Super Bowl Odds Predict Colts, Saints Match-Up

NFL News - January 6th, 2010 - Written by John

Although it is still weeks away, it is never too soon to beginning dissecting both brackets in the NFL Playoffs and projecting the teams most likely to find themselves in Miami this year. It is a postseason riddled with top teams who have backed into the playoffs, and wild card teams who have been nothing short of sizzling.

Only a handful of teams are considered to have a decent shot at making the Super Bowl, which could make this postseason one of the most lucrative ever in NFL Sportsbooks. That's because longshots like Green Bay and Philadelphia are far better teams than their seedings indicate, and have offenses that could be meddlesome in the later rounds.

The New York Jets play the Cincinnati Bengals in the playoff opener this Saturday, and it's clear that oddsmakers won't consider the winner of that game a legitimate contender. The Jets are the longshot to win the Super Bowl at +4000, according to BetUS, and Cincinnati has slightly better odds at +3500.

Of course it all depends on match-ups, but for the moment, the Indianapolis Colts are the favorite at +300, which is only right because they have been the best team all year. Before head coach Jim Caldwell elected to sit his starters, and the team therefore went 0-2 to close out the schedule, Peyton Manning was in the middle of another one of those career years that could very well land him the MVP trophy.

He was the league's sixth-rated passer, and two receivers had 100 catches on the year, the only tandem to do so. Reggie Wayne ended up with about 160 more yards than Dallas Clark, but both clearly earned Pro Bowl spots and were part of a receiving corps that had four receivers with at least 600 yards.

After that, it's the NFC favorite New Orleans Saints, who's odds slide a little bit to +400, according to NFL Betting Lines. If the Saints were to even reach the Super Bowl, it would be the first time in team history, and a dramatic turn from a forgettable end to the regular season.

Drew Brees wasn't terrible, and still managed to earn the starting spot in the Pro Bowl, but he was a cheap imitation of his former self, throwing only two total scores in the final two games. New Orleans' defense even slid a bit, falling to 25th overall in the NFL.

Both two seeds come next, and are the only other teams with triple-digit odds. After the San Diego Chargers and Minnesota Vikings, it's into the quadruples, as the Dallas Cowboys and New England Patriots at +1000 and +1200, respectively.

Starting the second half of the list is the Eagles, which is an interesting place for them considering they were one win away from winning the NFC East and hosting the first round wild card game this weekend. But that's not how it happened, and a six-game winning streak late in the year is forgotten. In it's place is long odds to win the franchise's first championship at +1500.

One of the hottest teams in the NFC, though, is the Packers, who have rolled to seven wins in the last eight, and have scored more points (117) in their last three than any team in the league. Although the Arizona Cardinals are favored to beat the Packers in their first-round match-up, both teams give bettors a return of +2000 if they win it all.

The Baltimore Ravens, who, lost in the furor of this year's playoff hunt, are the only team from last year's AFC Championship still in the postseason, and have +2500 odds to win the Super Bowl.