The Cincinnati Bengals are among the most unlikely teams to ever make the Super Bowl, at least according to the betting market.
The Bengals are headed to the 2022 Super Bowl after an upset win over the Kansas City Chiefs, 27-24, in overtime. It's the latest upset in a year full of them for a team with a preseason win total of 6.5.
Cincinnati had 200-1 odds to win the Super Bowl at the Las Vegas Superbook. As seen here, they were 300-1 in Las Vegas during the preseason. In 1999, the St. Louis Rams opened the season at 200-1 before beating the Tennessee Titans as 7-point favorites at Super Bowl XXXIV.
Teams with the Longest Odds to Make the Divisional Round
| Year | Team | Odds |
|---|---|---|
| 1979-80 | Bucs | 250-1 |
| 1981-82 | Giants | 250-1 |
| 1999-2000 | Rams | 200-1 |
| 2021-22 | Bengals | 200-1 |
| 1990-91 | Rams | 150-1 |
| 1987-88 | Colts | 150-1 |
| 1987-88 | Oilers | 120-1 |
*Odds via BetMGM
Led by quarterback Joe Burrow, who becomes just the seventh Year 2 quarterback ever to bring his team to a Super Bowl, Cincinnati has been rolling all season.
The betting market first took the Bengals seriously following a Week 7 blowout win against the Ravens. The week prior, Cincinnati's odds fell below 100-1 for the first time all year. The Bengals moved to 5-2 with a 41-17 win over Baltimore, cutting the odds all the way to 35-1.
Still, the Bengals were never shorter than 20-1 during the regular season. They reached that number after a win over the Chiefs in Week 17 resulting in an AFC North division title.
After beating the Las Vegas Raiders in the Wild Card Round, the Bengals shortened to 12-1. They then upset the No. 1 seed in the AFC, Tennessee, to drop to +750.
Trailing Kansas City 21-3 during the second quarter of the AFC Championship Game, the Bengals were +1500 just to beat the Chiefs and stamp their Super Bowl ticket.
Now the Bengals are Super Bowl favorites, although that will be short lived. Lookahead lines have the Bengals as underdogs to either the 49ers or Rams.
This season was already a historic one for the Bengals just by virtue of them making the playoffs. Only two teams made the playoffs with longer Super Bowl odds than the Bengals had to open the season.
