Sunday's NFL upsets shake up Super Bowl futures, with the Rams sliding, the 49ers surging and the Bears emerging as contenders at Betway
Yesterday was a roller-coaster day for the NFL, with several major upsets involving teams considered Super Bowl contenders, a reminder of how unpredictable the road to the Super Bowl can be.
Sunday shook up the championship futures picture, led by the Arizona Cardinals’ 18-16 win over the L.A. Rams on a last-second field goal.
The Rams’ Super Bowl odds took a beating.
Then came today’s devastating news that Philadelphia Eagles quarterback Jalen Hurts is expected to be out for the year after doctors discovered blood clots in his lungs.
The banged-up Rams also learned they would be without wide receiver Davante Adams for 6-10 weeks after he ruptured his hamstring in the loss to the Cardinals.
The Indianapolis Colts fired their general manager, Chris Ballard. The New England Patriots lost one of their top receivers, Romeo Doubs, to a shoulder injury, just after welcoming back another top receiver, AJ Brown.
The Washington Commanders placed starting running back Jacory Croskey-Merritt on injured reserve with a groin injury.
You get the point. The days of attrition on NFL rosters are really kicking in six weeks in.
Beyond the Rams’ shocker, the Cleveland Browns’ 13-10 win over the Lamar Jackson-less Baltimore Ravens and the Houston Texans’ 34-31 win in London over the Jacksonville Jaguars were other notable upsets.
Meanwhile, the Kansas City Chiefs blew out the rapidly sinking L.A. Chargers, 22-6, while the Buffalo Bills took care of business at Allegiant Stadium in Las Vegas against the Raiders, 33-30.
The Chiefs went to 5-0 with their win, strengthening their case as Super Bowl contenders, and the Bills are now 5-1.
The Bills? Man, their defence stinks — second-last in the NFL, giving up an average of 386.8 yards per game and 28.5 points per game (third-last in the NFL).
The team announced today that it was signing veteran CB Tre’Davious White, bringing him back to the team, who will join the practice roster before the active roster. The Bills are on bye week now, so he’ll have time to reacclimate. Can’t hurt.
The biggest stories in NFL betting at Betway are the 49ers making the most consequential shift near the top of the market, and the Jaguars and the Chicago Bears moving into the championship conversation, alongside the Rams’ declining odds.
I wrote on this a few weeks ago. On Oct. 5, the San Francisco 49ers were +900, today they are +600. The Bills are unchanged from then to today, +700. Then there’s the Chiefs, shortened to +850, from +1000. The Ravens are unchanged, a surprise for me, at +900.
Then there’s the Rams, drifting to +1000 from +600 at Betway. The Seahawks are +1200 today, having drifted from +1000.
The Jaguars and Bears have moved. The Jags are +1400, shortened from +1600 on Oct. 5.
The Packers are an interesting outsider in the Super Bowl futures market, at +3000, especially following yesterday’s 23-13 win over the falling Dallas Cowboys.
The Bears’ move has been particularly dramatic: +1500 today, shortened from +2200. Are oddsmakers giving Bears quarterback Caleb Williams too much credit for yesterday’s dramatic return, a dominant 31-23 win over the Atlanta Falcons, going 30 of 36, 305 yards, and one touchdown?
The 49ers are heading into Monday night’s game against Washington. The key question for bettors is whether there’s still value at +600, or whether the market is too enthusiastic about San Francisco.
And does +1000 on the Rams represent an opportunity to buy low?
For me, the Chiefs at +850 offer a higher potential payout than either San Francisco or Buffalo. And it pains me to say that, being a Bills fan.
