NFL Odds – An Early Look At Super Bowl XLV
Wednesday, July 28, 2010
by BetUS.com
Few people could have expected the New Orleans Saints to make their first Super Bowl (and then win it) 12 months ago at this time. The NFL used to be a very predictable league in past decades, and even though a relatively small cluster of teams comprises the list of favorites on an annual basis, the actual Super Bowl matchup has usually been surprising in recent years. The last Super Bowl in which both participants were expected to arrive at the “Big Game” was Super Bowl XXXIX, when New England topped Philadelphia. The other Super Bowls from the past decade have all involved at least one surprise team.
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New England was the surprise team in Super Bowl XXXVI. Tampa Bay upset Philadelphia to make Super Bowl XXXVII. Super Bowl 38 was crashed by the upstart Carolina Panthers. Super Bowl 40 witnessed the Seattle Seahawks take control of the NFC after many seasons of being a wild card team. In Super Bowl 41, the Chicago Bears made a run to the big stage. Super Bowl 42 featured the Cinderella story of the New York Giants, and Super Bowl 43 involved the decidedly improbable odyssey of the Arizona Cardinals.
How will the chips fall this year?
NFL Odds For Super Bowl XLV Matchup: Indianapolis Colts - New Orleans Saints +1800
In the AFC, the Indianapolis Colts are the favorite, with three other teams like the New York Jets, Baltimore, and San Diego also having a legitimate claim to the conference championship and a spot in the 45th Super Bowl. Indianapolis and San Diego should receive little competition on the road to division championships, so the regular season will be more of a rest for the Ravens and the Jets, who will have to deal with – respectively – the Cincinnati Bengals and New England Patriots, two other bona fide playoff contenders. The September through December grind should make Baltimore and the Jets battle-hardened for January, and that would set up an AFC Championship Game between the two teams. New York can’t be lacking confidence after the hugely encouraging joyride of 2009, but the Ravens have gotten a lot better in the offseason, and they still managed to reach the divisional playoff round last year. As long as Joe Flacco protects the ball, the Ravens will have the defense that can get to – and win – pro football’s ultimate championship game. Baltimore will get multiple turnovers from Jets quarterback Mark Sanchez and defeat New York for the AFC title.
In the NFC, it’s all about Brett Favre. If the veteran gunslinger does indeed return, Minnesota becomes the NFC favorite. New Orleans will certainly have something to say about the matter. One very big fact to note is that a team hasn’t appeared in back-to-back Super Bowls since New England did the deed in Super Bowls 38 and 39. It’s hard to endure the grind of a full season (through early February) and then defend a conference title the following Autumn. Dallas is probably the second choice in the NFC, while New Orleans and Atlanta would be the third and fourth possibilities, in either order. Green Bay might not play a single home game in the 2010 playoffs, but the Packers should definitely reach the postseason and offer a legitimate challenge to other NFC contenders. Minnesota will beat Dallas for the NFC championship.
A Super Bowl XLV matchup between Baltimore Ravens and Minnesota Vikings will be a clash of styles. The Ravens will hang their hat on defense, while the Vikings will lean on offense. Naturally, then, the key confrontation would pit Baltimore’s offense against Minnesota’s defense. The Vikings have a stout front seven, so the Ravens would have a tough time running the ball. Flacco might have to win a shootout, and that’s exactly the kind of game Minnesota wouldn’t mind. The Ravens can easily contain Favre, but the problem is that they might have to completely smother No. 4 or force a boatload of Minnesota turnovers in order to have a good chance of winning. Minnesota 24, Baltimore 17, sounds pretty good. Then again, the season hasn’t started, and just one or two injuries can instantly change the calculus.
NFL Odds: Minnesota Vikings - Baltimore Ravens +4000
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baltimore ravens - brett favre - indianapolis colts - minnesota vikings - new orleans saints - super bowl xlv
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