While it’s popular to say that every team has the same chance to win a championship before the start of any new campaign, the fact of the matter is that, not every Super Bowl title contender is created equal!
With the conclusion of Super Bowl 50 – and the release of the season-long Super Bowl 51 online futures odds – NFL betting enthusiasts are turning their eyes toward next season’s possible title winners.
Thanks to this insightful look at the handful of teams that I believe are nothing more than pretenders and also-rans, you’re going t have a great idea f which longshot selections could potentially cash in on their value-packed futures odds and which teams you should probably avoid altogether.
With that thought in mind, let’s rock and roll.
The Cleveland Browns are a complete mess as usual. Not only do they have quarterback question marks, but the Browns seem to take their quest for front office incompetence to brand new heights every season.
NFL Super Bowl 51 Odds Revealed
Vegas tabs Patriots among early favorites for Super Bowl 51 https://t.co/dUKazps9z3 via @bostonherald
— Adam Kurkjian (@AdamKurkjian) February 8, 2016
The Pretenders
Dallas Cowboys 20/1 Buffalo Bills 40/1 Atlanta Falcons 40/1 Detroit Lions 40/1 Washington Redskins 40/1 New Orleans Saints 40/1 Analysis: Would someone please tell me why the hell the underachieving Dallas Cowboys are 20/1 favorites to win Super Bowl 51? The ‘Boys have problems on both sides of the ball, a quickly aging quarterback in Tony Romo that can’t stay healthy and no ‘real’ rushing attack so to speak of, not to mention the often-underwhelming coaching of Jason Garrett. The Buffalo Bills likely won’t be able to overcome the head-scratching coaching of Rex Ryan, but I believe the Atlanta Falcons cold really surprise out of this group. The Detroit Lions have plenty of talent, but they’ve also got a strong-armed quarterback that isn’t much of a locker room leader – and they could be without franchise great Calvin ‘Megatron’ Johnson if he retires. The Washington Redskins and New Orleans Saints both have issues that could keep them from reaching their full potential next season. The Skins are depending on a quarterback in Kirk Cousins that I believe is mediocre at best and the New Orleans Saints have apparently forgotten how to play any competent defense.Not Gonna’ Happen!
San Francisco 49ers 50/1 Chicago Bears 50/1 N.Y. Giants 50/1 Los Angeles Rams 50/1 Houston Texans 50/1 Miami Dolphins 55/1 Philadelphia Eagles 55/1 Tampa Bay Buccaneers 60/1 San Diego Chargers 60/1 Jacksonville Jaguars 60/1 Oakland Raiders 60/1 Tennessee Titans 60/1 Cleveland Browns 200/1 Analysis: Out of this group, I believe it’s quite possible that Philly and New York could challenge for a division title in the weak NFC East. The Houston Texans could also challenge Indianapolis for division supremacy in the AFC South – if they ever get a competent quarterback. The San Francisco 49ers will likely score their fair share of points under offensive-minded head coach Chip Kelly, but if he doesn’t learn how to treat his players as men, it won’t matter. As long as uninspiring quarterbacks Jay Cutler and Ryan Tannehill are under center in Chicago and Miami respectively, neither team will ever reach the heights they say they want to get to. The Los Angeles Rams have had quarterback problems for years that they have yet to solve and the San Diego Chargers continue to underachieve against quality opponents. The Tampa Bay Buccaneers and Tennessee Titans both have young quarterbacks that look like they’ll be future stars, but they’re both years away from competing and will have new head coaches next season after just one season in the league. The Jacksonville Jaguars looked quite competent at times this past season and they have a nice quarterback in place, so they could approach seven or even eight wins next season at best. The Oakland Raiders have the building blocks for future success in Derek Carr, Amari Cooper and Khalil Mack, but they play in the same AFC West as Denver and Kansas City.
The Cleveland Browns are a complete mess as usual. Not only do they have quarterback question marks, but the Browns seem to take their quest for front office incompetence to brand new heights every season.
