The 2019 NFL season will be a historical one for many reasons.
First, this will be the 100th season of the National Football League. The centennial year will kickoff on September 5th, when the Chicago Bears host the Green Bay Packers for an NFC North divisional showdown.
Second, this will be the first full season of professional football with legal gambling across the country. Online sports betting in New Jersey is now legal. Same goes for online sports betting in Pennsylvania, as both states have joined pioneer Nevada. Plus, in eight states – New York, Delaware, West Virginia, New Mexico, Rhode Island, Mississippi, Iowa, and Arkansas – wagers can be placed on land-based casinos or sports betting venues.
Lastly, the most anticipated question when it comes to NFL football: who is going to win the Super Bowl LIV?
With sports betting up and running in the United States, it’s time to look at preseason odds and give our 2 cents on the 2019 NFL Futures Odds.
We’ve divided the NFL field in three groups from contenders to pretenders and anything in between. Let the debate begin!
Lead Dogs
The defending champions New England Patriots share the top spot with the Kansas City Chiefs as Super Bowl favorites at 6/1. The Pats have shown time and time again they are never a bad bet, despite losing Gronk. Brady is still around and so is Belichick. Meanwhile, KC seems like a questionable one. The Chiefs do have talent on both sides of the ball but Andy Reid lack of success in the playoffs along with the lack of playoff experience from the young core makes this wager not worth the return.
Next, we have the New Orleans Saints and the Los Angeles Rams both at 10/1. Both teams played in the controversial NFC Championship game last year and are totally capable of returning to the same stage. Hopefully this time they can play without any pass interference questionable calls. Barring any major injury, these odds look pretty good for both the Saints and the Rams.
Rounding up the top dogs, the Philadelphia Eagles, the Chicago Bears, the Green Bay Packers, and the Indianapolis Colts are currently at 14/1. Green Bay and Philadelphia have all the pieces in place and have had recent winning days, but the Packers new coach seems to make them a less appealing pick. The Bears will be strong but seems like they are still a few years away from making a good playoff run. The Colts rely too much of the health of Andrew Luck, and even if he’s 100%, the defensive side isn’t quite ready for glory, not yet.
Middle of the Pack
Five teams are listed at 20/1 odds at time of writing. This could be a great payout for a team that has some chance of lifting the Lombardi Trophy in February.
The Los Angeles Chargers could actually be a good bet but the recent situation with RB Melvin Gordon looks like a red flag. The Minnesota Vikings seem to be a legit contender but can QB Kirk Cousins really taking the Vikes all the way?
The Cleveland Browns can be described in one word: hype! Poised to be the most improved team of the year, the Browns will be better but winning the Super Bowl is likely next year’s project.
The Dallas Cowboys are talented but the contracts negotiations involving the top 3 players is a big warning for betting. The Pittsburgh Steelers can be a good sleeper pick. They still have some pieces in place and this could be a year Pitt proves the system is a reason for player’s success as JuJu and James Connor could have as good numbers as AB and Bell have had in past seasons.
The Atlanta Falcons and the Seattle Seahawks are listed at 30/1 but the upside for both teams is all right. Atlanta could very well be a NFC finalist like two years ago. With Matt Ryan, Julio Jones and Devonta Freeman all healthy and an improving defense, the dirty birds have sleeper pick written all over. The other birds, however, are not so hot. The Seahawks still have Pete C and Russel Wilson but the defense is no longer a powerhouse that once was.
4th and Long
Well, if you have nothing to lose, why not placing a bet on one of the other 17 teams left?
The Baltimore Ravens and the Houston Texans are in similar situations. Good overall teams with talented, young quarterbacks but still lacking a lot in other areas to be considered a contender. Still at 40/1, not a bad long shot for a big payout.
The Carolina Panthers and the Jacksonville Jaguars have some upside but with even higher odds at 50/1. The Panthers have one of the best players in the league in Christian McCaffrey but their defense isn’t top notch. The Jags defense was considered top notch but had a down year last season. The Jags have now a SB winning QB in Nick Foles. If Fournette stay healthy and deliver, we could be talking about a dark horse for the upcoming season.
The rest of the field is just hard to even be considered but if you believe in Fitzmagic, go all in for the Miami Dolphins sitting pretty at 500/1. Nah, don’t do that!