Odds to Win Super Bowl XLVII

Carrie Stroup here with a look at the odds to win Super Bowl XLVII, courtesy of our friends at Sportsbook, who were offering up to $350 in FREE CASH to qualified customers.

As we get closer to the start of another NFL season, all teams are hopeful that they can be the one club hoisting the Lombardi Trophy on Feb. 3 in New Orleans. Below are the eight teams with the best odds for winning Super Bowl XLVII….

New Orleans Saints (20/1): This team was tabbed as a 6-to-1 favorite before the Bounty Bowl suspensions were handed out, so this is a great darkhorse candidate sitting at 20-to-1 odds. Including playoffs, the Saints are 41-13 (.759) over the past three seasons, and they now have a happier franchise quarterback in Drew Brees after he signed a record 5-year, $100 deal in July. And although the defense loses LB Jonathan Vilma for the year because of his role in the bounties, new defensive coordinator Steve Spagnuolo was a huge upgrade from blitz-heavy Gregg Williams. If New Orleans’ front four can pressure the quarterback more, free agent acquisitions David Hawthorne and Curtis Lofton will be able to stay put and stop the run.

Baltimore Ravens (14/1): This team was a dropped touchdown pass away from the Super Bowl last year, and they are just as potent in 2012. NFL Defensive Player of the Year Terrell Suggs should be back on the field before the season and franchise RB Ray Rice is signed long-term to carry this offense for the next 5-to-10 years. QB Joe Flacco is a playoff-tested QB and WR Torrey Smith is a rising star on offense. If veterans LB Ray Lewis and S Ed Reed can stay healthy, the Ravens present an outstanding value at 14-to-1.

New York Giants (20/1): The defending Super Bowl champions are just not getting the respect they deserve from oddsmakers, especially with the Eagles being twice as likely to win the Super Bowl as the Giants, who have won two titles in five years. The offense will be explosive again with Eli Manning throwing to Victor Cruz and Hakeem Nicks, while handing the ball off to Ahmad Bradshaw and youngster David Wilson. New York’s front four is one of the best in the league, and their QB pressure will help a secondary that is improving. At 20-to-1 odds, you have to put some action on New York.

New England Patriots (9/2): The reigning AFC champions reloaded in the offseason with numerous additions, most notably WR Brandon Lloyd, and stud rookies DE Chandler Jones and LB Dont’a Hightower. They still have the league’s best offense with QB Tom Brady and a talented group of receivers to throw to in WR Wes Welker and TEs Rob Gronkowski and Aaron Hernandez. The payoff isn’t great, but New England has the best chance of anybody of winning the title.

Houston Texans (12/1): With the seventh-easiest schedule thanks to playing in a horrible AFC South division, the Texans have a great opportunity to earn a first-round bye in the playoffs. Houston has an outstanding two-headed rushing attack with Arian Foster and Ben Tate, and the passing offense will be much improved if both QB Matt Schaub and WR Andre Johnson stay healthy in 2012. The Texans defense is outstanding, finishing second in total defense (286 YPG) and fourth in scoring defense (17.4 PPG) last year. At 12-to-1 odds, this club is certainly worthy of a small wager.

Green Bay Packers (6/1): Green Bay is the favorite in the NFC, and rightfully so. The team remains virtually the same as last year when they finished 15-1 before getting upset by the Giants in the playoffs. The loss of offensive coordinator Joe Philbin won’t be that big of an adjustment with the promotion of quarterbacks coach Tom Clements, who has mentored Aaron Rodgers since 2006. Rodgers gets a new center in five-time Pro Bowler Jeff Saturday, and his WR duo of Greg Jennings and Jordy Nelson is as productive as any duo in the league. The defense still has room for improvement, but the additions of free agent DTs Daniel Muir and Anthony Hargrove will help stop the run and also free up blockers for LB Clay Matthews. The odds aren’t great, but you can’t really get greedy putting money on a 15-win team.

Carolina Panthers (40/1): The Cam Newton show will be even more fun to watch in its second year on the heels of a 4-2 finish to his rookie campaign. Carolina has the offensive weapons for Newton to succeed with WR Steve Smith, promising youngster WR Brandon LaFell and three quality running backs in DeAngelo Williams, Jonathan Stewart and newcomer Mike Tolbert. The linebacking corps will be exceptional once Jon Beason and Thomas Davis fully recover from injuries and allow more space for rookie Luke Kuechly to bring down ball carriers. Don’t blow your budget on this longshot, but 40-to-1 makes this pick quite intriguing.<P>

Oakland Raiders (60/1): If you want a bigger longshot at 60-to-1 odds, drop a unit bet on the Raiders. They have the fifth-easiest schedule in the NFL and the defense will surely improve with the return of pass-rushing stud DE Matt Shaughnessy, who barely played last year due to a shoulder injury. If both QB Carson Palmer and RB Darren McFadden stay healthy all year, this team has enough young talent, such as WRs Denarius Moore and Darrius Heyward-Bey, to compete for an AFC West title. 

- Carrie Stroup, Gambling911.com Senior Reporter