Benny Diamond believes the Green Bay Packers at 8-1 will win the Superbowl this upcoming season, but says the following teams are worth betting at longshot odds.
It’s June, we shouldn’t be talking about the Super Bowl. The problem is there’s nothing going on around the NFL except suspensions. Teams won’t report until late July. The only person psyched about today is Rob Gronkowski because there are 69 days until the NFL season. This also is the best time to get value. Last year, the Eagles were longshots and they won. The year before, no one expected the Falcons to make it to a 28-3 lead in the Super Bowl. Taking the Falcons to win the NFC would have provided a great return. We are going with some real longshots here – every team listed is 20-1 or higher except one – so feel free to throw some dough on these teams to win their conference.
Chicago Bears (100-1)
Because this is the ultimate longshot, and we like the idea of Mitch Trubisky singing the Super Bowl Shuffle.
Detroit Lions (50-1)
Matt Patricia will fix the Lions defense, and the Lions offense could put up big numbers with Matthew Stafford and his multi-faceted receiving corps. Stafford was one of our sleeper picks for MVP. If that happens, the Lions will be a darkhorse Super Bowl team.
Atlanta Falcons (22-1)
The Atlanta Falcons have worse odds to win the Super Bowl than the San Francisco 49ers and the Los Angeles Chargers. I love the Chargers chances this year, but there’s no situation where they should be favored to win a Super Bowl over the Falcons.
The Falcons could have won the Super Bowl last year. They were rounding into form and came one play away from beating the eventual Super Bowl champion Eagles. They are bringing everyone back – including a disgruntled Julio Jones – and have the continuity necessary to get through tough times. Even Steve Sarkisian may do a better job.
This is a great bet if we can get it anywhere past 20-1.
Houston Texans (20-1)
Let’s get to the longer shots. The Texans just kind of feel like the Eagles. They have a strong defensive line. Their quarterback is going to be in the second year – much like Carson Wentz. It just feels right.
The only thing that’s scary about the Texans is that they always seem to get injured. Everyone is coming off injuries. Deshaun Watson is coming off an ACL tear. J.J. Watt is coming off his yearly injury. Jadeveon Clowney finally stayed healthy, but the team hasn’t given him an extension because of his injury.
Still, a $10 bet returns 200. This is the best option from the AFC South.
Pittsburgh Steelers (12-1)
The Steelers have the fifth-best odds in the NFL to win the Super Bowl and frankly, that’s too high. The Steelers should have had home-field advantage throughout the playoffs. Not that it mattered since Jacksonville beat them at Heinz Field, but they wouldn’t have faced the Jaguars in the Divisional Round if they had that top seed.
The Steelers bring back an explosive offense. They have played together and have chemistry. They have a good enough defense. There’s no reason the Vikings or Rams should be listed ahead of them. This 12-1 is almost a value bet. The Steelers only have to beat the Patriots as the Jaguars should regress and the AFC South is going to be a battle this year. This isn’t a real long shot but the value is still there at 12-1.
