Super Bowl 51 Odds: Panthers Among Chalk
The party is still raging for the Super Bowl champion Denver Broncos, but the eyes of bettors and the oddsmakers at online sportsbook Bovada have already turned to next year’s big game, Super Bowl 51.
Denver may have taken care of the Carolina Panthers 24-10 as an underdog in Super Bowl 50, but they are not favored to make it back-to-back titles. At Bovada it’s a three-way tie atop the Super Bowl 51 futures right now with Carolina, the New England Patriots and Seattle Seahawks all at +900.
Carolina came up short in Super Bowl LI but all the pieces remain in place for them to be a championship contender for years. NFL MVP Cam Newton is just entering the prime of his career and he and the Panthers' top ranked offense could be even more dangerous with Kelvim Benjamin set to return next season. Benjamin missed all of last season after suffering a knee injury in the preseason.
The Seahawks will be without Marshawn Lynch next year as they try to return to the Super Bowl. Lynch announced his retirement by hanging up his cleats on Twitter. Seattle has a capable replacement in Thomas Rawls and of course Russell Wilson so their offense is still dangerous.
The Patriots still have Bill Belichick and Tom Brady so they’re still a contender. One thing that would help Brady and the Pats get back to the top is fewer injuries to playmakers like Julian Edelman and Rob Gronkowski.
If you’re looking for the Broncos on the odds list keep going down. Denver is tied for seventh on the Super Bowl futures with Dallas at +1600. The biggest question mark for Denver next season is who will be playing quarterback? Will Peyton Manning decide to play another season? Will Brock Osweiler re-sign and take over the starting job?
The rest of the Top 5 on the odds includes Green Bay and Pittsburgh both at +1200. The Packers' offense sputtered at times last season but could get a nice pick-me-up from the return of injured wide receiver Jordy Nelson.
The Steelers also dealt with their fair share of injuries last season and it will be interesting to see what they could do if Ben Roethlisberger, Le’Veon Bell and Antonio Brown could all stay healthy.