Super Bowl XLVIII Futures
As we inch closer and closer to the start of the football season, it’s getting more and more difficult to avoid seeing the game mentioned just about everywhere.
Rather than focusing on the games that are just a month away, let’s look farther ahead. Here are five longshots to win the Super Bowl this upcoming season.
Odds courtesy of Bovada.lv.
Dallas Cowboys +3500
The team took to the air in the latter half of last season, and that turned their year around. While they fell short of the playoffs, there’s reason to be optimistic entering this season. Dez Bryant showed that he can be “the guy,” and Jason Garrett finally appears to be ready to get back to the style of play that got him the team’s head coaching gig in the first place.
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Injuries plagued the defense a year ago, and the time off to get healthy is enough of a reason to expect a bounce back. As good as they can look at times, something always seems to go wrong for the team. Maybe this is the year they push through.
Carolina Panthers +4500
Last season was a roller coaster year for Cam Newton, but he seemed to figure something out around the midpoint of the season, and no one ended the season hotter than the Panthers. Carolina has plenty of playmakers on offense, even if the majority of them do their work out of the backfield. The team has plenty of talent on the defensive side of the ball, starting with a strong defensive line, and it’s no coincidence that the defensive line was the team’s strong point in their only trip to the Super Bowl. Luke Kuechly has quietly established himself as one of the best defensive players in the game. [soliloquy id=”82219″]
Kansas City +5000
Going from 2-14 in the Super Bowl doesn’t seem likely, but that record isn’t indicative of the talent on the Chief roster. The team sent six players to the Pro Bowl last season. This year, Andy Reid looks to redeem himself after an ugly final couple of seasons in Philadelphia, and Alex Smith looks to redeem himself after losing his job in San Francisco. Those additions will mean we should finally get to see Jamaal Charles and Dwayne Bowe play to their full potential, and that means bad news for the rest of the AFC West.
Cleveland Browns +8500
The AFC North is up for grabs this season, and the Browns are positioned well to claim their first division title since 1989. Adding Norv Turner as offensive coordinator will mean big things for the offense. The roster fits perfectly into the type of offense he likes to run. Trent Richardson can be the workhorse back that Turner loves, while Brandon Weeden and Josh Gordon should give opponents fits in the deep passing game. Ray Horton should help an improving defense take another step forward. Adding Paul Kruger and Barkevious Mingo will fix the defense’s biggest issue, which was the pass rush.
Arizona Cardinals +14000
The Cardinals are an afterthought in the arms race out West, but the addition of Bruce Arians as head coach will make a major difference. Carson Palmer is no Kurt Warner, and the team’s issues along the offensive line haven’t gone away, but more consistent play from the offense can certainly be expected. I hate that they let Ray Horton leave, but they remain very talented on defense.
