Eagles Flying Toward the Top of Super Bowl Odds

The Eagles have started off this NFL campaign with a 7-1 record, and Philly now has the second-best odds to win the Super Bowl only behind the Patriots.

The best start in the NFL at 7-1 was enough to vault the Philadelphia Eagles into the second spot on the betting board on the odds to win the Super Bowl. But then on Tuesday the Eagles may have gone over the top in trying to become at least the best team in the NFC when they acquired running back Jay Ajayi from the Miami Dolphins.

Philadelphia enters Week 9 at +600 (bet $100 to win $600) to take home the Vince Lombardi Trophy at sportsbooks monitored by OddsShark.com, sitting behind only the defending champion New England Patriots, who have improved defensively and are listed at +350.

The last time the Patriots won back-to-back Super Bowl titles, they beat the Eagles after the 2004 season. New England and Philadelphia also have the top two NFL MVP candidates right now in quarterbacks Tom Brady and Carson Wentz, respectively. And there are some other interesting tidbits between the teams.

Philadelphia signed running back LeGarrette Blount away from the Patriots in the offseason, and adding Ajayi gives the team one of the top one-two punches in the league. Ajayi ranked fourth in the NFL in rushing a year ago with 1,272 yards, and Blount has totaled just two more yards on the ground than him this season after leading the league in rushing touchdowns in 2016 with 18.

Meanwhile, New England has turned to former Eagle Dion Lewis to carry the load lately despite signing Mike Gillislee to replace Blount.

Another team that improved its Super Bowl odds after Week 8 are the Kansas City Chiefs, who ended a two-game skid with a convincing 29-19 win over the Denver Broncos on Monday Night Football. The Chiefs are the +750 fourth choice to win the Super Bowl behind the Pittsburgh Steelers (+700), who have defeated them three straight times dating back to last year.

Kansas City might be the most complete team in the league between offense, defense and special teams, and also owns a road win against the Pats in Week 1.

The Steelers are rolling right now too, taking a three-game winning streak into their bye week. They are tied with the Chiefs and Patriots for the best mark in the AFC at 6-2 and host New England in Week 15.