Tag: Super Bowl

NFL futures betting: AFC Champion odds, picks and best bets

Previewing the NFL AFC champion futures odds with 1 week left in the regular season, with NFL futures, betting odds, picks and best bets

Though there remains some jockeying to be done in terms of seeding, the teams that make up the top five spots in the AFC playoffs are locked in. The Baltimore Ravens are also locked into the conference’s top seed (and thus hold home-field advantage to the Super Bowl), and New England will likely finish with the No. 2 seed.

Today, we take a look at how to bet on the AFC in terms of who will emerge as the conference champion, and which teams present the most value for winning the conference. Here are the top five teams in AFC championship odds heading into the final week of the season.

Looking to get in on the final week of the NFL regular season? Get some action on the games or other sports at BetMGM. Sign up now!

1. Baltimore Ravens (-112)

Ravens QB Lamar Jackson. (Photo credit: Mark Konezny-USA TODAY Sports)

As you would expect, the Ravens are the favorites to win the AFC this season. Every game they will play up to the Super Bowl will be at home — which is only two games thanks to their first-round bye. They have the likely NFL MVP at quarterback in Lamar Jackson and a veteran team that is loaded with talent.

However, there just isn’t a ton of value in betting the Ravens here unless you are combing them in another parlay. At -112, the Ravens are a bet to avoid despite how much you make like them to advance to the Super Bowl.

2. New England Patriots (+250)

Patriots coach Bill Belichick. (Photo credit: Raj Mehta – USA TODAY Sports)

This number, +250, is larger than what we’re used to seeing the Patriots at to win the AFC with one week to go in the regular season. They will have a home playoff game in the divisional round, and that game will likely be against the Chiefs. A bye week would certainly help the Pats given their age, and if they get that then it’s tough to bet against them. The value here may be too good to pass up.

3. Kansas City Chiefs (+375)

Chiefs QB Patrick Mahomes. (Photo credit: Isaiah J. Downing – USA TODAY Sports)

Having to win three straight games — with at least one and likely two on the road — isn’t a recipe for success when it comes to getting to the Super Bowl. However, few — if any — teams have ever had a player like Patrick Mahomes on their roster.

The Chiefs have shown they belong with the AFC’s best, having beaten the Ravens and Patriots this season, making them are fascinating pick at +375. But for them to get to the Super Bowl, they will likely need to beat both the Nos. 1 & 2 seeds on the road. It’s certainly not impossible, but the odds just aren’t quite good enough to bet on them. You are better off betting the Kansas City moneyline each week rather than picking them now to win the conference.

4. Houston Texans (+1600)

Texans WR DeAndre Hopkins (10) and QB Deshaun Watson (4). (Photo credit: Christopher Hanewinckel – USA TODAY Sports)

The team with the fourth-best odds to win the conference is the Houston Texans. While they have been mighty inconsistent this season, they also have the talent to compete with just about any team. And when you compare their talent vs. the Chiefs to their odds relative to the Chiefs, there is a lot more value in betting the Texans to come out of the AFC. Consider betting on Houston as a potential longshot.

5. Buffalo Bills (+2500)

Bills RB Devin Singletary. (Photo credit: Mark Konezny – USA TODAY Sports)

You can make a strong case that the Bills are the third-best team in the conference despite being the No. 5 seed in the AFC. They have one of the best defenses in all of football, and their offense seems to be improving by the week. Unfortunately, their road to the Super Bowl will be incredibly difficult as they would need to win three straight games in three straight weeks and, barring a miracle, all three games will be on the road. And if the seedings hold, their opponent will have the better quarterback each time, too. The Bills are certainly a great story and a fun team, but don’t count on them making much noise in the playoffs.

Get some action on this game or others, place a bet with BetMGM today. And for more sports betting picks and tips, visit SportsbookWire.com.

Follow @Marcus_Mosher and @SportsbookWire on Twitter.

Gannett may earn revenue from audience referrals to betting services.  Newsrooms are independent of this relationship and there is no influence on news coverage.

[lawrence-newsletter]

[lawrence-auto-related count=3 category=1367]

WATCH: Risen Eisen could see Bills in Super Bowl

Rich Eisen on the Buffalo Bills potentially making the Super Bowl.

The Bills will likely have to play on Wild Card weekend in the 2019 postseason, but they’re in regardless.

Because of that, longtime NFL analyst Rich Eisen recent said on his show that he wouldn’t count down the Bills making a trip all the way to the Super Bowl.

“With the defense the way it is, and this quarterback [Josh Allen], is tough to put on the ground, if he doesn’t make mistakes and John Brown gets open and Frank friggin’ Gore is still there, and Devin Singletary… I could see the Bills in the Super Bowl,” Eisen said.

“This is a ‘hmmm… the Bills could make a run…,'” he added.

Here’s Eisen’s full breakdown the Bills’ potential Super Bowl visit:

[lawrence-related id=51538,51537,51527,51522]

Pete Carroll earns 100th win as Seattle Seahawks head coach

Pete Carroll won his 100th game as the head coach of the Seattle Seahawks on Sunday against the Carolina Panthers.

The Seattle Seahawks will finish the 2019 season with a 7-1 record on the road, a franchise record, along with a 5-0 record in 10:00 a.m. starts after defeating the Carolina Panthers, 30-24, in Week 15.

The win signified another milestone for this Seahawks team – the 100th victory under the leadership of coach Pete Carroll.

Carroll now sports a 100-57-1 record as the head coach of the Seahawks and a 133-88-1 overall record, which includes his stints with the Jets and Patriots.

Carroll has been without a doubt the most successful coach in franchise history, having long passed Mike Holmgren (86 wins) and Chuck Knox (80) for the most wins of all-time.

Carroll was also at the helm for two of Seattle’s three Super Bowl appearances, and of course the team’s only victory back in 2014.

The Seahawks signed Carroll to an extension that runs through the 2021 season, giving the oldest coach in the NFL plenty of time to add to his win total in the Emerald City.

For now, he’ll turn his attention to the team’s final two regular season games, both at home against the Cardinals and the 49ers, as the team looks to secure a top-two seed in the NFC and a potential first round bye in the playoffs.

[lawrence-related id=52914]

Burmese pythons to be part of Super Bowl LIV

In a lead-up to Super Bowl LIV, the state of Florida is hosting the Python Bowl as part of the big game’s philanthropic focus.

As a lead-up to Super Bowl LIV and in concert with the Miami Super Bowl Host committee, the Python Bowl will be staged in the Everglades on Jan. 10-19 as part of the Super Bowl’s philanthropic focus.

Florida Governor Ron DeSantis, holding what looked to be a python-skinned football, announced Thursday the opening of registration for the 2020 Python Challenge Python Bowl, a python-catching contest that will help rid the Everglades of the invasive constrictors.

The pro and rookie catching the longest python will each win $2,000. The most pythons in both pro and rookie categories will win a $5,000 Tracker 570 Off Road ATV. Other money and prizes will be by random drawings. The winners will be announced Jan. 25 at a Super Bowl LIV event. The actual Super Bowl is Feb. 2.

The Python Bowl is open to the public, but those who register must first complete a free online training on how to safely catch and handle pythons.

“The protection of our environment and natural resources is critical,” Governor DeSantis said. “Invasive Burmese pythons have decimated local wildlife and pose a massive threat to natural food chains and flora and fauna. The 2020 Python Bowl is sure to be a great success, and I look forward to the positive effects it will have on preserving and protecting the Everglades ecosystem.”

The governor also announced that python contractors will immediately be able to access over 150 miles of secondary trails within Big Cypress National Park.

Also on FTW Outdoors: Hikers take risk Grand Canyon officials warn against

Pythons were discovered in the Everglades two decades ago and have established a population estimated to be over 100,000. The creatures are causing serious damage to the ecosystem of the Everglades as they feed on native wildlife like deer, bobcats, alligators, possum and rabbits.

The Florida Wildlife Commission and South Florida Water Management District instituted an eradication program that rewards python hunters for catching the invasive species. The Python Bowl is in addition to that program.

“As a conservation biologist, it is exciting to be completely aligned with our policy-makers including FWC Commissioners and the governor to combat this important conservation issue,” Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission executive director Eric Sutton said.

Every Super Bowl has a philanthropic focus and, for the first time, the environment has been chosen as the emphasis with the Ocean to Everglades (OSE) initiative, involving the Host Committee, the Everglades Foundation and Ocean Conservancy.

Rodney Barreto, chairman of the Miami Super Bowl Host Committee, sits on the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission.

“We know Governor DeSantis and many partners have long been committed to environmental initiatives like this,” Barreto said. “With the support of the Miami Super Bowl Committee, we now have a broader audience ready to learn more about the unique ecosystem of South Florida and how they can help conserve it.”

Photo of Florida governor Ron DeSantis holding a python-skinned football courtesy of the Governor’s Press Office.

Four people holding a record 17-foot python courtesy of Big Cypress National Preserve.

Three people holding massive python courtesy of USGS.

Follow David Strege and the outdoors on Facebook.

13 fun facts about the Super Bowl

Some facts about the NFL’s championship game.

The Super Bowl is the biggest spectacle in sports, from the pre-game hype to the parties to the annual traditions that fans have around it to the halftime show to, well, the game itself.

But how many facts do you know about the NFL’s annual AFC vs. NFC championship game? You might have some of these already at your fingertips. But others? These will be perfect to drop at your next Super Bowl party — that is, if you have time between eating, watching the game and commenting on the commercials.

Here are 13 fun Super Bowl facts we came up with:

1. Why it’s called the “Super Bowl”

The timing of when the AFC-NFC title game got its name is slightly disputed, but the legend is Kansas City Chiefs owner Lamar Hunt coined it based off the “super ball” toy his daughter and son played with.

2. A total of 12 teams have never won a Super Bowl

That list includes: the Browns, Lions, Jaguars, Texans, Chagers, Titans, Cardinals, Panthers, Falcons, Bengals, Bills and Vikings. Of that group, the Browns, Lions, Jaguars and Texans have never made it to the big game in their existence.

3. There’s only one starting quarterback who has won a Super Bowl title with two different teams

And his name is Peyton Manning.

Matthew Emmons-USA TODAY Sports

4. Only one man has been named MVP for the losing team

And his name is Chuck Howley. The Dallas Cowboys lost to the Baltimore Colts in Super Bowl V, but Howley (two interceptions) was voted most valuable player.

5. The game has gone to overtime once

That was Super Bowl LI, better known as the championship game in which the Falcons blew a 28-3 lead to the Patriots.

6. The AFC team and NFC team take turns being the home team

Also, if you didn’t know there was a designated home and away team despite the fact that it’s played at a neutral site, now you do.

7. The Patriots have appeared in the most Super Bowls

That would 11 as of the 2019 season, three more than the Steelers, Cowboys and Broncos.

8. The Patriots and Broncos have lost the most Super Bowls

As of 2019, they both have five losses under their belts.

9. There’s a good reason why the NFL uses Roman numerals to refer to the Super Bowl

From Dictionary.com:

“Lamar Hunt is also credited for introducing Roman numerals to keep track of the championship title bowls…. Super Bowl V was the first such bowl to be numbered using this system. An excerpt from the NFL media guide explains further:

The Roman numerals were adopted to clarify any confusion that may occur because the NFL Championship Game—the Super Bowl—is played in the year following a chronologically recorded season. Numerals I through IV were added later for the first four Super Bowls.”

10. But Super Bowl 50 used numbers and not an “L”

11. Super Bowl LIII was the lowest scoring Super Bowl in the game’s history

The Patriots beat the Rams 13-3.

12. The game has been played in 10 different states

That would be Arizona, California, Florida, Georgia, Indiana, Louisiana, Michigan, Minnesota, New Jersey and Texas.

13. The Vince Lombardi Trophy is a football “mounted in a kicking position”

That’s according to the Pro Football Hall of Fame, which tells this great story about then-NFL commissioner Pete Rozelle reaching out to Tiffany and Co. to make the trophy:

The only company he contacted was Tiffany, which brought in the company’s design chief, Oscar Riedener, a native of Switzerland who knew nothing about football. Reidener went to FAO Schwartz and bought a football that he put on his kitchen table. The next morning he grabbed a box of Cornflakes, poured them into a bowl, and stared at the football while eating.

Upon finishing his Cornflakes, he took a pair of scissors, started cutting the empty box, and transformed it into a trophy base atop which the football could sit.

[jwplayer jqefchp6-q2aasYxh]

Oddsmakers: Bills have 10th best odds for Super Bowl

Latest Buffalo Bills Super Bowl win odds.

The Bills have one of the NFL’s best records, but currently sit with the 10th best odds to win the Super Bowl.

According to Odds Shark, Buffalo has +4000 odds at hoisting their first Lombardi Trophy at the end of the year.

Their opponent in Week 14, the Ravens have +260 odds, best in the NFL.

Here’s how the rest of that slate is laid out:

BAL +260
NE +350
NO +550
SF +700
SEA +800
KC +850
GB +1400
DAL/HOU +2500
MIN +3000
BUF +4000
PHI/PIT/TEN +6000
LAR +8000
CHI +10000
OAK +12500
CLE/IND +20000
LAC +25000
CAR/NYJ +50000
DEN/JAX/TB +75000
WAS +200000

Odds are cool, better odds would be… better? Or nicer. While the Bills do crack the top-10, since the Cowboys and Texans currently share odds, plenty of teams in front of the Bills currently have a worse record than Buffalo’s 9-3. Those include Chiefs, Cowboys, Texans and Vikings.

[lawrence-related id=50170,50158,50114,50050]

Panthers fire head coach Ron Rivera, announce staff changes

The Carolina Panthers have given the New Orleans Saints more trouble than other NFC South rivals, but they fired longtime coach Ron Rivera.

The Carolina Panthers announced Tuesday that they fired longtime head coach Ron Rivera, who was four games away from from finishing his ninth year with the team. Rivera’s Panthers teams have given the New Orleans Saints more consistent trouble than any other NFC South division rival; he leaves having accomplished a 76-33-1 record (.695), with four of Carolina’s eight division titles.  They peaked with a 15-1 season in 2015, ultimately falling short in Super Bowl 50.

In his place, the Panthers designated secondary coach Perry Fewell as the interim head coach, with offensive coordinator Norv Turner his special assistant. Quarterbacks coach Scott Turner will pull double-duty as the offensive coordinator.

This move signals that Panthers owner David Tepper is throwing in the towel on the 2019 season, in which his team has slid to a 5-7 record and lost five of their last six games. With franchise quarterback Cam Newton on the injured reserve list and a playoffs berth growing further distant, they should focus on further evaluating backup passer Kyle Allen and rookie quarterback Will Grier.

Tepper released a brief statement through the team’s official webiste, saying: “I believe this is the best decision for the long-term success of our team. I have a great deal of respect for Ron and the contributions he has made to this franchise and to this community. I wish him the best. I will immediately begin the search for the next head coach of the Carolina Panthers.”

The Saints will close out the regular season with a Dec. 29 road game against the Panthers at Bank of America Stadium. It’s anyone’s guess who will be playing quarterback or filling in at head coach during that game, much less what could be an offseason filled with even more changes.

[vertical-gallery id=23720]

Super Bowl Odds: Saints given third-best chances of winning it all

The New Orleans Saints have great odds of winning Super Bowl LIV, with their chief competition coming from the AFC’s Ravens and Patriots.

[jwplayer mJBpxH3a]

The New Orleans Saints are serious Super Bowl contenders. They currently own the first seed in the projected NFC playoff picture, ahead of competitors like the Seattle Seahawks, Green Bay Packers, and San Francisco 49ers. And the Saints have built around a strong, young core that’s won 36 of their last 48 games, logging plenty of playoffs experience with four postseason games the last two years. Of course oddsmakers like their chances, especially if New Orleans can hold onto that top seed.

Per the latest Super Bowl odds from BetMGM, just two teams have better chances of going all the way than the Saints (at +500): the New England Patriots (+350) and Baltimore Ravens (+260). New Orleans is the odds-on favorite in the NFC. Here is how the top ten shakes out:

  1. Baltimore Ravens, +260
  2. New England Patriots, +350
  3. New Orleans Saints, +500
  4. San Francisco 49ers, +700
  5. Seattle Seahawks, +900
  6. Kansas City Chiefs, +1000
  7. Green Bay Packers, +1400
  8. Houston Texans, +2200
  9. Dallas Cowboys, +2800
  10. Minnesota Vikings, +2800

That’s a clear edge for the Saints in a crowded field of Super Bowl contenders, and bettors probably love to see it. There’s just four weeks left in the regular season, and then things get very interesting, very quickly. As the Saints know very well, the playoffs are a whole new ballgame.

Gannett may earn revenue from audience referrals to betting services.  Newsrooms are independent of this relationship and there is no influence on news coverage.

[vertical-gallery id=23720]

Ravens are already talking Super Bowl (and they should)

What I’m Hearing: After another signature win, one longtime veteran Raven said he believes this team has what it takes to win a Super Bowl. And he’s one of the few that won one for Baltimore in 2013.

What I’m Hearing: After another signature win, one longtime veteran Raven said he believes this team has what it takes to win a Super Bowl. And he’s one of the few that won one for Baltimore in 2013.