Super Bowl Odds See the Saints Go Marching in to the Role of Betting Favorites

Posted on: December 21, 2018, 09:52h. 

Last updated on: December 21, 2018, 09:52h.

Cort Smith Read More

Expertise: Sports Betting, Sports.

Despite a recent game stretch which has seen their scoring plummet, the New Orleans Saints have moved into the pole position and are now the odds-on favorite to win the Super Bowl this February.

The Saints scored 37 points per game over the first 11 games of the season, but a recent road trip has seen them sputter to just 17 average points over their last three outings.

Despite having one of the best QBs in the league – Hall of Fame bound Drew Brees – it’s the defense that has helped vault the Saints into the role of favorite. New Orleans ranks seventh in points allowed on the season, but in their last three games, they’ve allowed just 12 points on average, the third-best mark in the league.

The run defense has been particularly stout, something Mike Tomlin, whose Steelers take on the Saints this weekend, is all too aware of.

“The yards per carry speaks to the dominance of their run defense,” Pittsburgh coach Mike Tomlin said in a press conference this week.

Playing Favorites

The betting board has undergone a major transformation since Super Bowl odds were first released in the spring.

In April, it was the New England Patriots opening as the favorites at 5/1. Next was the Steelers and Eagles at 8/1 odds, followed by the Rams at 10/1.

Here we are eight months later, and only one of those teams remains in the top four.

Current Super Bowl LIII Odds:

Coming off an epic upset of the Chiefs last week, the Chargers are the biggest movers on the board, now sitting at 7/1.

Meanwhile, the shine is off the New England Patriots. Stung by two straight losses, the betting favorite going into 2018 is now just the fifth favorite at 8/1.

The Steelers are next on the list at 14/1, but their odds will markedly improve if they can pull of the upset against the Saints this weekend.

Biggest Betting Game Ever?

There is no doubt that the Super Bowl in the biggest event on the US betting calendar.

Last year’s game between the Eagles and Patriots saw $159 million in bets placed in Nevada alone, making it the most bet game in the history of the league.

Bu thanks to May’s Supreme Court ruling which overturned a federal ban on sports betting, the stage is set for that number to be blown away.

In addition to Nevada, seven other states now have some form of legalized sports betting: New Mexico, Mississippi, West Virginia, Pennsylvania, New Jersey, Delaware, and Rhode Island.

With so many Americans getting their first crack at a legal Super Bowl wager, another new Super Bowl betting record is an overwhelming favorite.