by Five weeks into the 2022 NFL regular season, and it seems like so much has happened. Jimmy Garoppolo is once again the starting quarterback for the San Francisco 49ers, both the New York Jets and New York Giants are above .500 combined for the first time since Week 9 of 2015, and the NFC East may have established itself as the best division in football. Like we all saw coming, right?
One of the best parts about NFL gambling is that you can bet on Super Bowl winners and mid-season award winners, but you still want to strike as early as possible to get decent value. Now that we’re about a third of the way through the regular season, maybe it’s time to revisit some Super Bowl odds. Below, we’ll list Lombardi odds for all 32 NFL teams and provide some midseason bets below.
All NFL odds are from Caesars Sportsbook.
Leaders +650
I agree that the Bills are still the favorites to lift the Lombardi Trophy, but to bet them at +350? No thanks, I’ll wait for them to lose a game and then maybe that number will drop. How about the Chiefs, though?
Remember when people claimed the Chiefs were going to move into the AFC West this season because of the additions the other three teams made? I do, because I was one of those people. Well, five weeks later and the Chiefs still look like the top dog in the division. However, Patrick Mahomes and Co. he hasn’t had the perfect season so far. They blew out the Cardinals in Week 1 and the Bucs in Week 4, shot themselves in the foot and ended up losing to the lowly Colts in Week 3, and also had tough wins over the rival Chargers in Week 2 and the Raiders in Week 5. Leaders really should be invincible.
Mahomes is still one of the best quarterbacks in the game and Travis Kelce is still a legendary red zone target. He’s coming off a four-touchdown performance, and his seven receiving touchdowns this season are tied for second-most by a tight end in five games all-time. The wide receiver corps hasn’t looked great up to this point, but I think JuJu Smith-Schuster, Marquez Valdes-Scantling and Skyy Moore could play bigger roles in the coming weeks. The same goes for Isiah Pacheco.
At this point, I’m sure most of us think it’s either the Bills or the Chiefs making it out of the AFC, right? Mahomes is 6-2 as an underdog in his career and faces Buffalo this week as an underdog. Why not grab Kansas City now, because if the Chiefs emerge victorious from this grudge match, those odds could change.
Cowboys +1800
I can’t believe I’m going to make a case for the bettors to put money on the Cowboys to win the whole thing, but here we are. I’ve liked the Cowboys in the past just to see them fall flat in any semi-important game, but this team feels different. Backup quarterback Cooper Rush is winning games with Dak Prescott away, and then the defense is one of the best units in the league. Also, you have to love that the Cowboys have beaten last season’s Super Bowl teams already in the first five weeks!
It’s the defense that really makes me look at “America’s team” this year. Dallas leads the NFL in pass-rushing, ranks second in the NFL with 20 sacks and has allowed under 20 points in five straight games to open the season for the first time since 1972. Dallas has weapons on offense as well, and if Prescott can come back and improve this offense, the Cowboys are legitimate contenders.
Rams +2000
This is my obvious long shot. Yes, I know the Rams were disappointing and Super Bowl champions don’t repeat often, but you could make a case for the Rams here. Well, at least I’ll try. First of all, there is nowhere to go but up this team. The Rams have the worst offense in the league, Matthew Stafford is tied for the league lead in interceptions and free agent addition Allen Robinson isn’t part of the offense at all. However, could this all change in the coming weeks?
A 2-3 record isn’t a death sentence, and the Rams have the No. 11 defense in the league. Plus, throw in a new signing of Odell Beckham Jr. and maybe LA could find a spark. In the NFC West, the 49ers look like a solid team and had the Rams’ numbers in the regular season, but San Francisco wanted to get rid of Jimmy G for a reason. Will they maintain the division lead all season long? The Eagles and Cowboys are probably sexier NFC bets right now, but Sean McVay has really hit the big time with his current team. Offensive line is definitely an area that gives me pause, but $20 to win $400 sounds like a decent flyer.
