The NFL offseason wears on with all 32 teams getting ready for the new season. Top-rated online sportsbooks such as BetOnline are also busy getting ready with a complete set of updated 2021 NFL futures. Leading the way are the recently updated futures odds to win Super Bowl LVI in early February of 2022.
The top two teams from last season continue to lead the way, with the Kansas City Chiefs (+575) holding the slight edge over the Tampa Bay Buccaneers (+600) as the favorites. Tampa Bay, behind veteran quarterback Tom Brady, is the defending Super Bowl Champion heading into the new season.
Either of these teams can make a strong case for being favored to win it all. However, history may be working against them both. The last time a team won back-to-back Super Bowl titles was New England in 2003 and 2004. The last time the team losing a Super Bowl won the title the following season was New England in 2018 and 2019. Either feat has been difficult to pull off over the first 55 years of this iconic sporting event. Kansas City would be my ‘best bet’ pick of the two. I am fully aware that betting against Brady comes with a higher level of risk, but you cannot ignore the fact that he turns 44 on Aug. 3. Chiefs' quarterback Patrick Mahomes is entering his fifth season in the NFL and coming into his prime playing days. Andy Reid has been a proven winner over the course of his entire head coaching career, and Kansas City is loaded with playmakers on either side of the ball. Motivation is another factor. The Chiefs are probably a bit more hungry coming off that disappointing 31-9 loss to Tampa Bay in Super Bowl LV. Moving down the list at BetOnline, the Buffalo Bills and Los Angeles Rams form the next tier at +1200 odds. Either of these teams offers some solid value in their odds. Behind Josh Allen at quarterback, the Bills are a team to could take the next big step in 2021 after losing to Kansas City 38-24 in last year's AFC Championship Game. The Rams replaced Jared Goff with veteran Matthew Stafford as their starting quarterback in hopes of winning a league title. That move could pay off with quite a few other key pieces already in place for a championship run. Between these two teams, I give Buffalo the slight edge. If the Bills can find a way to get past Kansas City in the AFC,
I believe they could beat whichever team emerges as NFC Champion in Super Bowl LVI. The San Francisco 49ers are fifth on the NFL futures board at +1400 odds. With two regular-season games against the Rams, the road to a No. 1 seed in the conference becomes all the more tougher.
A trio of teams at +1600 odds is made up of the Baltimore Ravens, Cleveland Browns, and Green Bay Packers. Of the three, Cleveland offers the most value with some solid upside potential. Baltimore continues to come up short on the bigger stage, and Aaron Rodgers' situation in Green Bay could turn into a huge distraction.
A few of the other contenders on the list include the New England Patriots and Seattle Seahawks at +2200, but I do not see either team making that much of a move forward in 2021.