The close line for Super Bowl XLIX in Glendale, Ariz., is not a surprise, as both the New England Patriots and Seattle Seahawks have been among the favorites to win the game all season at sportsbooks monitored by OddsShark.com.
On Sept. 1, just before the start of the NFL season, the Denver Broncos were the favorites at 11/2 on the odds to win the Super Bowl. Seattle was right behind at 6/1, and New England was at 8/1, even with the San Francisco 49ers.
While Seattle and New England have been near the top of the Super Bowl odds most of the season, they’ve each had their low points. New England lost to Kansas City in Week 4, dropping to 2-2. After that loss, the Patriots were listed at 16/1 to win the Super Bowl. They slowly climbed their way back and entered the playoffs with the second-best Super Bowl odds at 3/1.
The Seahawks lost back-to-back games in Week 6 and Week 7, which dropped them to 3-3 on the season. After the second loss, they dropped to 9/1 to win the Super Bowl on the NFL betting lines at the sportsbooks. They started climbing back up, but then suffered a Week 11 loss that dropped them to 16/1. They won six straight to close out the season and entered the playoffs as the odds-on favorites at 12/5.
The biggest drops this season belonged to San Francisco and New Orleans. The 49ers opened the season with the fourth-best Super Bowl odds at 8/1 but finished the season 8-8, third in the NFC West. The Saints opened the season tied with the Green Bay Packers for the fifth-best odds at 9/1 but finished 7-9, second in the NFC South. The Chicago Bears were installed at 22/1 to start the season, but they finished 5-11.
The best performance deeper down the odds belonged to the Dallas Cowboys, who entered the season with 66/1 odds to win Super Bowl XLIX, well behind their division mates in Philadelphia. The Cowboys finished the season 12-4, though, tied for the best record in the NFL.
Most of the preseason favorites and underdogs finished about as expected. Denver (11/2) and Green Bay (9/1) both made the playoffs, while the Jacksonville Jaguars (250/1), Oakland Raiders (200/1) and Tennessee Titans (100/1) were at the bottom of the standings. The Tampa Bay Buccaneers actually were at 66/1 but finished the season with the worst record in the league.
Thumbnail photo via Greg M. Cooper/USA TODAY Sports Images
