Is There Value in the Packers or Buccaneers to Rebound?

Heading into the year, the Green Bay Packers and Tampa Bay Buccaneers were viewed as Super Bowl contenders, but neither has delivered up to this point.

So, is there value in either the Packers or Buccaneers to still being viewed as a Super Bowl threat?

All Odds Courtesy of FanDuel Sportsbook

Heading into Week 8, the Green Bay Packers sit 2.5 games behind the division-leading Minnesota Vikings while remaining two games below the .500 mark. Things won’t get easier for The Pack, with a Buffalo trip to face off with the Bills on Sunday Night Football. This will be the first time in Aaron Rodgers’s career that he’ll be entering a matchup as a double-digit underdog, which raises the question, how did we get here? 

Entering the season, the Packers were thought to have one of the top defenses in the NFL, and to say they’ve underperformed would be an understatement. The Packers are a middle-of-the-pack team in points allowed, and it was clear entering the season that the franchise believed their defense could cover up some of their offensive warts. That hasn’t happened, and both sides of the ball are looking for answers. 

As a result, the Packers have seen their Super Bowl odds fall, sitting in a tie for the 12th-best odds at +3300. Green Bay still has some wiggle room in a relatively wide-open NFC, but there’s no doubt a lot needs to be fixed if they have hopes of competing for the Vince Lombardi Trophy. Look for the Packers to try and acquire a playmaking wide receiver ahead of the trade deadline, knowing that things aren’t working with the receiving core.

It’s hard to count out an organization that’s found so much success, but there comes the point where you are what you are. The Packers could be showing us their true colors, and people are too afraid to believe it. Still, if they can manage to get back on track and qualify for the postseason, there’s value in their Super Bowl odds at +3300.

Even for the greatest of all time, age will eventually catch up. Many wonder if that’s the case with Tom Brady and the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. Brady and the Bucs haven’t seen the drop off in their Super Bowl odds, like Rodgers and the Packers have, but there are not many reasons to be bullish about what this NFC South team is offering. They are priced at +1600 because no team in their division has taken it by the horns, and even after a difficult start, they still sit in a tie for the lead with a 3-4 record. 

Brady has shown time and time again that it’s irresponsible to count him out, but there’s something that feels off about this Bucs team, especially with some key injuries still present on the roster. Fading Brady is hard to do, but there’s no value in looking toward Tampa Bay and their team futures. After losses to the lowly Pittsburgh Steelers and Carolina Panthers, can things get much worse for this team?

If you’re looking for value in the futures market, the Packers offer much more bang for your buck, even if there’s less certainty in them turning things around.