In the early odds to win Super Bowl LVlll, the Chiefs were the favorites to win back-to-back championships. As we open the season in just under a month, Kansas City still remains at the top spot with no argument. A lot of people have grown accustomed to the idea of a Super Bowl LVll rematch and these odds suggest just that. With the preseason winding down and the regular season getting closer, let’s take a look at who the favorites are to hoist the Lombardi Trophy in 2024.
Best Odds to Win Super Bowl LVlll
Kansas City Chiefs (+600)
It’s no surprise that the defending Super Bowl Champion Kansas City Chiefs are the favorites to win it all again this year. The biggest reason why is because of one name, Patrick Mahomes. That’s really all that needs to be said. He’s coming off his second MVP season by throwing for 5,250 yards with 41 touchdowns to 12 interceptions and he capped it off with his second Super Bowl. If that wasn’t enough, he has the best connection in the NFL with Travis Kelce, who just put up his seventh 1000-yard season as he had 1,338 yards with a career-high 12 touchdowns.
That duo is enough to solidify the Chiefs as Super Bowl Champions, of course along with the coaching prowess of Andy Reid. There might be worries about the defense but they’ve been there and done that, facing the same questions yet appearing in and winning Super Bowls doesn’t seem to be a problem when you have this high-powered offense. If the Chiefs are able to repeat, they would be the first team to do so since the 2003 and 2004 Patriots.
Philadelphia Eagles (+650)
Right behind them is Super Bowl LVll runner-up Philadelphia Eagles, who suffered a crushing 38-35 defeat against the Chiefs to end last season. Despite that loss, they come into this season with a vengeance and maybe even better than last year’s team. They return Jalen Hurts under center, who has taken the league by storm by leading the Eagles to a 14-3 record by throwing for 3,701 yards and 22 touchdowns with only six interceptions. He also ran for 750 yards and 13 touchdowns. His great performance earned him MVP runner-up.
He’s flanked by one of the best-receiving corps in the league with A.J. Brown and DeVonta Smith, who both had over 1,000-yard seasons. Tight end Dallas Goedert would’ve gotten or been close to a 1000-yard season last year as well if he stayed healthy. They lost their lead running back with Miles Sanders but replaced him with a trade for D’Andre Swift and snagged Rashaad Penny to try to get him back to form.
The Eagles didn’t only dominate on offense last year but did on defense too. While they lost some pieces on that side of the ball, they all but made up for it by dominating the NFL Draft while still keeping a top cornerback duo on board. This Philadelphia team has a lot of talent on both sides of the ball, maybe even more than last year, and it’ll be hard to keep them from making yet another showing in the big game.
Buffalo Bills (+900)
The Buffalo Bills slid down one from the early odds but that has nothing to do with them and all to do with what the Eagles did in the offseason. The Bills were the favorites to win it all last season but had an ugly outing against Cincinnati in the Divisional Round. They now come into this season with a chip on their shoulder to show everyone that they are still a team to beat on the road to Super Bowl LVlll.
Before Josh Allen became the Bills starting quarterback in 2018, this team made the playoffs once since 1999. Fast forward with number 17 under center, and the Bills have been one of the best teams in the league. They’re consistently finding themselves in the playoffs and atop of the list of favorites with a loaded roster but there’s always been some team standing in the way whether it’s the Chiefs or Bengals. Allen still has one of the best connections in the league with Stefon Diggs and a reliable secondary option in Gabe Davis with a promising TE group of Dawson Knox and rookie Dalton Kincaid.
They will be dangerous yet again on offense but the defense also is what makes this team who they are. Their secondary is one of the best with Jordan Poyer and a returning Micah Hyde at safety along with Tre’Davious White at corner. The Bills are also looking to get back a healthy Von Miller who had eight sacks in 11 games last season. Many are saying the Bills are slowly declining from their dominant status but they still have the power to prove people wrong.
San Francisco 49ers (+1000)
With the Eagles dominating headlines all offseason in terms of their roster, the San Francisco 49ers fall to second as NFC favorites for the upcoming season. Even with multiple options at the quarterback position, Brock Purdy will be looked at as the starter come week one. Unfortunately for San Fransisco, Purdy suffered an arm injury in the first quarter of last year’s NFC Championship Game and Trey Lance was already injured so they had to go with their third-string. They were in the mud from the start but hope to regain form this season.
Now that Purdy is healthy, the 49ers are ready to challenge for the Super Bowl yet again this season. They have one of the best overall rosters in the league and a system made for just about any capable quarterback. Purdy is surrounded by Deebo Samuel, Brandon Aiyuk, and George Kittle as well as superstar running back Christian McCaffrey. A step further is taken with this defense, headlined by Nick Bosa and that scary defensive line.
The 49ers have made it to the NFC Championship Game three of the last four years, even with people pointing out weakness at the quarterback position. With the mastermind Kyle Shanahan leading the charge, this team is set up perfectly to succeed in almost any situation and is still a strong favorite to win Super Bowl LVlll.
Cincinnati Bengals (+1100)
There is a trio of tier-one teams in the AFC who seem to be fighting for the right to play in February and the Cincinnati Bengals are one of them. They’ve been on the cusp of their first Super Bowl in franchise history in each of the last two seasons but have fallen just short. They lost to the Rams in the Super Bowl two years ago while losing to the Chiefs by three points in the AFC Championship Game last year. There’s no coincidence that Cincinnati became instantly one of the best teams in the league over the last two years with Joe Burrow.
With him being surrounded by wide receivers Ja’Marr Chase and Tee Higgins along with running back Joe Mixon, the Bengals aren’t going anywhere anytime soon and are poised to represent the AFC in the big game again real soon. They also have been upgrading their offensive line to accommodate Burrow, recently bringing Orlando Brown Jr. into the mix.
They’re lethal on the offensive side of the ball but questions however do remain of the defensive side. They lost key starters along the secondary but are hoping the pass rush with Trey Hendrickson and 2023 Draft pick Myles Murphy will hide some of that inexperience back there. But as we’ve seen with other teams, having a high-powered offense such as the one in Cincinnati can mask some of the weaknesses on the other side of the ball and that’s exactly why they’re one of the favorites to win it all.
Next Best Odds:
Dallas Cowboys (+1400)
New York Jets (+1600)
Baltimore Ravens (+1800)
Detroit Lions (+2200)
Miami Dolphins (+2500)
Main Image: Mark J. Rebilas-USA TODAY Sports
Great Article. Josh Allen is #17, not #19.