After stunning the sports world with a 34-28 comeback victory over the Atlanta Falcons at Super Bowl 51 on Sunday, the New England Patriots have opened as +450 betting favourites at sportsbooks monitored by OddsShark.com to win Super Bowl 52 as well.
With quarterback Tom Brady sidelined by suspension for the first four games of the season, the Patriots opened the 2016 campaign trailing the Green Bay Packers on the Super Bowl 51 odds. However, they quickly pulled away from the pack after Brady returned to action to lead the team to wins in 11 of their final 12 regular-season contests.
While the Patriots continue to be led by the veteran Brady, it is the emergence of a pair of rookie stars that has fuelled the Dallas Cowboys‘ strong opening on the Super Bowl 52 odds, at +1000.
Cowboys quarterback Dak Prescott edged running back and teammate Ezekiel Elliott for NFL Offensive Rookie of the Year honours after powering Dallas to a 13-3 finish and the team’s first NFC East title since 2014.
Closely trailing the Cowboys are the Packers and the Seattle Seahawks, both with +1100 odds at online betting sites to win Super Bowl 52, followed by the defending NFC champion Falcons at +1250.
Green Bay recovered from a mid-season swoon that threatened their playoff hopes to finish the regular season with six straight victories and claim top spot in the NFC North for the fifth time in six years.
The Seahawks went 7-1 straight up (SU) on home turf to finish with at least 10 wins for a fifth straight year and claim their third NFC West crown in four years.
Atlanta owned the top offence in the NFL during the regular season, scoring 33.8 points per game, and will once again be led by passer Matt Ryan, who earned the NFL MVP award after throwing for a career-best 4,944 yards and 38 touchdowns against just seven picks.
The Pittsburgh Steelers sat among the Super Bowl favourites for most of 2016 despite enduring a mid-season four-game losing streak. The defending AFC North champions were eventually outclassed in a 36-17 loss to New England in the AFC Championship Game but closely trail the Falcons with +1300 odds to win Super Bowl 52.
The 9-6 Denver Broncos took a step back following their win at Super Bowl 50, but are hanging tough on the opening odds at +1600. The Kansas City Chiefs, Oakland Raiders and New York Giants are all coming off breakthrough campaigns in 2016, and offer some of the best value in early Super Bowl 52 betting with each squad sporting +1900 odds.
[relatedlinks]
