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I guess today is odds day.
Earlier, I covered the win-loss odds that showed the difficulty of the 2018 Los Angeles Rams’ schedule. Not long after, I was sent updated odds from Bovada for Super Bowl LIII that have the Rams third-favorites:
Super Bowl LIII Odds - Bovada, 1May2018
| Team | 5Feb Odds | 22Mar Odds | 1May Odds |
|---|---|---|---|
| Team | 5Feb Odds | 22Mar Odds | 1May Odds |
| New England Patriots | 5/1 | 5/1 | 5/1 |
| Philadelphia Eagles | 9/1 | 17/2 | 8/1 |
| Los Angeles Rams | 18/1 | 14/1 | 9/1 |
| Pittsburgh Steelers | 12/1 | 12/1 | 10/1 |
| Minnesota Vikings | 12/1 | 9/1 | 12/1 |
| Green Bay Packers | 9/1 | 14/1 | 12/1 |
| San Francisco 49ers | 20/1 | 14/1 | 15/1 |
| New Orleans Saints | 18/1 | 18/1 | 22/1 |
| Houston Texans | 25/1 | 22/1 | 25/1 |
| Atlanta Falcons | 18/1 | 20/1 | 30/1 |
| Oakland Raiders | 33/1 | 22/1 | 30/1 |
| Denver Broncos | 33/1 | 25/1 | 30/1 |
| Seattle Seahawks | 28/1 | 25/1 | 30/1 |
| Dallas Cowboys | 18/1 | 28/1 | 30/1 |
| Jacksonville Jaguars | 28/1 | 22/1 | 35/1 |
| Carolina Panthers | 25/1 | 33/1 | 35/1 |
| Los Angeles Chargers | 33/1 | 33/1 | 35/1 |
| Kansas City Chiefs | 28/1 | 33/1 | 40/1 |
| Baltimore Ravens | 40/1 | 50/1 | 40/1 |
| Indianapolis Colts | 33/1 | 60/1 | 40/1 |
| Tennessee Titans | 50/1 | 50/1 | 45/1 |
| Detroit Lions | 40/1 | 50/1 | 60/1 |
| Tampa Bay Buccaneers | 40/1 | 50/1 | 65/1 |
| New York Giants | 50/1 | 50/1 | 75/1 |
| Arizona Cardinals | 50/1 | 66/1 | 80/1 |
| Washington | 50/1 | 66/1 | 80/1 |
| Buffalo Bills | 66/1 | 66/1 | 100/1 |
| Cleveland Browns | 100/1 | 66/1 | 100/1 |
| Miami Dolphins | 66/1 | 70/1 | 100/1 |
| Chicago Bears | 100/1 | 80/1 | 100/1 |
| Cincinnati Bengals | 66/1 | 90/1 | 100/1 |
| New York Jets | 66/1 | 100/1 | 100/1 |
The Rams have jumped all the way up to third-favorites behind the two teams that played in Super Bowl LII: the runner-up New England Patriots and the champion Philadelphia Eagles. And that jump is entirely on the back of the moves prior to the draft. You can see in the first set of odds after the Eagles won, the Rams were tied for sixth-favorites essentially reflecting the results of the 2017 season and playoffs. Since adding WR Brandin Cooks, CB Aqib Talib, CB Marcus Peters and DL Ndamukong Suh, those odds have improved considerably compared to the competition. It just reinforces the underpinning of what’s shaping up to be a Super Bowl or bust season.
A couple of other notes:
- The money has certainly bought into the San Francisco 49ers and their hot finish behind QB Jared Goffappolo. Those two games this year are going to be...whew.
- The Atlanta Falcons have fallen off pretty significantly. Is it the lack of major free agency outcomes? An unimpressive draft haul? WR Julio Jones’ social media chicanery?
- The Dallas Cowboys have seen a similar falling out. WR Dez Bryant out, ATH Tavon Austin in...
- There’s a ton of churn in the back half, but these odds reinforce that competitive balance in the NFC I’ve talked about a lot and obviously will have to continue pointing out. Four of the top six. Five of the top seven. Six of the top eight. Nine of the top 14. That’s the 2018 NFC. Nine of the top 14 teams in the NFL are in the NFC, a conference that can only send six teams to the playoffs.