Only the Denver Broncos started the 2014 NFL season with better odds to win Super Bowl 49 than the Seattle Seahawks and New England Patriots. And that’s good news for sportsbooks, who don’t have to fear a huge long-shot payout Feb. 1, regardless of which team wins.
Super Bowl 49 odds: Seahawks, Patriots were early favorites
With only two teams still alive to win the Super Bowl, here is a look back at some of the preseason Super Bowl odds.
Kyle Terada-USA TODAY Sports
Prior to the season, the Broncos were the favorite to win the Super Bowl at 11/2 at sportsbooks monitored by OddsShark.com. Just behind Denver was Seattle at 6/1. Perhaps bettors were deterred from betting on the Seahawks due to recent history being unkind to defending champions, but Seattle has once again proven to be the best team in the NFC.
New England wasn’t far behind on that betting board at 8/1 on the odds to win Super Bowl XLIX. With Tom Brady and company returning on offense and the addition of some key defensive players, the Patriots were expected to be in the thick of things as they were the year before when they made it to the AFC Championship Game.
Both teams endured slumps during the season that saw them as high as 16/1 on Super Bowl futures boards. But then the tide turned with each team running off win streaks.
Going off at 9/1 in the preseason at the sportsbook, the Green Bay Packers were moments away from booking a trip to the Super Bowl, up 19-7 in the closing minutes of the NFC Championship Game. However, an epic comeback by Seattle brought an abrupt end to those future tickets. Green Bay certainly provided much more entertainment for its backers than San Francisco (8/1) or New Orleans (9/1), who missing the playoffs entirely.
The only other teams paying less than 40/1 in the preseason were the Philadelphia Eagles (20/1), Chicago Bears (22/1), Indianapolis Colts (22/1) and Detroit Lions (33/1). Indianapolis turned out to be the best bet in that group, but the Colts were blown out by New England in the AFC Championship Game.
The Arizona Cardinals (40/1) and Dallas Cowboys (66/1) proved to be excellent long-shot bets. Had the Cowboys not lost to the Packers, sportsbooks would be cheering heavily against Dallas. Had the Cardinals not been ravaged by injuries down the stretch, the entire complexion of the playoffs would have been different.
But as things unfolded, we are left with two preseason favorites battling for the Super Bowl XLIX championship on February 1.
