Favorites, sleepers, dark horses for Super Bowl 55

The 2019 NFL season is in the books, with the Kansas City Chiefs coming from behind to win Super Bowl 54. The Chiefs are the favorites to repeat in 2020, as their +600 odds on DraftKings Sportsbook ranks first. The Baltimore Ravens (+800) are second, followed by the San Francisco 49ers (+1000).

Here, we will examine some teams that bettors on DraftKings Sportsbook can consider betting for Super Bowl 55 next February.

Favorites

Kansas City Chiefs (+600)

The reigning Super Bowl Champs are in prime position to repeat. Having all-world QB Patrick Mahomes under center is a massive advantage, and Mahomes is now a seasoned veteran with championship experience. Mahomes and the Chiefs were able to overcome a strong pass rush from the 49ers to win the Super Bowl, and Mahomes’ ability to use his athleticism to escape dirty pockets gives the Chiefs’ offense huge margin for error in their pass protection. When given time for plays to properly develop, Kansas City’s offense can be nearly unstoppable due to the elite play of Mahomes combined with the speed and weapons they have at skill positions. Damien Williams also emerged as a big threat out of the backfield in the playoffs, giving the Chiefs a threat at RB.

Baltimore Ravens (+800)

Ravens QB Lamar Jackson struggled in the playoffs against the Titans. Their defensive game plan featured heavy zone coverage to keep everything in front of them in an effort to force Jackson into passing, and it worked. Jackson appeared to be flustered by Tennessee’s game plan, completing just 31-of-59 (52%) of his attempts, with Baltimore’s offense scoring just 12 points. However, this may be a good learning experience for the 2019 unanimous MVP. When clicking, Baltimore’s offense is extremely difficult to guard because Jackson’s elite rushing skills effectively allows the Ravens to play with an extra player on offense during run plays. Baltimore led the 2019 regular season in point differential.

Sleepers

Dallas Cowboys (+2000)

The Cowboys missed the playoffs due to a disappointing 8-8 record, but some of their peripheral statistics suggested they were a much better team than that. Dallas’ point differential was fifth best among all teams and second best in the NFC behind only the NFC champion 49ers. Dallas also ranked first offensively by yards per play. Teams with this good of a point differential rarely miss the playoffs, so it’s possible the Cowboys fell victim to some bad luck in 2019. Dallas has a new head coach in Mike McCarthy for 2020, but they will be in position to retain most of their key players, with WR Amari Cooper set to be the team’s biggest free agent assuming the franchise tag is used on QB Dak Prescott.

Cleveland Browns (+3300)

After trading for star WR Odell Beckham Jr., the Browns entered 2019 as a popular breakout team, but failed to deliver and ended up with a highly disappointing 6-10 record. Despite being loaded at skill positions and having a budding young QB in Baker Mayfield, the Browns’ offensive line was an issue, which caused plays to break down. If Cleveland can fix their pass protection issues and run a more structured program under new head coach Kevin Stefanski, they could finally be in line for a playoff appearance.

Longshots

Las Vegas Raiders (+5000)

The Raiders are reportedly going to pursue QB Tom Brady in free agency if Brady and the Patriots are unable to agree to terms. Brady is aging and his stats are declining, but Las Vegas’ Super Bowl odds would be a candidate climb if Brady were to sign with the Raiders, which could give bettors some value at this number.

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