Another NFL season is finally upon us. We are about to embark on a regular season with 256 games of crazy endings, blowout wins, bad beats and everything else in between. Then we get 11 playoff games to determine a champion.
So, who wins that 267th game?
According to odds from Westgate Las Vegas SuperBook, these seven teams lead the list of favorites to win Super Bowl LIII: New England Patriots (6-1), Los Angeles Rams (9-1), Pittsburgh Steelers (10-1), Minnesota Vikings (10-1), Los Angeles Chargers (12-1), Green Bay Packers (12-1) and Houston Texans (12-1).
It's no fun picking any of those teams, so here are some Super Bowl value bets on teams with odds of 14-1 or worse:
Atlanta Falcons (14-1)
In what has been an unpredictable NFC, the Falcons are actually the only team in the conference to have made the playoffs in each of the past two seasons. During this run, they have won three of their five playoff games by double digits, but have twice had their season end in a heartbreaking loss to the eventual Super Bowl champion. The Falcons have been close. Real close.
As for 2018, Atlanta has a great chance to get off to a fast start, even with Thursday night's disappointing loss. According to ESPN's Football Power Index, the Falcons are favorites in eight of their first 10 games.
Another realistic expectation is an improved offense. It's hard to imagine that an offensive unit loaded with the weapons Atlanta has will rank 15th in scoring like it did a year ago. Expect improvement from Matt Ryan in his second season with offensive coordinator Steve Sarkisian. Keep in mind, the last time Ryan entered a season in his second year with an offensive coordinator was in 2016, when he won MVP and the Falcons led the NFL in scoring under Kyle Shanahan.
In case you were wondering where the Super Bowl is this season ... it's at Mercedes-Benz Stadium, home of the Atlanta Falcons.
Baltimore Ravens (30-1)
It was a disappointing end to 2017 for the Ravens, who missed out on the playoffs after a home loss to the Bengals in Week 17 (congrats, Buffalo). It marked the second straight season that John Harbaugh's team was eliminated from postseason contention in late December. Over those previous two seasons, the Ravens (+114) are one of nine teams to outscore their opponents by 100-plus points, but the only one of that group that hasn't made the playoffs.
ESPN's Football Power Index gives Baltimore a 54 percent chance this season to make the playoffs. The metric also favors the Ravens in each of their first three games before taking on the rival Steelers in Week 4.
Bettors haven't exactly been running to the counter to bet Baltimore, which ranks 25th in both ticket count and money wagered to win the Super Bowl at the SuperBook. The Ravens are the opposite of flashy, but that's why there's value in taking them at 30-1. According to ESPN's Football Power Index unit rankings, Baltimore ranks sixth on defense and first on special teams.
If the Ravens can get in the playoffs, they have proved to be a dangerous out with Joe Flacco. By the way, it's been more than just one Super Bowl run. Baltimore has won at least one game in all six of its postseason appearances with Flacco, including road wins against both of the current AFC favorites: Pittsburgh and New England.
Chicago Bears (60-1)
The Bears haven't made the playoffs since 2010 and are coming off a 5-11 season that ended with the firing of head coach John Fox. However, they were a few plays away from having a much better record in 2017. The Bears finished 2-6 in games decided by one possession, which was better than only Houston (1-5) and Cleveland (0-6). Chicago was held back by its dreadful offense last season, which ranked 29th in scoring and 30th in total offense. Enter new head coach Matt Nagy, who was the offensive coordinator for a Chiefs team that ranked sixth in scoring and fifth in total offense a year ago. The team also brought in its fair share of offensive weapons for second-year quarterback Mitchell Trubisky through both free agency and the draft.
The strength of the Bears is their defense, which ranked among the top 10 in points allowed, yards allowed and sacks last season. Nagy was able to retain defensive coordinator Vic Fangio, who will look to improve the unit even more in 2018. Let's not forget to mention that Chicago used the No. 8 overall pick in the draft on linebacker Roquan Smith and just traded for one the league's elite defensive playmakers in Khalil Mack. The Bears are one of five teams with at least 10 "toss-ups" on the schedule, games that ESPN's Football Power Index gives them between a 40 and 60 percent chance to win.
Improved personnel and a new head coach are reason to believe that Chicago can replicate the success of the Eagles, who went from 1-5 in one-possession games in 2016 to 7-2 last season (including playoffs) en route to winning it all. In case you were wondering, the Eagles entered 2017 at 40-1 to win the Super Bowl.
Washington Redskins (100-1)
According to the SuperBook's Jeff Sherman, there's been "below average support" on the Redskins at 100-1. That's not surprising considering they play in a division with three teams that have dominated the headlines this offseason. Speaking of the NFC East, no team has repeated as division champion since 2004. The Redskins have won it twice during this span (2012 and 2015), both times entering the season as the division long shot, just like they are in 2018.
For the first time in three years, Kirk Cousins' contract situation isn't an issue for Washington, which traded for Alex Smith early in the offseason. Smith never seems to get the love he deserves, despite being one of three quarterbacks to have a winning record as a starter in every season since 2011. The other two are Tom Brady and Aaron Rodgers.
Coming off a 7-9 season in 2017, the Redskins fit the mold of the past three NFC champions. The Panthers (7 wins), Falcons (8 wins) and Eagles (7 wins) all failed to post a winning record the season before reaching the Super Bowl. It might be crazy to say that Washington will win it all this season, but if it can find a way to make the playoffs, having a 100-1 ticket in your hands sure does open up a lot of options come January.