It has been two weeks without NFL football, but the news cycle around the league doesn't stop.
There's uncertainty surrounding the Rams' quarterback situation, and there are other top players whose futures are murky entering free agency. Also, the NFL Draft is right around the corner and will heat up soon with this week's combine.
On "The Action Network Podcast" podcast, Chris Raybon and Evan Abrams previewed the offseason and went over the odds board for Super Bowl futures ahead of the big moves that are right around the corner. Aside from the favorites at +1200 or lower, here are a couple of teams to monitor.
Chris Raybon: The cutoff between true Super Bowl contenders and everybody else is about +1200. For reference, on FanDuel, the Eagles, Chiefs, Ravens, Bills, Lions, and 49ers are 12-1 or lower to win the Super Bowl. The Bengals (+1700) and Packers (+2100) are next.
The two teams I’d be looking at from the large group of teams at 12-1 or higher would be the Rams and Steelers.
My focus turns toward the NFC more so here because the AFC has the likes of Patrick Mahomes, Josh Allen, and Joe Burrow. It would take a pretty monumental effort for a team to beat any of those three teams in a playoff game.
The Rams stick out here given how their defense developed late in the season. They impressed in defeat on the road against the Eagles in the playoffs and finished the season well behind their young defensive line.
Obviously, there is some uncertainty with Matthew Stafford right now. From a talent perspective, Puka Nacua and Kyren Williams are reliable playmakers, and Sean McVay is a great coach on that side of the ball.
It’s tough to see what the Rams are thinking if they’d move on from Matthew Stafford given the lack of options out there right now. The alternative to him is someone like Aaron Rodgers, who doesn’t really move the needle for me anymore.
Regardless, this is a young roster that should continue developing after an impressive run last season en route to an NFC West championship.
On the AFC side, I almost never really get too excited about a team outside of the elites. Pittsburgh stands out given its defensive talent and stability, but its quarterback options for next season are uninspiring. It’s a similar issue compared to what the Rams would have if they moved on from Stafford. Russell Wilson was fine, but I’m not sure it gets much better than that.
Evan Abrams: I feel like there’s a potential bump up if something major happens with the Rams, so their Super Bowl odds could get higher.
It sounds like Cooper Kupp is going to get traded, and a Stafford trade would likely move the Rams’ Super Bowl odds up. If Stafford re-signs, I’m not sure the number moves anywhere.
The other team I’m monitoring: the Minnesota Vikings.
The Vikings played in maybe the hardest division we’ve ever seen in the NFL last season and won 14 games. In fact, Minnesota only lost to two teams between the regular season and playoffs: the Lions and Rams.
I think the collection of talent Minnesota still has, despite some uncertainty at quarterback, means it’s worthy of consideration at +3200.
