Packers Emerge as Super Bowl 50 Betting Favorites

With the opening of NFL training camps less than a month away, the Green Bay Packers have climbed to the top of the online betting odds as 6/1 favorites to emerge as Super Bowl 50 champions.

The Packers are coming off a strong season in 2014, winning 12 games to earn their fourth straight NFC North title, but failed to earn a berth on Super Sunday after losing a controversial 28-22 decision to the Seattle Seahawks in last season’s NFC Championship game.

The Seahawks eventually fell short of a second straight Super Bowl victory, losing 28-24 to the New England Patriots, but remain close on the Packers’ heels with 13/2 odds in Super Bowl online betting.

The Indianapolis Colts continue to be a strong 8/1 bet to earn their first Super Bowl victory in the post-Peyton Manning era.

Led by franchise quarterback Andrew Luck, and an offense bolstered by the addition of running back Frank Gore and wide receiver Andre Johnson, Indy will be looking to build on last year’s solid 11-5 record and will be shooting for their 10th AFC South title in the past 14 years.

The defending champion Patriots follow at 9/1. An early offseason favorite following their victory in Super Bowl XLIX, New England saw their odds tumble as far as 12/1 following the announcement of QB Tom Brady’s four-game suspension for his role in the last season’s Deflategate scandal.

However, the Pats’ odds did not fade for long, quickly bouncing back following reports that Brady’s suspension may be reduced, or even set aside all together, by NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell.

The Dallas Cowboys took a hit during the offseason with the loss of Demarco Murray, last season’s Offensive Player of the Year, who defected to the hated division rival Philadelphia Eagles as a free agent.

But despite the loss, the Cowboys have held onto their position among the Super Bowl 50 favorites, with 10/1 odds in NFL online betting.

The Denver Broncos, who will be led by QB Peyton Manning for at least one more season, round out the top tier of favorites with 12/1 odds.

The Broncos finished 2014 atop the AFC West with a 12-4 record before falling 24-13 to the Colts in the AFC Divisional Playoffs. Of greatest concern to Broncos fans and sports bettors is the physical condition of Manning, who turned 39 in the offseason and saw a marked decline in his passing yard production over the final seven games of last season, and has been the subject of recent trade rumors.

The Eagles trail the leaders with 20/1 odds, followed by three teams at 25/1, including the Arizona Cardinals, Baltimore Ravens and Pittsburgh Steelers.

The New York Giants, who have failed to reach the postseason in each of the three years since their victory in Super Bowl XLVI, hold steady at 28/1, followed by the Buffalo Bills, Cincinnati Bengals, Kansas City Chiefs, Miami Dolphins and Minnesota Vikings, who each sport 33/1 odds.

The Atlanta Falcons are joined by the Carolina Panthers, Detroit Lions, New Orleans Saints, San Francisco 49ers and St. Louis Rams at 40/1, while the Chicago Bears, Houston Texans, New York Jets and San Diego Chargers remain stalled at 50/1.

Pulling up the rear are the Cleveland Browns at 75/1, the Tampa Bay Buccaneers at 100/1, and the Washington Redskins at 125/1, while the Jacksonville Jaguars and Tennessee Titans share the dubious distinction of Super Bowl betting longshots, deadlocked at 200/1.