10. Jacksonville Jaguars (33/1 to win the Super Bowl) This team gets better and more experienced at key positions every season. They have explosive talent, and tend to give the Colts all they can handle in the regular season. Expect good things from the Jags in 06. And they can play in the preseason as well, with a very solid second string.
9. Pittsburgh Steelers (12/1 to win the Super Bowl) Before Steelers fans send us hate mail let’s explain why they check in at number 9 in our betting Power Rankings. They’re going to be heavily favored in the lines as the champions, which means they may struggle to cover ATS even though they win the games. Teams always seem to play their best against the defending champs, and this season will be no exception. We honestly don’t think they’ll repeat as Super Bowl champs, and there could be a lot of value in betting against them in early regular season games.
8. New England Patriots (7/1 to win the Super Bowl) The Patriots are still a formidable team, and they have a pleasant schedule thanks to their anemic division (excluding the Dolphins, see below). This is a team that will not offer a lot of betting value, however, because casual gamblers love to take the Pats regardless of the spread. Don’t fall for that trap, and tread carefully with this team, even if they do seem a lock for the playoffs.
7. New York Giants (25/1 to win the Super Bowl) We expect great things from this team, and particularly from Manning. But they play in a tough division and we would be surprised to see any NFC East team emerge with a record better than 11-5. That being said, the Giants are the team to beat in this division, and are legitimate contenders for the NFC Championship this season.
6. Carolina Panthers (12/1 to win the Super Bowl) This is a team that has improved in the offseason adding another weapon in Keyshawn, albeit an incredibly annoying one. Still, they have to compete in a very tough division and that alone prevents us from ranking them any higher. A lot of experts think they can make it back to the Super Bowl. We see them falling short, but still putting up good regular season ATS results.
5. Indianapolis Colts (6/1 to win the Super Bowl) Edgerrin who? The Colts will still win big in the regular season thanks to very talented running backs who look even better when the entire defense is worrying about Manning and some of the best receivers in the game. can they win the Super Bowl? Possibly, although they aren’t good betting value at only 6/1 based on their many postseason flameouts.
4. Denver Broncos (14/1 to win the Super Bowl) Broncos can win with anyone at running back and almost anyone at QB (and Plummer qualifies as “almost anyone”) because they are superbly coached. They also get a very weak AFC West this season compared to last year’s brutal three-way dogfight. Chargers are weaker, and Chiefs haven’t improved, so look for the Broncos to light it up this year, at least in the regular season.
3. Seattle Seahawks (12/1 to win the Super Bowl) This team returns most of the talent that got them nearly all the way last year, plus they have a soft schedule because they play in a pitiful division. Oddsmakers might make them heavy chalk but this is a team that should still win 10+ games this season, and could easily win 9 or 10 ATS.
2. Miami Dolphins (16/1 to win the Super Bowl) We’re swinging for the fences with this pick. The Dolphins should be excellent betting value this season, starting with the futures market to win the AFC East. If Culpepper is fit for the entire season that is, if he isn’t all bets are off. But he will rebound in Miami, and Ronnie Brown is ready to emerge as one of the best backs in the league. This is also the last chance for a number of defensive stars to get to the Super Bowl. They will make the playoffs, and they should be bet on to cover spreads in the regular season.
1. Chicago Bears (25/1 to win the Super Bowl) The Bears won their division last year without a functional QB (all apologies to Orton). When you have a defense like that you don’t need one. All the starters on defense return, and the draft made it an even stronger unit. Add to that two QBs who can play and you have the best betting value in the league. This team has no opposition in their own division, and will not be beaten by big margins in any games that they do lose. 25/1 is also a big price to win the Super Bowl – we’re not saying that they will win, only that those odds will come down a lot during the course of the season, making it a good value futures bet right now.
