At this time last year, sports prognosticators were confident that the New England Patriots were Super Bowl favorites, and that confidence was justified. But who could have predicted the upstart Philadelphia Eagles would be matched up against them—and ultimately win?
New England entered the 2017-18 season with Vegas’ best odds to win the Super Bowl, while Philly had only the 18th-best odds—and the Eagles had those odds with starting quarterback Carson Wentz, who tore his ACL in early December and missed the rest of the season. This shocking outcome illustrated the beautiful reality of sports: they’re unpredictable.
In retrospect, the entire 2017 NFL season was insane. The Tom Brady/Bill Belichick/Robert Kraft dynasty appeared to be jeopardized as a result of infighting over Brady’s nutrition guru and how to handle backup quarterback Jimmy Garoppolo. Speaking of Jimmy Guapo: after the Patriots shipped him out of town, he led the hapless 49ers to five straight wins to end the season. Just as shocking: the Buffalo Bills snapped their 17-year postseason drought with a wild ending to the Bengals-Ravens game in Week 17.
Looking ahead to the 2018 season, a number of exciting young teams—like the Rams and Jaguars—have emerged as legitimate contenders. Others—like the Texans and 49ers—have given downtrodden fan bases hope for the future.
These teams are threatening to break through, but the league’s established forces, like the Patriots, Eagles, and Steelers, won’t go quietly. Which team has the best chance of winning the Super Bowl LIII?
Though prediction is by nature an inexact science, and it’s probably way too early for anyone to really know, here are 10 teams we believe have the best chance to win the 2019 Super Bowl. For reference, current Vegas odds for all teams are available here.