The Cincinnati Bengals were ridiculous 150-1 underdogs to win the Super Bowl during the preseason.
That's tied for the longest odds ever for a team that eventually made the Super Bowl. The St. Louis Rams were 150-1 dogs before the 1999 season.
And Disney made a movie about that team and its quarterback, Kurt Warner. The Rams went on to beat the Titans 23-16 in the Super Bowl that year.
But that was only one of three teams that has won it all with longer than 40-1 preseason odds.
Teams that were +4000 or worse to win the Super Bowl before the start of the season have made the Super Bowl on 16 occasions. They've gone 4-11 straight up and are 6-8-1 against-the-spread (ATS).
The 2001 New England Patriots and 2017 Philadelphia Eagles are the only other two teams to have won it all from that group.
That Patriots team had a sixth-rounder by the name of Tom Brady in his first season as a starting quarterback. Meanwhile, that Eagles squad was the only champion to have been home underdogs during the Divisional and Championship rounds.
How Teams With Longest Preseason Odds Have Performed
| Team | Odds | Result | ATS Result |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1999 St. Louis Rams (vs. Titans) | 150-1 | WIN | PUSH |
| 2016 Atlanta Falcons (vs. Patriots) | 80-1 | LOSS | LOSS |
| 1994 San Diego Chargers (vs. 49ers) | 75-1 | LOSS | LOSS |
| 2001 New England Patriots (vs. Rams) | 60-1 | WIN | WIN |
| 2015 Carolina Panthers (vs. Broncos) | 60-1 | LOSS | LOSS |
| 2003 Carolina Panthers (vs. Patriots) | 60-1 | LOSS | WIN |
| 2000 New York Giants (vs. Ravens) | 60-1 | LOSS | LOSS |
| 1998 Atlanta Falcons (vs. Broncos) | 60-1 | LOSS | LOSS |
| 1981 Cincinnati Bengals (vs. 49ers) | 60-1 | LOSS | LOSS |
| 2008 Arizona Cardinals (vs. Steelers) | 50-1 | LOSS | WIN |
| 1981 San Francisco 49ers (vs. Bengals) | 50-1 | WIN | WIN |
| 2017 Philadelphia Eagles (vs. Patriots) | 40-1 | WIN | WIN |
| 2019 San Francisco 49ers (vs. Chiefs) | 40-1 | LOSS | LOSS |
| 2005 Seattle Seahawks (vs. Steelers) | 40-1 | LOSS | LOSS |
| 1988 Cincinnati Bengals (vs. 49ers) | 40-1 | LOSS | WIN |
