NFL Betting News This Month | Latest Super Bowl Odds, Market Watch & MVP Favorites | September 16, 2026
Although they remain the betting favorites to win this season’s Super Bowl, things just didn’t start well for the Los Angeles Rams. In the opening week of the NFL regular season, the Rams went Down Under and went down to defeat.
Matching up with their NFC West rivals, the San Francisco 49ers, the Rams were whipped 27-7. Fear not, though, Rams backers. All is not lost. Just one game.
In the 2025 season, both of the eventual Super Bowl participants, the Seattle Seahawks and New England Patriots, began the campaign with a Week 1 setback. The Houston Texans, another playoff team, opened the 2025 season 0-3.
Still, with the Week 1 loss, LA’s NFC team lengthened in the Super Bowl odds from +450 to +600. Yet the Rams remain the chalk to win the big game.
Futures markets are now reacting to roster moves, quarterback health, rest advantages, and Week 1 outcomes. For all your news, views, and analysis, check out NFL betting.
Biggest NFL betting storylines this month
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Williams Shortens in MVP Odds
Is 0-2 a Super Bowl Death Sentence?
New York Makes a Comeback
AFC futures of two minds
There is disagreement on which team will be the best in the AFC during the regular season, and which team will win the AFC Championship Game.
In one NFL futures play, it's the Baltimore Ravens who are the +250 chalk to finish the regular season as the No. 1 seed for the AFC playoffs. The Buffalo Bills are the +400 second choice in this betting market.
However, when it comes to which AFC team is going to play in the Super Bowl, Baltimore is buffaloed. It's the Bills who are set as the +400 favorite to win the AFC Championship and represent the conference in the Super Bowl. Baltimore is given a +525 line as the second betting choice in this market.
Oddsmakers are in lockstep when it comes to NFC winners in the regular season and playoffs. The Los Angeles Rams are the +450 chalk to be the NFC's top seed. You'll also get +375 odds on the Rams winning the NFC Championship.
The Detroit Lions and San Francisco 49ers are +500 co-second favorites to win the NFC's No. 1 seeding. Seattle, the reigning NFC champions, are the +575 second choice to win the NFC Championship Game.
Going [NFC] South offers value
In NFL divisional betting, no market offers greater value than the NFC South. Any team in this division could win it all. And any team could appropriately go south. After Week 1, all four teams are 0-1. No team had a winning record in this division during the 2025 season.
The Tampa Bay Buccaneers, with QB Baker Mayfield playing out the final year of his contract, are the +160 chalk to win the division. Tampa Bay lost 33-27 to the Cincinnati Bengals in Week 1.
A failed two-point conversion in overtime cost the New Orleans Saints in a 31-30 loss at Detroit. They are +225 to win the division. Falling 20-13 at Pittsburgh, the Atlanta Falcons are +400 to be the division champ.
The defending divisional champion Carolina Panthers lost 59-37 to the Chicago Bears. Carolina can be had for odds of +425, making them the longest shot to be NFC South winners.
Super Bowl odds movers: biggest risers, fallers and value bets
Biggest risers
Buffalo Bills (+900)
It's always a bit unnerving to put your faith in QB Josh Allen and the Bills. They are the NFL's can't get over the hump team. Still, Buffalo went down to Houston and put a Week 1 beating on a Texans team that was in the playoffs during the 2025 season.
Now, they come home to play the first regular-season game at the new Highmark Stadium against the 1-0 Detroit Lions in a battle of the two NFL teams that are situated the closest geographically to Canada. Buffalo's Super Bowl odds shortened slightly from +1000 to +900. The Bills are the AFC team with the shortest betting line to win the Super Bowl.
San Francisco 49ers (+1400)
Going Down Under and putting a whipping on the team everyone thinks is going to win the Super Bowl is a wonderful way to get the attention of NFL bettors. Maybe all those obits on the career of 49ers QB Brock Purdy were a bit premature.
The Super Bowl betting line on the 49ers was at +1900 before their 27-7 smashing of the Rams. It's now shortened to +1400.
Chicago Bears (+2000)
The Bears are certainly a sexy pick to be a Super Bowl contender this season. Ben Johnson is an innovative head coach who brings offensive creativity that can scare a defense. Speaking of scaring a defense, we're still learning exactly how good Bears QB Caleb Williams is going to be.
Putting up 59 points on the Carolina Panthers in Week 1, some veteran NFL watchers think the Bears could end up being the highest-scoring offense in NFL history. However, the 37 points the Bears surrendered to Carolina is worrisome. Still, Chicago Super Bowl odds shortened to +2000 from +2200.
Biggest Fallers
Los Angeles Rams (+600)
Though the Rams remain atop the Super Bowl market, there's a little less love for the team following that stunning rout at the hands of the 49ers in Australia. The price on the Rams has lengthened from +450 to +600. Still, BetNow is listing them as the team leading both ticket count and money in the Super Bowl futures market.
Houston Texans (+2200)
A 36-31 loss to the Buffalo Bills at home in Week 1 saw the Super Bowl odds on the Texans lengthen from +1800 to +2200. Concerns about QB CJ Stroud were heightened when his fumble set up a Buffalo score.
Maybe it's time to take a breath and exhale when considering the future of the Texans. Recent history certainly suggests that there's nothing to worry about. In the 2025 season, the Texans opened the NFL season 0-3. They were 3-5, and then rattled off nine successive victories to claim the AFC South Division title.
New England Patriots (+2200)
The Patriots couldn't take advantage of a Seahawks team that lost QB Sam Darnold to injury in Week 1. New England QB Drake Maye threw three fourth-quarter interceptions in the 13-10 loss.
To make matters worse, the Pats lost newly acquired WR AJ Brown for 4-6 weeks to injury. Reacting, oddsmakers lengthened the Super Bowl betting line on the reigning AFC Champions from +1800 to +2200.
Los Angeles Chargers (+2500)
It was an all-around bad opening week for LA's NFL teams. Stunned 26-14 by the supposedly woeful Arizona Cardinals in Week 1, the Chargers' secondary was shredded by journeyman Cardinals QB Jacoby Brissett. Their Super Bowl odds jumped from +1800 to +2500.
They get the 1-0 Las Vegas Raiders this week, but the Chargers may already be in must-win territory. Following the Raiders, their next seven games are against the Bills, Seahawks, Broncos, Chiefs, Rams, Texans, and Ravens.
Best value left on the board
Seattle Seahawks (+1200)
Can the defending Super Bowl champions be a value pick? Even though the Seahawks opened with a Week 1 win over the New England Patriots in a Super Bowl rematch, the betting line on Seattle remained steady at +1200. Seattle did lose QB Sam Darnold to injury, which is certainly cause for concern. He could miss 4-6 weeks with a soft tissue injury.
Repeating is never easy, and bettors appear less convinced that Seattle should still be viewed as the team to beat, especially in the rugged NFC West. Remember that the Seahawks were +6000 to win the Super Bowl entering Week 1 in 2025.
Minnesota Vikings (+3000)
The Vikings have shortened from +5000 to +4500 and now to +3000 over the past two months. Even with backup Carson Wentz replacing the concussed Kyler Murray at QB in the first quarter, Minnesota still whipped the Green Bay Packers 39-22.
The Vikings appear to be deep in all areas of personnel. They could find themselves in a three-team battle with Chicago and Detroit for the NFC North title, but a Wild Card playoff spot could be theirs for the taking.
NFL previous news updates
- [September 2026]: The Super Bowl odds on the Los Angeles Rams shorten again; Should you bet on a first-time Super Bowl winner?
- [August 2026]: The Los Angeles Rams and Seattle Seahawks are the only NFC teams among the top nine in Super Bowl futures markets.
- [July 2026]: NFL training camps are in full swing, and the preseason games will soon be getting underway.
- [June 2026]: Patrick Mahomes has signed a historic extension with the Kansas City Chiefs.
- [June 2026]: The Los Angeles Rams are the early-season favourites to win Super Bowl LXI.
- [May 2026]: The Atlanta Falcons have emerged as one of the league’s most talked-about teams following an aggressive offseason, and their Monday Night Football clash with the Los Angeles Rams is already generating a buzz.
- [April 2026]: The NFL Draft wrapped up, and betting boards reacted quickly. Teams that added impact talent across all seven rounds saw their futures adjust, while additional free-agent moves continued to influence the market.
- [March 2026]: Trade activity across the NFL began moving the odds, with several major player deals creating immediate changes in division races and Super Bowl pricing.
- [March 2026]: Free agency had a major effect on futures markets, as teams that landed top quarterbacks or key defensive stars saw their odds improve sharply, in some cases moving from around +2000 to +1200.
- [February 2026]: Super Bowl LX brought the market to a close, with the Seattle Seahawks beating the New England Patriots 29–13 and Kenneth Walker earning Super Bowl MVP.
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