The favored Super Bowl matchup at this point last season was New England against Seattle. The Patriots did their part by winning a fifth Super Bowl ring for Tom Brady and Bill Belichick. The Seahawks won a wild-card game but then were routed in Atlanta in the divisional round. Here are the most likely and unlikely Super Bowl LII matchups in Minneapolis this February with exact matchup odds from MyBookie.
Most Likely and Unlikely Super Bowl LII Betting Matchups
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Most Likely Super Bowl LII Matchups
Dallas Cowboys vs. New England Patriots (+1500)
NBC is televising the Super Bowl this year, and network executives would probably sell their oldest child (kidding) to see this matchup as it would shatter all ratings records. It would also easily be the most-wagered NFL game in history. The Cowboys are the league’s most popular team by far and the Patriots have grown into the second-most popular with all their success this century and the fact they have the biggest star in the league in Golden Boy QB Tom Brady. Dallas leads the all-time series 7-5, all coming in the regular season. The teams last met in 2015 in Dallas and the Patriots rolled 30-6. They have won the past five in the series after the Cowboys won the first seven.Atlanta Falcons vs. New England Patriots (+1600)
Super Bowl rematch anyone? Of course the Pats rallied from a 28-3 third-quarter deficit last February in Houston to beat Atlanta 34-28 in the first Super Bowl overtime ever. These two teams play in New England this regular season, but history says they won’t play in Minneapolis. The only Super Bowl matchup to happen in back-to- back years was Dallas beating Buffalo in the early 1990s. Shoot, there hasn’t been a repeat NFC champion this century. There have been 11 different NFC champions since the NFL realigned in 2002.
Most Unlikely Super Bowl LII Matchups
Seattle Seahawks vs. Oakland Raiders (+5500)
Every AFC favored matchup is going to include the Patriots as they are heavy favorites to win that conference. Here are the shortest odds for the likely second-best team in the AFC, the Raiders. How Fun Would This Be? Of course Oakland traded for ex-Seahawks running back Marshawn Lynch this offseason when he came out of retirement. Lynch says he only unretired to play for his hometown Raiders and wanted to do so before the franchise moved to Las Vegas. He was born and raised in Oakland, went to college at nearby Cal, and had returned to Oakland following his retirement from the Seahawks after the 2015 season.San Francisco 49ers vs. Cleveland Browns or NY Jets (NL)
OK, no reputable sportsbook is going to put up odds on a potential Super Bowl matchup of the worst teams in the NFL. The 49ers, Browns and Jets look like the three worst teams on paper entering 2017. They quite likely won’t combine for as many wins as New England has by itself. The longest odds on an exact Super Bowl matchup offered by MyBookie is +15000. There are a handful of those. For example, you can get Green Bay Packers vs. Miami Dolphins or Packers vs. Cincinnati Bengals at that price. The Packers are one of the NFC favorites behind Aaron Rodgers and have made the playoffs every year since 2009 but haven’t won the conference title since 2010. Green Bay has dropped the NFC title game on the road two of the past three years. These odds are so long because neither the Dolphins or Bengals are given much of a shot of winning the AFC. Miami was a playoff team last year but lost in the wild-card round to Pittsburgh. The Packers do host the Bengals in Week 3. How about a Cardinals-Broncos or Cardinals-Chiefs Super Bowl? Those are both +15000. Arizona reached the NFC title game just two seasons ago but regressed last season. Maybe Carson Palmer & Co. have one more run in them. Of course the Broncos won the Super Bowl two years ago over Carolina before missing the playoffs in 2016. The Chiefs are defending AFC West champions. Arizona, which is still looking for its first Super Bowl title, doesn’t play either of these teams in the regular season. Probably the worst team on which you can get odds is the Bears, who were 3-13 last year, at +15000 vs. the Patriots. Hey, miracles happen.Recent Super Bowl Matchups
- 2017 – New England defeats Atlanta Falcons. Score: 34-28. Super Bowl LI. NRG Stadium. Houston, TX.
- 2016 – Denver Broncos defeats Carolina Panthers. Score: 24-10 Super Bowl 50. Levi’s Stadium. Santa Clara, CA.
- 2015 – New England defeats Seattle Seahawks. Score: 28-24. Super Bowl XLIX. University of Phoenix. Glendale, AZ.
- 2014 – Seattle Seahawks defeats Denver Broncos. Score: 34-28. Super Bowl XLVIII. MetLife Stadium. East Rutherford, NJ.
- 2013 – Baltimore Ravens defeats San Francisco 49ers. Score: 34-31. Super Bowl XLVII. Mercedes-Benz Superdome. New Orleans, LA.
- 2012 – New York Giants defeats New England Patriots. Score: 21-17. Super Bowl XLVI. Lucas Oil Stadium. Indianapolis, IN.
- 2011 – Green Bay Packers defeats Pittsburgh Steelers. Score: 31-25. Super Bowl XLV. Cowboys Stadiumm. Arlington, TX.
