NFL Odds: Early favorites to win Super Bowl LI
The Carolina Panthers fell to the Denver Broncos 24–10 in Super Bowl 50, dropping to 3–5 straight up and 3-4-1 against the spread in their last eight postseason games. After tasting the bitterness of defeat this season, the Panthers will try to bounce back and return to the big stage in Super Bowl LI.
Carolina is going off at +900 on the odds to win Super Bowl LI in Houston at sportsbooks monitored by OddsShark.com. The Panthers were the most dominant team of the 2015 season ranking first in scoring offense, sixth in scoring defense, and first in defensive takeaways, but none of that mattered against Denver's defense in the Super Bowl.
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Now the Panthers will be tasked with learning from this experience and taking their game to the next level.
Denver’s lack of an explosive offense didn't hinder the Broncos from beating the New England Patriots or the Panthers, two of the top three offensive teams in the NFL. If the Broncos can juggle salaries this offseason and keep this elite defense together they will once again be among the NFL's top teams as a +1600 contender to win Super Bowl LI.
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The Seattle Seahawks (+900 on the Super Bowl LI betting futures) and the Arizona Cardinals (+1400) both fell victim to the Panthers steamrolling through the postseason this year. But both teams are built to last, and should bounce back and battle for the top spot in the NFC West next year. Seattle is 6–2 SU over its last eight playoff games.
Over in the AFC, the Patriots (+900) and the Pittsburgh Steelers (+1200) are the top contenders to knock the champion Broncos off next season. Both teams were down to their third-string running back when they faced the Broncos in the postseason and still pushed their respective games right down to the wire.
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When healthy, New England and Pittsburgh have two of the best offenses in the NFL. The Patriots have won at least 12 games in each of the last six regular seasons.
Other potential contenders for the Super Bowl LI title include the Green Bay Packers (+1200), Indianapolis Colts (+2500), Cincinnati Bengals (+2000), Dallas Cowboys (+1600), Kansas City Chiefs (+2500), and Minnesota Vikings (+2500).
