NFL betting, odds: Despite struggles, Buffalo Bills are still Super Bowl favorites
It certainly hasn't been a banner week for the Buffalo Bills. Last Sunday, they lost outright as a 10.5-point favorite against the New York Jets. Late in that game, Josh Allen injured his elbow. His status was in question all week, but he ended up suiting up on Sunday against the Vikings. Despite having a 17-point lead in the second half, the Bills ended up losing as nearly a touchdown home favorite. The NFL world is starting to wonder what's up with the Bills.
Buffalo has lost back-to-back games despite being a sizable favorite in both games. Josh Allen has thrown just one touchdown to four interceptions over those two games and might very well be managing an injury. While Allen's odds to win NFL MVP have taken a sizable hit over the last two weeks, oddsmakers aren't worried about the Bills as a whole.
Buffalo is still the Super Bowl favorite
Buffalo entered the season as the betting favorite to win the Super Bowl. The Bills went 6-1 in their first seven games and looked like they were deserving of the favorite role. Buffalo's win over Kansas City in Arrowhead in Week 6 seemed to cement the Bills as favorites to win the Super Bowl.
However, the past few weeks haven't been great. They beat the Packers in Week 8 coming off a bye, but it was a sloppy performance that featured two interceptions from Allen. They followed that up by losing back-to-back games. It's fair to wonder about the Bills based on what we've seen the past few weeks.
However, oddsmakers aren't worried. Buffalo is still +400 to win the Super Bowl, the lowest odds of any team in the league.
You can easily make a case both for and against the Bills. We've seen them at the top of their game. They destroyed Tennessee by a score of 41-7. The Titans are 6-2 in their other eight games. They went on the road and beat Kansas City. In the opener, they rolled the Rams back when we thought they were good.
However, over the last few weeks, you've also seen that this team is flawed. Josh Allen has turned the ball over way too much. Will his elbow injury perhaps impact his play moving forward? We were convinced the Bills would take another step forward this season. Have they taken that step?
If you like Buffalo, you can get them at a decent price right now at +400. They were down to +250 a few weeks ago. However, if you like any of the other teams in the league, they all have higher odds than the Bills right now.
What's the rest of the league look like?
The Kansas City Chiefs won on Sunday to improve to 7-2. They now have the best record in the AFC and would have a bye if the season ended today. They have gained a game advantage over Buffalo right now in the standings, so the Bills will need to find a way to make that up if they want to avoid Arrowhead in the playoffs. Home-field advantage could be massive if these teams meet in the playoffs like many expect. Kansas City has the second-best odds to win the Super Bowl at +450.
The Eagles play on Monday night, but as of Monday afternoon, they're still undefeated. They're massive favorites to improve to 9-0 on Monday night. Philadelphia is the betting favorite to come out of the NFC and has the third-best Super Bowl odds at +500. Between the Bills, Chiefs and Eagles, there's a clear distinction in the betting odds between the three top teams and the rest of the league. No other teams are better than 10-to-1 to win the Super Bowl.
Here's the price on some other potential contenders at BetMGM:
San Francisco 49ers (10-to-1)
Baltimore Ravens (12-to-1)
Minnesota Vikings (12-to-1)
Dallas Cowboys (14-to-1)
Miami Dolphins (16-to-1)
Tampa Bay Buccaneers (16-to-1)
Cincinnati Bengals (30-to-1)
Tennessee Titans (30-to-1)
Los Angeles Chargers (35-to-1)
New York Jets (50-to-1)
Seattle Seahawks (50-to-1)
New England Patriots (66-to-1)
New York Giants (66-to-1)
