Greetings football fans. Another week of NFL action is now in the books. Heading into last week, the list of teams with the best shot of winning the big game in 2021 included the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, the undefeated Pittsburgh Steelers, and the Kansas City Chiefs.
Two of these squads posted victories while the other one came out flat in a divisional NFC South showdown. Taking that into consideration, there’s going to be somewhat of a shakeup on our weekly list. Without further delay, here’s a look at the teams that are the odds-on favorites to win it all based on how they performed in Week 9.
Third-Best Super Bowl Odds: New Orleans Saints (+700). Last Week (NR)
The Tampa Bay Buccaneers held down the No. 3 spot on our weekly list over the past couple of weeks. Going into their matchup against the Saints, the Bucs were hoping to earn a measure of revenge against the team that defeated them by a 34-23 margin in Tom Brady’s debut.
Unfortunately, not only did the Bucs lose to their division rival again, the second time around was even worse than the first meeting between these two ball clubs. The Saints scored five times on their first six possessions, which allowed them to jump out to an insurmountable 31-0 lead at halftime. When it was said and done, the Saints cruised to a 38-3 victory — their fifth consecutive win.
Second-Best Super Bowl Odds: Pittsburgh Steelers (+550). Last Week (No Change)
The Steelers are holding steady at the No. 2 spot. On paper, their Week 9 matchup against the Dallas Cowboys should have been a walk in the park, considering Dallas was starting its fourth different quarterback in the last five games.
However, the Cowboys proved to be a worthy opponent and they led 19-9 going into the fourth quarter. Pittsburgh’s offense finally came to life in the final frame as it engineered three scoring drives. Although it wasn’t pretty by any means, the Steelers edged the Cowboys 24-19 to remain the only unbeaten team in the NFL.
Super Bowl Odds Favorite: Kansas City Chiefs (+350). Last Week (No Change)
The Kansas City Chiefs were riding the wave of a three-game winning streak going into their matchup against the Carolina Panthers. As was the case with the Steelers and the Cowboys, this one should have been a one-sided affair as well. But the Panthers were having none of that as they hung with the defending champs right down to the wire.
Unfortunately for Carolina, their 67-yard field goal attempt came up short, allowing the Chiefs to escape with a 33-31 win. On the heels of their fourth straight win, the Chiefs are 8-1 going into their bye week, which means they should retain their top spot on the list over the next couple of weeks.
