback in a week 2 loss to Las Vegas.

Some have been quick to point out how Drew Brees appears to have regressed. Still, the Saints are a force and bookies are holding their Super Bowl odds steady. Of course, the Seattle Seahawks are still favored to win the NFC and their hot start has bookmakers offering them at about +1000 to win it all.

Favorites for 2021’s Super Bowl Winner

Now let’s take a look at a few teams that appear to offer value. We’ll start with the long-shot Las Vegas Raiders who started the season with victories over Carolina and New Orleans. Sure, their early success might give a bit of hope to anyone who took them at anywhere from +6000 to +8000. However, we’ve seen countless teams overachieve early only to fall flat. The Raiders defense is suspect at best. Still, Las Vegas has got the attention of futures bettors as bookies are now offering them at +4500.

It might be a little late to get the same value out of a Packers future as you could have before the season started. Their offense is firing on all cylinders and their odds have moved from about +3500 to +1600. That’s a pretty significant adjustment.

Similarly, the Los Angeles Rams have moved from about +5000 to +2100 after they opened their season with two straight wins. The Pittsburgh Steelers deserve to be mentioned in this conversation as well. This team opened at around +3000, but a quick start has bookmakers adjusting. You can get them now at +1800.

Finally, the Arizona Cardinals were priced at about +3500 entering the season. It’s not so much that they are 2-0 to start the year; it’s what they’ve shown on the field that has them currently sitting at +2600.  The NFC West will be an interesting division to follow.

There are also a few teams that have seen their Super Bowl odds move in the opposite direction. Perhaps no other team has seen such a dramatic move as the Minnesota Vikings who entered the year priced at +2500. If you still have faith in them, you can now get them at +5000. Slow starts for Philadelphia, Atlanta, and Houston have also prompted some noticeable adjustments.

So, if you could go back in time knowing what you know now, would you change your Super Bowl future bet? Would you double down on it? Yes, it’s early, but a lot has already happened. Remember that this is the NFL.

Teams that have started slowly have plenty of time to turn their fortunes around. Conversely, teams that currently look unbeatable can be exposed. Of course, nobody knows when those key injuries will come into play.