With the start of the 2021 NFL season now less than a month away it remains a tight two-way race atop the Super Bowl odds with the Kansas City Chiefs edging out the reigning champion Tampa Bay Buccaneers as +500 favourites at sportsbooks monitored by OddsShark.com.
Winners of a league-high 14 games last season, the Chiefs fell short of defending their NFL title, dropping a 31-9 decision to Tom Brady and the Buccaneers at Super Bowl 55. Despite their recent success, which includes five straight finishes atop the AFC West standings, the Chiefs made some bold moves during the off-season, particularly on their offensive line. Gone are veterans Eric Fisher and Mitchell Schwartz, replaced by free agents Joe Thuney and Mike Remmers, and two-time Pro Bowler Orlando Brown.
Kansas City also returns with its vaunted offence largely intact. Led by quarterback Patrick Mahomes, the Chiefs’ attack was once again among the NFL’s best last season. The Chiefs tallied an average of 29.6 points per game, while the Kansas City defence limited opponents to 20 or fewer points in 11 of the team’s 19 overall contests.
The Buccaneers are also bringing back a lot of familiar faces as they prepare for the 2021 campaign as +600 second favourites at online betting sites on the Super Bowl 56 odds. Tampa Bay showed steady improvement during Brady’s debut with the team last season, paving the way to their Super Bowl 55 victory with eight straight victories. And with each of their division rivals facing a year of transition, the Buccaneers look poised to pay out as strong -200 chalk to claim their first NFC South crown since 2007.
Further down the Super Bowl 56 odds, the Buffalo Bills sit at a +1100 line, just ahead of the Green Bay Packers at +1300. The Packers remain among the Super Bowl favourites, and as a strong -145 wager to win the NFC North, despite lingering doubt about quarterback Aaron Rodgers’ future with the team.
Following a breakthrough season in 2020, which ended with an AFC East title and a trip to the AFC Championship, the Bills hope to take the next step this season. Buffalo has been largely quiet this offseason, with the addition of veteran receiver Emmanuel Sanders marking its biggest move. That leaves the team’s fortunes once again in the hands of passer Josh Allen, who threw for 4,544 yards and 37 touchdowns in 2020 and returns to action as an attractive +1000 wager on the NFL MVP odds.
Three teams then sit deadlocked at +1400, including the Baltimore Ravens, Los Angeles Rams, and San Francisco 49ers, while the Cleveland Browns round out the front of the pack, sporting a +1600 line on those NFL odds.
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