Three Outsiders Which Could Win the Super Bowl This Season

The NFL is back, and boy have those preseason oddsmakers been embarrassed thus far. Before the new season got underway, the reigning champion Kansas City Chiefs were the overwhelming favorites to make it three Lombardis’ in five years.

They have reached the AFC Championship game in the last five seasons and picked up their second Super Bowl championship last year with a dramatic come-from-behind victory against the Philadelphia Eagles at State Farm Stadium in February.

However, despite Mahomes and Co. reaching almost dynasty-like status in recent years, they were still stunned by the new campaign’s curtain raiser. They welcomed an upstart Detroit Lions side to Arrowhead Stadium back on September 7th that are no strangers to the role of party-poopers.

They stunned a Green Bay Packers team that was hunting a spot in the playoffs on the final day of last season, and they reveled in their role once again in this one, defeating the Chiefs by a score of 21-20.

The Minnesota Vikings were also amongst the favorites during the preseason. Spearheaded by quarterback Kirk Cousins and wide receiver Justin Jefferson, the Minneapolis-based team ended the regular season with a 13-4 record last season before being upset by the New York Giants in the postseason.

This term, however, they have lost their first two games, and they look like they will have an almighty task ahead of them if they are to recreate the success they experienced last term. But after several shocking results so far this team, this season’s Super Bowl odds have shifted wildly already.

As such, there is plenty of value available for speculative punters. Let’s take a look at three outsiders who may very well claim the Lombardi this season.

Cincinnati Bengals

Before the campaign, the Cincinnati Bengals were neck-and-neck with the Kansas City Chiefs in the betting odds list.

The Paycor Stadium side has met their AFC rivals in the last two championship games, winning the first and losing the second. Ever since drafting Joe Burrow with the first overall pick of the 2020 NFL Draft, their fortunes as a franchise have transformed.

However, their odds of a maiden Lombardi this season have drifted out to +1400 as they have dismally started the new campaign.

They were thumped 24-3 by their rival Cleveland Browns in the season’s opening game, before narrowly losing out to the Baltimore Ravens on home turf in week two. However, punters shouldn’t be worrying just yet.

The Bengals started in the same manner last season. They lost to the Pittsburgh Steelers on the opening week of last season before losing to the Dallas Cowboys on week two.

After that, however, they went on to level their record up at 4-4 on game week eight before embarking on a seven-game winning streak that saw them secure the AFC North title. The Bengals hold numerous victories over the Chiefs and fellow conference powerhouse Buffalo Bills over the last two years, and with odds as long as +1400, don’t write off Cincy just yet.

Jacksonville Jaguars

Over the years, the Jacksonville Jaguars have been somewhat of a laughingstock regarding the strongest teams in the NFL. Before last season, the Florida-based side had reached the playoffs just three times since the turn of the millennium, and their woes were so bad that NBC comedy series The Good Place regularly sent a couple of jibes the franchise’s way.

In 2017, the Jaguars surprisingly made it to the Conference Championship game, and last season they returned to the postseason for the first time since then.

23-year-old quarterback Trevor Lawrence is steadily developing into one of the league’s finest. Last term, he threw for over 4,000 yards as his team finished with a 9-8 record throughout the regular season.

In the postseason, they pipped the Los Angeles Chargers 31-30 in the wildcard round before giving the eventual champion Chiefs all they could manage in the divisional round, eventually succumbing to a 27-20 defeat.

They have hardly any competition in the AFC South this season, with them being far superior to the Indianapolis Colts, the Tennessee Titans, and the Houston Texans.

As such, a playoff berth is practically guaranteed already, and if they can manage to carry that momentum into the postseason, odds of +2400 for a maiden Lombardi don’t seem too bad.

Baltimore Ravens

The Baltimore Ravens have one of the finest quarterbacks in the NFL in the form of Lamar Jackson. The former Louisville Cardinal won the Heisman during his sophomore year and, in his second season in the big league, went on to win the MVP award.

In recent years, the Bengals have usurped his Ravens as the AFC North’s top dog. However, the Maryland outfit has started with a perfect two wins from two thus far, with the second coming on the road at the Bengals.

Despite that, the bookmakers don’t seem too impressed, still pricing them as +1500 outsiders for the Lombardi. If Jackson can display the absolute best of his abilities, as he has done so far this term, they may put together a run of form that leads them to Allegiant Stadium next February.