NFL TITLE FUTURES: BEST ODDS AND PICKS – JULY 2024

NFL TITLE FUTURES BEST ODDS AND PICKS —  JULY 2024 — Greetings, football fans. The preseason slate is less than a week away, which means the NFL season will be here before we know it. We have already discussed the players with the top odds to win the league MVP award.

Today, we will focus on the teams with the best odds to win the Lombardi trophy this season. As you probably recall, the Kansas City Chiefs won their second straight Super Bowl, defeating the San Francisco 49ers by a 25-22 margin.

Are these two teams leading the rest of the field? Even more important, is there anyone who can prevent these squads from representing their respective conferences in the big game once again?

Let’s take a look and find out.

Odds courtesy of DraftKings as of July 27, 2024

Top NFL Title Odds: Kansas City Chiefs (+500)

The fact that the Chiefs are at the No. 1 spot on the list is not earth-shattering news by any means. Following a season in which they went 11-6, there was doubt as to whether they would successfully defend their crown. After all, despite winning the AFC West division for the eighth straight season, it was the team’s lowest win total since 2017. That season, KC finished with a 10-6 record.

Although they faced a postseason gauntlet in which two of their first three playoff games were on the road, the Chiefs defied the odds, eventually winning their second title in as many years and their third in the past four seasons.

With that in mind, can the Chiefs become the first team to win three straight titles, or will another squad find a way to dethrone the defending champions?

Second-Best NFL Title Odds: San Francisco 49ers (+600)

To be honest, I feel bad for this 49ers team. They lost to the Chiefs in the 2020 Super Bowl 31-20 despite leading by a 10-point margin heading into the final frame. Next, they were defeated in the conference championship games in back-to-back seasons. In the 2022 conference championship matchup, they fell to the Los Angeles Rams 20-17. Ironically, they led by a 10-point margin in that game as well going into the fourth quarter.

In the 2023 NFC title game against the Eagles, San Francisco was trounced 31-7. With the stars seemingly aligned this time around, the Niners were denied once again as the Chiefs produced a touchdown on the game’s final drive in the first overtime session.

Talk about a Heartbreak Hotel.

Can the Niners bounce back from yet another disappointing postseason loss and make it back to the big game yet again?

3. Baltimore Ravens (+1000)

Following a 2021-22 campaign that saw them finish 8-9, the Ravens have notched postseason berths in each of the last two seasons. After losing in the wild-card round of the 2022 playoffs, Baltimore bounced back with a league-best 13-4 record last season, earning them home-field advantage throughout the AFC playoffs.

Unfortunately, they fell to the Chiefs in the conference championship game 17-14. While Lamar Jackson won the MVP award, the team came up short in terms of reaching the ultimate goal. Considering this group finished sixth in total offense and defense last season, chances are, they will be in the postseason hunt once again.

4. Detroit Lions (+1200)

Before I get started, I must give Detroit a big shoutout—not because they are my favorite team, but because of how well they did last season.

You see, it had been seven long years since the team’s last playoff appearance. That year, they were bounced out of the playoffs in the wild-card round. But last season, Detroit finished 12-5 en route to winning the NFC North crown. It was also their first double-digit win season since 2014.

The Lions defeated the Rams and the Tampa Bay Buccaneers to reach their first conference title game in 32 years. They held their own against the top-seeded Niners in the first half and took a 24-7 advantage into intermission.

Unfortunately, it was not meant to be, as Detroit was outscored by a decisive 27-7 margin in the second half, including being blanked 17-0 in the third quarter. No shame in losing to the team that nearly upended the eventual champions in the Super Bowl. At the same time, one gets the feeling that the Lions feel they have some unfinished business to take care of this season.

5. Cincinnati Bengals (+1300)

The Bengals had reached the playoffs in each of the two seasons prior to the 2023 campaign. In 2021, they suffered a 23-20 loss to the Rams in the Super Bowl. In their bid to represent the AFC in the big game the following season, Cincinnati fell to the Chiefs by the same 23-20 margin in the conference title game.

Last season, Joe Burrow appeared in just 10 games due to calf and wrist injuries. As a result, the Bengals finished with a 9-8 record and failed to reach the postseason. The Bengals are hoping that a full offseason to rehab the injuries will help Burrow return to form. As I mentioned in my MVP-odds article, Burrow is 3-1 against Kansas City in his career, and the Bengals were the last team to knock off the Chiefs in the postseason.

With that in mind, the Bengals could be one of, if not the biggest, threats to the Chiefs’ bid to 3-peat.