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The landscape of the National Football League changes every week. Where we thought teams lined up before Week 1 can (and usually does) end up being completely different to where they actually end up come Week 17. But all teams are focusing on one goal, even if it calls for a season to be tanked in the meantime. Everyone is aiming for the Super Bowl. And that’s exactly what we’ll focus on here. I’ll highlight three teams whose Super Bowl winning odds will change the most in Week 9.
Week 8’s biggest shift = Pittsburgh Steelers (+550). Big Ben is big back, and the Steelers aren’t showing any signs of slowing down. Following up a narrow 27-24 victory against the Titans in Week 7, the Steelers outlasted another AFC powerhouse in Week 8, beating the Ravens 28-24. A combination of efficient offense and suffocating defense has propelled Pittsburgh to the top of the conference, catapulting them to second place in the shortest odds rankings for a Super Bowl victory. Their upcoming schedule is a cake walk: Cowboys, Bengals, Jaguars.
As we approach Week 9, let’s break down which teams could see the biggest changes. All odds via DraftKings Sportsbook.
Tennessee Titans (5-2, +2800)
In one of the biggest upsets of Week 8, the Tennessee Titans were stunned by the Cincinnati Bengals, losing 31-20. Joe Burrow excelled even without Joe Mixon, throwing two touchdowns to add a second win to the Bengals season tally. The Titans have stumbled from an undefeated 5-0 record with +1500 odds to win the Super Bowl to 5-2 with +2800 odds. That, my friends, is a significant shift.
While the schedule doesn’t necessarily get easier for Tennessee, it will certainly find itself in prove-it matchups. What I mean by that is if Ryan Tannehill and the Titans want to be taken seriously for a Super Bowl run, they’ll have to prove it in the weeks to come. In Week 9, they’ll face off against the 5-3 Chicago Bears. As six-point favorites, the Titans will feel that this is a game that can initiate a winning streak. If that happens, now is the best time to put a future bet on them.
Green Bay Packers (5-2, +1400)
The Packers lost their second game in three weeks, giving life to a divisional rival. The Minnesota Vikings, or should I say the “Cookings”, went into Green Bay and got four total touchdowns from their star running back, Dalvin Cook. The Packers tried to keep up, but in the end fell short by a score of 28-22. The two-win Vikings took a meaningful stride on the path to playoff relevance, but they likely won’t reach that finish line.
As a result, the Packers odds lengthened, giving them the sixth-shortest odds to win the Lombardi trophy. On a short week, Aaron Rodgers and the Packers travel to San Francisco to take on the 49ers on Thursday night. COVID-19 is currently making its way through the Niners, ruling out Brandon Aiyuk, Deebo Samuel, and Kendrick Bourne. Let’s not forget that Jimmy Garoppolo and George Kittle picked up long-term injuries last week. It’s no secret that San Francisco will be extremely short-staffed on offense, making it virtually impossible to keep pace with Green Bay’s league-fourth-highest scoring offense. The Packers odds will start to shorten as the weeks go on.
Seattle Seahawks (6-1, +800)
Last week, I told you to hold off on placing any futures on the Seahawks just in case the 49ers pulled off an upset. In the end, Seattle won 37-27 and advanced to 6-1, but their odds were only trimmed slightly, as predicted. Now, the Seahawks have reached a pivotal point in the season as they take on the Buffalo Bills in Week 8. The line is slowly moving in Seattle’s favor, now at three points, but this is by no means an easy matchup.
The reason this is pivotal is because it’s Seattle’s toughest remaining non-divisional game. And what looked to be a very competitive division a couple weeks ago is starting to turn into a Seahawks-run NFC South. As mentioned, the 49ers have been losing pieces left and right while the Rams have only picked up one win against opponents that don’t reside in the NFC East. The Cardinals pose the only threat to the Seahawks, but I wouldn’t put money on Russell Wilson losing to the same opponent twice. My point? If Seattle wins this week, they may not lose again this regular season.
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