Super Bowl 57 Odds: Which Teams Have Chance To Be 2022 Version Of Bengals?
Worst to first for the Giants and Jets?
Bookmakers, in hindsight, clearly put a bad Super Bowl number on the Cincinnati Bengals at the start of the 2021 season.
The Bengals opened the season as high as 150-1 to win Super Bowl LVI, which they fell just short of doing, losing to the Los Angeles Rams on Sunday night.
In hindsight, however, it's easy to see why the Bengals were mispriced. Joe Burrow clearly is one of the best young quarterbacks in the NFL, and he left no doubt about his ability to bounce back from a knee injury. Cincinnati did a tremendous job surrounding him with offensive talent, highlighted by drafting Ja'Marr Chase at the top of the first round only for Chase to go on and win Offensive Rookie of the Year.
Granted, a lot had to break right for the Bengals, too, mostly having an underachieving division. AFC North stalwarts Baltimore and Pittsburgh struggled, while Cleveland failed to meet lofty expectations. The result was the Bengals winning the division and securing a home game in the first round in which they took on a Raiders team that probably didn't deserve to be a postseason participant.
Credit the Bengals for going on the road and beating the top two seeds in the conference. Even if those wins were somewhat fluky, Cincinnati clearly was better than a 125- or 150-1 long shot.
So, as we approach the offseason, which teams have the best chance of similarly defying the odds in 2022?
(Odds via DraftKings Sportsbook)
New York Jets (150-1): We're actually sorta no kidding about this one? Are the Jets going to win the Super Bowl next season? Almost certainly no. Will they even make the playoffs? Probably not. However, there are some interesting similarities between the projected 2022 Jets and 2021 Bengals. For starters, the Jets have a high-ceiling, second-year quarterback in Zach Wilson, hopefully ready to take the next step. Head coach Robert Saleh could play the role of Zac Taylor: a relatively inexperienced, unproven specialist ready to hit the big stage. And like the Bengals cashed in with the No. 5 pick by taking Chase, the Jets theoretically could do the same not only with the No. 4 pick in '22 but also the No. 10 selection. The Jets even beat the Bengals this season. That said, among the (many) obvious drawbacks? Playing in a loaded AFC.
New York Giants (80-1): We might need to revisit this one once the quarterback shuffle begins. If the Giants go ahead and land, say, Russell Wilson, then the conversation completely changes -- and so does the betting number. But even if they stand pat with Daniel Jones, is it possible Brian Daboll unlocks Jones and the rest of the New York offense? If the G-Men resist the urge to trade Saquon Barkley, he's obviously an elite talent, and a wideout trio of Kenny Golladay, Sterling Shepard and Kadarius Toney should be a lot better than it looked in 2021. The Wink Martindale hiring might be one of the more overlooked moves of the offseason when it's all said and done, and the Giants have an even better draft situation than the Jets with the fifth and seventh picks.
Chicago Bears (80-1): The Lions are going to be bad again. The Vikings will also be bad, we're assuming. The Packers, if they can't convince Aaron Rodgers to return, might also be bad. There's an open lane in the NFC North for whoever wants it. If you believe in Justin Fields, then Chicago could be the pick to drive that lane. The Bears are also expected to have roughly $45 million in cap space, which they'll need without a first-round pick. If you squint hard enough, you can see it breaking right, although a first-year head coach should make you, ahem, slightly bearish on the Bears' chances.
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