Football 2023 – The Road to the Super Bowl
Reigning Super Bowl champions, the Kansas City Chiefs, are +490 favourites to retain their title. But, with five teams offered on +500 or less, another ultra-competitive NFL season is undoubtedly ahead.
The action begins on Friday, September 8, with the Chiefs hosting the Detroit Lions at the Arrowhead Stadium. The UK’s football betting sites sites quote the Chiefs on +200 to get their season off to a winning start. They are currently favourites in the early betting markets to win all 17 regular season games.
Philadelphia Eagle Jalen Hurts threw for 3,701 yards and 22 touchdowns last season. ©Getty
The Chiefs are a team with many strengths, and Patrick Mahomes has spearheaded the team to great success, including three Super Bowl appearances (two wins) in the six years he has been the regular starting quarterback. He was better than ever last season when he became the first player to win the Most Valuable Player in both the League and Super Bowl.
Mahomes threw for 5,250 yards in 2022 with 435 completed passes from 648 attempts, resulting in an impressive 41 touchdowns. One of the most versatile quarterbacks in the game, he rushed for 358 yards and four touchdowns. He can throw from a stationary position accurately, but his ability to throw pinpoint passes when on the move sets him apart.
Other standout players on the Chiefs roster include running back Isiah Pacheco and and tight end Travis Kelce. If they continue in the same form as last season and their defensive unit keeps things tight, the Kansas City Chiefs will be very difficult to beat. Back-to-back Super Bowl wins are very much within their reach.
Can the Eagles Fly High This Year?
Of course, success takes a lot of work in the NFL, and the Chiefs face stiff opposition. The Philadelphia Eagles – rated 500+ by the best NFL betting sites – went down by 38-35 to the Chiefs in last season’s Super Bowl. They nearly snatched a last-play victory when quarterback Jalen Hurts threw a Hail Mary pass, which only just fell short of the receiver.
It was Hurts second season as the starting quarterback, and he signed a five-year contract extension in April worth $50 million per year. He will be critical to the success or otherwise of the Eagles season. All the signs suggest he will be an even more influential presence in the team during the coming months.
Hurts has reportedly been looking sharp in pre-season training, and while his passing game is not yet quite up to the same level as Mahomes, he still threw for 3,701 yards and 22 touchdowns last season.
His rushing game was superb, though, with an impressive 13 touchdowns. With the brilliant right tackle Lane Johnson there to protect him at the snap again, more yards and touchdowns from Hurts are in store for 2023.
Wide receiver AJ Brown has built a good relationship with Hurts. The pair have been connecting well in training, and the Eagles’ offence looks formidable. The defence is likely to be as solid as any team in the NFL, and it is hard to find any fundamental flaws in the overall look of the team.
The Grid’s top plays of 2022 continues with….
Hurts goes to Brown-town! pic.twitter.com/5mlQSvMgKR
— NFLFanGrid (@NFLFanGrid) September 3, 2023
Tempting Trio: +1000 Bills, Bengals, or 49ers
The San Francisco 49ers, Cincinnati Bengals, and Buffalo Bills are next in the Super Bowl betting at 10/1. The Bills had a good 2022 season, but an under-par performance saw them eliminated by the Cincinnati Bengals in the AFC playoffs.
They have won the AFC East division for the past three seasons and, top-priced +125 by BetMGM, they should do so again. But they have come up short in the playoffs for the past five or six years and may again be found wanting when it comes to the crunch.
Online betting sites were dismissive of the Bengals at the start of last season. And while they had an excellent 2022 and outperformed their odds, it is questionable if they will be capable of playing up to the same level this term.
The iconic 49ers won the Super Bowl four times in the 1980s and five times in all. The ‘Niners’ could be the team running into top form. They have been resurgent in recent seasons, reaching the Super Bowl final in 2019 and the NFC Championship in the past two seasons.
Rookie quarterback Brock Purdy took over for the injured Jimmy Garoppolo towards the end of last season and led the 49ers to seven straight wins and a Championship appearance. The 23-year-old is only likely to improve after such a confidence-boosting start. He could play a crucial part in a respected team that remains almost the same as last season.
The Detroit Lions, quoted on +2500 by the best NFL betting sites, had a poor start to last season but got their act together in style halfway through the campaign. Another team that could make the playoffs if it continues in the same form, the Lions’ first game is a trip to the Kansas City Chiefs.
