Chiefs lead Super Bowl 56 odds, Bucs climb following Super Bowl 55 win

The Tampa Bay Buccaneers won their second-ever Super Bowl over the Kansas City Chiefs on Sunday 31-9. While the 2020 season has come to a close, DraftKings Sportsbook is already looking ahead to next year. The odds for what team will win Super Bowl 56 have already begun to move. Let’s go over the outlook for the Chiefs and Bucs, as well as the chances of other teams that are bound to rise or fall in 2021.

Chiefs/Bucs

Kansas City was +500 ahead of kickoff, and their chances have worsened since suffering defeat on Sunday. The Chiefs are now favored at +550 and have a significant edge over the rest of the field. Tampa Bay’s championship odds moved from +1100 to +900. The Bucs are tied for the second-best odds to win it all.

Early favorites

The Green Bay Packers are even with Tampa Bay at +900. They’ve made the NFC Championship in two straight seasons and will likely still have the reigning MVP to depend on. While Aaron Rodgers was fed up after being eliminated by the Bucs this year, adding another quality skill position player or two could set Green Bay over the top. The Buffalo Bills and Baltimore Ravens round out the top five at +1200. Josh Allen and Lamar Jackson are 24-year old, dual-threat quarterbacks who are only getting better. Baltimore’s defense gives it a serious edge over most teams, but it has to improve its passing game to have a more balanced offense.

Non-playoff teams most likely to get to the playoffs

The Dallas Cowboys nearly made the playoffs without Dak Prescott, and the young signal-caller is on track to be fully recovered from the ankle injury he suffered early in October. Anything can happen in the NFC East, and there will be plenty of moving pieces this offseason. The Washington Football Team’s Alex Smith is mulling over his future after winning Comeback Player of the Year, and the Eagles are poised to move on from Carson Wentz to hand Jalen Hurts the keys to the offense. While the Cowboys need to get better on defense, they could comfortably have the best offense in their division by a wide margin with Prescott back under center.

The Miami Dolphins’ playoff hopes were shattered by a Week 17 blowout loss to the Buffalo Bills, but they have all the pieces to get a shot at the postseason. Their secondary took a big step forward after pairing Byron Jones with Xavien Howard at cornerback, and they can acquire another key piece with the No. 3 pick in this year’s draft. If Miami doesn’t fortify its offensive line or get a top-notch wideout prospect, it could package the pick in a deal to steal Deshaun Watson from the Houston Texans. The AFC East will be a two-horse race until the New England Patriots figure out their quarterback situation.

Playoff teams likely to take a step back

A couple of playoff teams from this past season appear likely to experience regression in 2021, and the Indianapolis Colts and Pittsburgh Steelers are at the top of the list. Both teams have questionable quarterback situations and could need to find quality starters on short notice. Philip Rivers had a solid one-year stint in Indianapolis but has now announced his retirement. The Colts know Jacoby Brissett isn’t under contract and didn’t come close to taking Indy to the playoffs in 2018, so it wouldn’t make sense to sign him to a long-term deal. The Colts could upgrade by making a trade, but the chances of them acquiring Watson or Carson Wentz are looking slim. Finding a replacement who can maximize the Colts’ inconsistent receiving corps' potential won’t be a simple task. Even if the AFC South looks like it’ll be weak, I can’t see them exceeding 10 wins and competing with the Tennesee Titans as they are now.

Ben Roethlisberger helped revitalize Pittsburgh after spending a season on the shelf in 2019 because of an elbow injury, and his return helped the Steelers kick off the year with 11 straight wins. They lost five of their last six games and dropped back-to-back matchups to the Cleveland Browns to end the year. Roethlisberger’s productivity fell off a cliff down the home stretch. While his receiving corps did let him down with plenty of drops, the outlook for Big Ben isn't great if he can’t stretch the field in his age 39 season. The Baltimore Ravens and Browns are hungry, and the AFC North could be one of the toughest divisions to win.

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