On the eve of the 2010-11 NFL online wager season anything is possible and everything has the same record and the same hopes of reaching the Super Bowl. However, all football fans know that only a handful of teams are legitimate Super Bowl contenders. True, there is an enormous amount of turnover in terms of new teams qualifying for the online wagering playoff action every year, but in terms of making to the Super Bowl and actually winning the thing the short list is about half a dozen and it’s a rare occasion that any team lower on the list of contenders make it to the big game.
This year’s short list of online wager Super Bowl contenders doesn’t really hold any surprises for anyone that’s familiar with the NFL competition.
Tops on that list shouldn’t come as a surprise to anyone as the Indianapolis Colts (6/1) are a postseason main stay and with Peyton Manning under center anything is possible. The San Diego Chargers are next on the list with 7-1 odds and this one is a little bit of a surprise. No one doubts QB Phil Rivers ability but there are a lot of unknowns on this team such as WR Vincent Jackson’s trade demands, rookie RB Ryan Mathews ability to perform and a defense that is suspect.
The next handful of teams on the list include the New Orleans Saints, Green Bay Packers, Minnesota Vikings and New York Jets, all of whom come in at between 9/1 to 12/1 odds in most of the online wager sites. None of these teams would surprise anyone if they made it all the way to the big game.
The Saints are the defending Super Bowl champs and as good as ever, but as history in the post-free agency NFL has proved, it’s all but impossible to repeat as Super Bowl champ and so the odds are a bit longer for New Orleans. The NFC Central’s Vikings and Packers look like the teams to beat in the NFC and the most likely of that bunch to make the Super Bowl.
The Jets have a killer D and should have another strong year running the ball but the QB position and second year starter Mark Sanchez will probably limit this team’s success.
A couple dark horse teams that could have a shot at wrecking the preseason online wager odds for the 2011 Super Bowl include the Cincinnati Bengals, Baltimore Ravens and even the Houston Texans if they can stay healthy and get a bit of good luck.