The 5 Betting Favorites to Win Super Bowl LVI
Super Bowl LV was a 31–9 triumph for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers over the Kansas City Chiefs as quarterback Tom Brady threw for three touchdown passes and the ‘Bucs defense gave Chiefs’ quarterback Patrick Mahomes little time to find open receivers. It was the first Super Bowl victory for Tampa Bay since 2003 and the seventh Super Bowl for Brady, who previously won six with the New England Patriots.
Despite the fact he will be 44 years old when the 2021 National Football League (NFL) season begins, Brady recently signed a two-year contract extension with the Buccaneers. He has shown no signs of slowing down and, as such, is pegged by many to lead the Buccaneers back to the Super Bowl next season. Below are the five betting favorites to win Super Bowl LVI as of March 2021.
Kansas City Chiefs
Despite losing in Super Bowl LV, the Chiefs are the betting favorites to win Super Bowl LVI. The team won 14 of its 16 regular season games in 2020 and has finished first in its division in each of the past five years. It also defeated the San Francisco 49ers 31–20 in Super Bowl LIV. Most prominent sportsbooks, including DraftKings and William Hill offer the Chiefs at +500 to win Super Bowl LVI, meaning a successful $100 bet on the team would garner the bettor a $500 profit.
The team has yet to make any major roster changes through the first couple days of NFL free agency, but is bringing back much of the same core that contributed to its success over the past two seasons. It did, however, strengthen its offensive line by signing Joe Thuney to a five-year, $80 million contract. The former Patriots player was considered one of the premier interior offensive linemen on the free agent market.
Tampa Bay Buccaneers
Brady and the Buccaneers are well poised to repeat as NFL champions in 2021, although with considerably worse odds than the Chiefs. DraftKings, BetMGM, and Unibet all list the team at +800, while William Hill has the defending champions at +900. PointsBet gives more favorable odds at +650.
In addition to restructuring Brady’s contract, the Buccaneers re-signed running back C.J. Prosise as well as tight end Rob Gronkowski and also signed defensive lineman Sam Renner and center Donell Stanley early in free agency. Gronkowski, who has now won four Super Bowls alongside Brady, caught 45 passes for 623 total receiving yards and scored seven touchdowns last season. He also had two touchdowns in four playoff games.
Green Bay Packers
The Green Bay Packers have had eerily similar seasons through two years under head coach Matt LaFleur. The team finished first in its division with a win-loss record of 13–3 in 2020 and 2019 and lost in the NFC Championship Game in both years. Last year, Green Bay lost 31–26 to the eventual champion Buccaneers.
The Packers lost All-Pro center Corey Linsley to the Los Angeles Chargers in free agency, but re-signed star running back Aaron Jones and will return quarterback Aaron Rodgers, who won his third NFL MVP last season. The 37-year-old threw for a career-best 48 touchdowns compared to only five interceptions and accumulated 4,299 passing yards.
PointsBet and William Hill list the Packers at +1000, while other sportsbooks, including FanDuel and BetMGM, have the Packers winning the Super Bowl at +1100.
Buffalo Bills
NFL analysts were optimistic about the Buffalo Bills heading into the 2020 season, but few could have predicted the team would win 13 of its 16 games and reach the AFC Conference Championship Game for the first time since 1993. Sports media organizations including CBS Sports, Sporting News, and Bleacher Report had the Bills winning anywhere from nine to 11 games in 2020. Fast forward to March 2021 and Buffalo is considered a top-five betting favorite to win the Super Bowl. The team is listed at +1200 by William Hill and FanDuel, among other sportsbooks.
After missing the playoffs in 17 consecutive seasons, the Bills have made the postseason in three of the past four seasons and showed drastic improvement in 2020 due in large part to the chemistry between quarterback Josh Allen and wide receiver Stefon Diggs. Both players had breakout seasons as Allen threw for a career-best 4,544 passing yards and 37 touchdowns while Diggs had 127 catches for 1,535 receiving yards.
Los Angeles Rams
The Los Angeles Rams made the playoffs for the third time in four seasons in 2020, but lost to the Packers in the Divisional Round. Entering its fifth season with head coach Sean McVay, the team has championship aspirations in 2021 and proved as much by acquiring quarterback Matt Stafford from the Detroit Lions. Similarly, Stafford asked to be traded to a team “that was ready to win a championship” and his request was granted by Detroit. The 12-year veteran has 45,109 passing yards and 282 touchdowns through 165 career regular season games.
DraftKings, William Hill, and FanDuel, among others, list the Rams at +1300 to win Super Bowl LVI. BetMGM, meanwhile, has the team at +1000, which is fourth for that particular sportsbook.
