If you're like many football fans, you're focused on Wild Card Weekend in the NFL. And why wouldn't you be? It marks the beginning of the playoffs. Those games take precedence. But it's also never too early for Super Bowl picks, especially when you're already in the postseason.
At some point, it'll make sense to focus on prop bets. That point isn't now. Immediately, we care only about identifying the best Super Bowl LV candidates. Before we do that, let's take a look at the latest odds, courtesy of Bovada:
Team Kansas City Chiefs +190 Green Bay Packers +450 Buffalo Bills +650 New Orleans Saints +800 Tampa Bay Buccaneers +1100 Balimore Ravens +1100 Seattle Seahawks +1100 Pittsburgh Steelers +2000 Tennessee Titans +3000 Los Angeles Rams +4000 Indianapolis Colts +5000 Cleveland Browns +5000 Chicago Bears +8000 Washington Football Team +8500
Make sure you're double-checking these lines before making any decisions, particularly as each playoff game unfolds. The lines will be very fluid between now and the big game.
Super Bowl LV Picks: Best Bets to Come Out of the NFC
Please note the following lines are NFC title odds. You can refer to the above table if you need to confirm a team's Super Bowl chances.
Green Bay Packers (+160)
A lot of people aren't sold on the Packers as a genuine contender, and their skepticism is not totally wrong.
Though Green Bay enters the postseason with the league's best offense, they lack the superstar depth at any of the skill positions to guarantee their production continues in the pressure cooker. There will be a lot of relying on Aaron Rodgers.
Of course, there are worse situations in which be. Rodgers is an MVP candidate and Super Bowl champion. It makes sense to give him the benefit of the doubt when he's carried the Packers this far.
Tampa Bay Buccaneers (+400)
The absence of optionality stands to be the Bucs' playoff undoing. We have seen postseason defenses adjust to Tom Brady's passing reads in previous seasons with the New Orleans Patriots, and Tampa Bay doesn't have the juice on the ground to mix in enough convincing play-actions.
But those are concerns for the Super Bowl itself. As it pertains to coming out of the NFC, the Bucs are hot property. Their defense is getting better, and Brady, while a risky play at his age, has piloted them to a top-three offense.
Seattle Seahawks (+400)
Believe it or not, the defense is the biggest concern for the Seahawks. They started the season ice cold on that side of the ball and don't have the traditional lockdown personnel to which we've become accustomed.
Whatever, though. Russell Wilson has the offense approaching top form. What's more, the defense has looked better in recent weeks.
NFC Title Prediction
It's difficult for us to pick between these three. In the end, we're inclined to choose the Bucs to represent the NFC in the Super Bowl.
It's nothing against Rodgers or Wilson. We just trust the Bucs' defense more than those from the Packers and Seahawks right now.
OSB's NFC Title Prediction: Tampa Bay Buccaneers (+400)
Best Bets to Come Out of the AFC
Please note the following lines are AFC title odds. You can refer to the above table if you need to confirm a team's Super Bowl chances.
Kansas City Chiefs (-130)
It's tough to bet against the reigning champs right now.
Led by Patrick Mahomes, they continue to sport a dominant offense and a capable defense. Rare is the team with big-play potential on both sides of the ball. The Chiefs are an exception.
Baltimore Ravens (+600)
Many will be more inclined to go with the Buffalo Bills. Count us out.
Lamar Jackson has to prove he can have a huge game in the playoffs, but the Ravens are better built to navigate a poor performance from him than they were last year. They have the league's second-ranked defense, and their rushing attack has plenty of horsepower outside Jackson himself.
Tennessee Titans (+1400)
Something about the way the Titans play just screams Super Bowl sleeper.
Sure, their defense is suspect, especially in the secondary. But their offense, carried by star running back Derrick Henry, is uniquely suited to handle games that turn into slow-paced slogs. We saw it last year, and we could see it again now.
AFC Title Prediction
This one's easy. It has to be the Chiefs.
No other team in the AFC holds a candle to Kansas City right now. If we were forced to choose, Baltimore poses the toughest matchup and biggest roadblock. But to be honest, that's not saying much.
And no, the fact that they're laying less than even money shouldn't scare you away.
OSB AFC Title Prediction: Kansas City Chiefs (-130)
Super Bowl Prediction
If you're looking to bet specific matchups, Bovada currently has our two conference title picks listed as a +800 showdown. We're not crazy about matchup odds that don't pay out 10-to-1 or better, but that's good enough value for you to take a look.
As far as who we'd give the edge to, there's a little question here: It is, once again, the Chiefs.
Investing in the reigning champs can feel boring. Back-to-back Super Bowls are so rare in the NFL. But the Chiefs have the look and feel of a potential dynasty, not unlike the Brady-era Patriots. It behooves all bettors to jump on their championship odds now when they're still paying out better than even money.
OSB Super Bowl Prediction: Kansas City Chiefs (+190)
Check out the below list of the best online sportsbooks so you can decide which one to use for all of your NFL betting: