We’re still a long way from the start of the 2021 regular season in the NFL — and we may still be a long way from learning where Aaron Rodgers and Deshaun Watson will play football this season. Even so, it’s not too soon to start thinking about which two teams will square off in Super Bowl LVI, set for February 13, 2022, at SoFi Stadium in Inglewood, California.
We’ll start with a list of the early NFL betting odds for each of the 32 teams to win the championship and then think about some of the most likely matchups.
NFL News: Possible Matchups for Super Bowl LVI
| Odds to Win Super Bowl LVI | |
|---|---|
| Kansas City Chiefs | +450 |
| Tampa Bay Buccaneers | +700 |
| Baltimore Ravens, Buffalo Bills, Los Angeles Rams | +1200 |
| San Francisco 49ers | +1400 |
| Cleveland Browns | +1600 |
| Green Bay Packers | +1800 |
| Denver Broncos, Indianapolis Colts | +2000 |
| Dallas Cowboys | +2500 |
| Arizona Cardinals, Los Angeles Chargers | +3000 |
| New Orleans Saints | +3500 |
| Chicago Bears, Tennessee Titans, Minnesota Vikings | +4000 |
| Pittsburgh Steelers, Carolina Panthers | +5000 |
| Las Vegas Raiders, Washington Football Team | +6600 |
| New York Giants, Atlanta Falcons, New York Jets, Philadelphia Eagles | +8000 |
| Cincinnati Bengals | +10000 |
| Jacksonville Jaguars | +12500 |
| Detroit Lions | +20000 |
| Houston Texans | +25000 |
Matchup #1: Kansas City Chiefs vs Los Angeles Rams
Patrick Mahomes II is the best playmaker in the NFL. The holes in the offensive line left him running for his life in the Super Bowl, but the truth remains that with a retooled line (and with the Chiefs likely to come back hungry), the Chiefs are still the team to beat in the AFC. The Rams have an elite defense, and some think that the arrival of Matthew Stafford will make their passing game more explosive, turning in bigger plays down the field. We’ll see if that turns out to be true, or if Stafford’s best days are behind him in a few wild card playoff appearances in Detroit.
Matchup #2: Tampa Bay Buccaneers vs Cleveland Browns
The Buccaneers have all of their starters from last year’s Super Bowl victory returning, and while their offense has a few advanced veterans (Tom Brady and Rob Gronkowski among those), the defense is still young and will have even more confidence. The Browns had a stout offense last year, and the defense got a major overhaul during the off-season. Baker Mayfield continues to grow into the quarterback position, and the Browns were very close to knocking out the Chiefs on the road in the divisional playoff.
Matchup #3: Green Bay Packers vs Buffalo Bills
The Packers have won 13 games in each of the last two seasons. Some conservative coaching (and the lack of a second elite wide receiver) kept the Packers from beating Tampa Bay in the NFC Championship last season (along with a suspicious pass interference call). Obviously, the big question has to do with Aaron Rodgers’ situation with Green Bay management, but if he returns, and the Pack can add a wide receiver, the team is a true contender. Buffalo has gone farther in the playoffs each season with Josh Allen at quarterback and Sean McDermott at head coach, and a Super Bowl run is not out of the question.
Matchup #4: Kansas City Chiefs vs Tampa Bay Buccaneers
We haven’t had a Super Bowl rematch since Super Bowls XXVII and XXVIII, when the Dallas Cowboys beat the Buffalo Bills twice in a row. The Chiefs seem to have done the retooling to make another run, and the Buccaneers still have a terrific roster. Will the Bucs be hungry enough to make it through the NFL gauntlet once again? The Chiefs are, in my estimation, more likely to return because of the improvements that they made on defense, but if the Buccaneers don’t return, it’s hard to pick from the rest of a deeply flawed NFC.
NFL Betting Odds
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