No team has won the Super Bowl in back-to-back years since the New England Patriots in 2004 and 2005, but after ripping apart the Denver Broncos on Sunday night, the Seattle Seahawks have opened as the favourites to win Super Bowl XLIX next February in Glendale.
The Seahawks ran away with the Super Bowl on Sunday, going up 22-0 by halftime and cruising from there to a 43-8 victory that saw them make a mockery of their underdog status for the contest at the sportsbooks.
Seattle quarterback Russell Wilson went 18 of 25 for 206 yards passing in the win, with two touchdown strikes, while Malcolm Smith intercepted Peyton Manning for a 69-yard TD return en route to being named the MVP.
With sportsbooks rushing to post Super Bowl future odds for next year’s championship game, the Seahawks find themselves as the early XLIX favourites at 9/2, while the San Francisco 49ers are next at 15/2. The Niners faced the Seahawks in the NFC Championship Game, losing 23-17.
What about Manning and the Broncos? They’re third on the opening Super Bowl XLIX odds at 8/1 after getting stopped in their tracks by the Seahawks at MetLife Stadium. That betting line, of course, assumes that Manning will be back in the fold for the Broncos next season, with the quarterback expected to have a thorough off-season exam on his neck.
The New England Patriots, who fell 26-16 to Denver in the AFC Championship Game, are then at 14/1 on the Super Bowl odds menu, with the Green Bay Packers at 16/1 and the New Orleans Saints at 18/1.
Green Bay lost 23-20 to the Niners in the Wild Card round of the playoffs, while New Orleans fell 23-15 to the Seahawks in the divisional round.
The Carolina Panthers, who were the Niners’ victims in the Divisional round, are then tied with each of the Atlanta Falcons, Chicago Bears, Cincinnati Bengals and Philadelphia Eagles at 25/1 on those Super Bowl XLIX odds, with the Indianapolis Colts and the Kansas City Chiefs both at 28/1.
Indianapolis beat Kansas City 45-44 in the Wild Card round of the playoffs but then lost 43-22 in New England in the Divisional round.
Each of the Arizona Cardinals, Dallas Cowboys, Detroit Lions, New York Giants, Pittsburgh Steelers and San Diego Chargers sit at 33/1 on the opening Super Bowl XLIX odds at the sportsbooks, with the Baltimore Ravens, Houston Texans, St. Louis Rams and Washington Redskins all at 40/1.
Looking to the longshots, the Miami Dolphins, New York Jets, Tampa Bay Buccaneers and Tennessee Titans all sit at 50/1 on the odds to win Super Bowl XLIX, with the Cleveland Browns at 66/1, the Buffalo Bills, Minnesota Vikings, and Oakland Raiders at 75/1 and the Jacksonville Jaguars at 100/1.
Of course the next big thing on the NFL odds menu will be NFL draft lines, which will be posted soon.