Super Bowl LVI: Best Bets

With the wild card round completed, and the divisional round this weekend just starting, the Super Bowl is growing closer and closer with every day. As one of the most popular sports events of the year draws nearer, the Super Bowl betting odds have been updated nearly weekly, as teams have lost and won throughout these playoffs.

Wild Card Round Recap

There were six games that took place from Saturday to Monday of last weekend. That means that six teams have moved onto the divisional round this weekend, and six teams have been eliminated from the playoffs altogether.

The Cincinnati Bengals defeated the Las Vegas Raiders in a 26-19 game on Saturday afternoon. Later that evening, the Buffalo Bills destroyed the New England Patriots 47-17. On Sunday afternoon, the Philadelphia Eagles fell hard to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, with a final score of 31-15. 

After that, the San Francisco 49ers barely edged out the Dallas Cowboys in a close 23-17 game. That evening, the Kansas City Chiefs demolished the Pittsburgh Steelers 42-21. Finally, in the first Monday night playoff game in NFL history, the Los Angeles Rams stomped the Arizona Cardinals 34-11.

Divisional Round Preview

There are exactly four games this upcoming weekend of divisional-round games.

For the AFC, there is one game on Saturday, January 22, and one game on Sunday, January 23. On Saturday at 4:30 pm EST, the Cincinnati Bengals travel to take on the Tennessee Titans. On Sunday at 6:30 pm, the Buffalo Bills play the Kansas City Chiefs.

For the NFC, there is one game on Saturday, January 22, and one game on Sunday, January 23. On Saturday at 8:15 pm EST, the San Francisco 49ers play the Green Bay Packers. At 3 pm, the Los Angeles Rams take on the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.

The Cincinnati Bengals just defeated the Tennessee Titans 19-16 in a close game.

In more simple and more brief terms, the Cincinnati Bengals, Buffalo Bills, the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, the San Francisco 49ers, the Kansas City Chiefs, the Los Angeles Rams, and the Green Bay Packers have all advanced to the divisional round. The Las Vegas Raiders, the New England Patriots, the Philadelphia Eagles, the Dallas Cowboys, the Pittsburgh Steelers, the Arizona Cardinals, and the Tennessee Titans have been eliminated from the playoffs.

Updated Super Bowl Betting Odds

Here are the most recent Super Bowl betting odds. It should be noted that these odds have not yet been adjusted to account for the Cincinnati Bengals’ win over the Tennessee Titans.

TEAM	BETTING ODDS
Green Bay Packers	+350
Kansas City Chiefs	+380
Buffalo Bills	+500
Tampa Bay Buccaneers	+550
Los Angeles Rams	+750
San Francisco 49ers	+1000
Cincinnati Bengals	+1500

Best Bets

Here are the two teams that I would bet on to make Super Bowl LVI.

For the AFC, I think I’ll have to choose the Kansas City Chiefs. They have been the AFC champions for the past three years and they have appeared in the Super Bowl for the past three years as well. Even though they started the season off quite slowly, the Chiefs have become the team that we are all used to watching. 

This playoff season, the Chiefs certainly have their work cut out for them; making the Super Bowl will not be as easy as it was in previous years. They will face the Cincinnati Bengals if they defeat the Buffalo Bills on Sunday, and the Bengals will be a tough team to beat, especially coming off their underdog win against the Tennessee Titans. 

However, I think that the Chiefs will push through to win the AFC and make their fourth consecutive Super Bowl appearance. For the NFC, I have to go with my gut and choose the Green Bay Packers. I am really excited to watch how this NFC playoff picture unfolds; there are some very good teams that are ready to fight it out for that Super Bowl spot. 

However, I think that the Green Bay Packers are going to be the ones who get that spot in the end. They certainly have some difficult games ahead of them. I expect the Packers to win against the 49ers pretty easily this Sunday, but if they win that game, they face either the Los Angeles Rams or the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, two teams who will pose a significant threat to the Packers’ Super Bowl chances. 

That being said, I think that Aaron Rodgers and the rest of the Packers team have enough motivation, talent, and drive to make it to the Super Bowl. I fully expect to see Green Bay at Super Bowl LVI.