As the NFL preseason draw to a close it remains a tight four-way race atop the odds to win Super Bowl 54, with the defending champion New England Patriots leading the way as a narrow +700 favourite on the Super Bowl odds at sportsbooks monitored by OddsShark.com.
New England underwent a number of personnel changes during the offseason after claiming their third Super Bowl victory in five years, including parting ways with offensive tackle Trent Brown and defensive end Trey Flowers as free agents, but will have quarterback Tom Brady under center when they open the season with next Sunday’s Week 1 matchup against the Pittsburgh Steelers at Gillette Stadium as 6-point betting favourites at sportsbooks.
Once again, Brady’s leadership proved key to the Patriots’ success, with the 42-year-old throwing for 4,355 yards and 29 touchdowns while leading the team to an 11-5 record and a 10th straight AFC East division crown.
More of the same is expected from New England this season. After going 3-1 during preseason action, the Patriots look to the 2019 NFL campaign as heavy -500 favourites on the NFL odds to once again lead the AFC East, while edging out the Kansas City Chiefs as +300 chalk to claim a fourth straight AFC conference championship.
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However, the Chiefs remain close behind New England on the Super Bowl odds, joining the New Orleans Saints as +800 co-second favourites, ahead of the Los Angeles Rams at +850.
The Chiefs are coming off an outstanding 2018 campaign, racking up an AFC-best 12-4 record and edging the Los Angeles Chargers for a third straight AFC West title. Kansas City benefited from Patrick Mahomes’ spectacular debut as an NFL starting quarterback, as the 23-year-old fueled the Chiefs’ offence with 50 touchdown passes to earn NFL MVP honours.
The Saints hope to rebound from a controversial 26-23 overtime loss to the Rams in last year’s NFC championship game, but took steps to build on an offence led by Drew Brees, adding tight end Jared Cook and rusher Latavius Murray as free agents.
The Rams remain in the mix after compiling an NFL-best 13-3 record last season and advancing to the Super Bowl for the first time in 17 years. However, concerns linger over the health of two-time NFL rushing touchdowns leader Todd Gurley, who continues to struggle with a wonky knee that has plagued him since his college days at Georgia.
Further down the Super Bowl odds, four teams sit deadlocked at +1400, including the Chargers, Chicago Bears, Cleveland Browns, and Philadelphia Eagles, while the Indianapolis Colts have seen their odds plummet to +5000 following the news that broke last weekend of quarterback Andrew Luck’s retirement from the NFL.
