Super Bowl odds update: Title field shaken up after turbulent Week 8
Just when you think you've got the league figured out, Week 8 happens. Eight of 14 underdogs won outright this week, bookended by the Packers (+6.5) and Cowboys (+4.5) winning prime-time affairs without their star receiver and quarterback, respectively.
The result was a sizeable shift in the Super Bowl oddsboard for a handful of teams with title aspirations. Here are the most notable movements after Week 8:
| TEAM | ODDS |
|---|---|
| Buffalo Bills | +500 |
| Tampa Bay Buccaneers | +600 |
| Los Angeles Rams | +650 |
| Green Bay Packers | +1000 |
| Arizona Cardinals | +1000 |
| Dallas Cowboys | +1000 |
| Baltimore Ravens | +1200 |
| Kansas City Chiefs | +1200 |
| Tennessee Titans | +1600 |
| Los Angeles Chargers | +2000 |
| New Orleans Saints | +3500 |
| Cincinnati Bengals | +5000 |
| Pittsburgh Steelers | +5000 |
| Seattle Seahawks | +5000 |
| Las Vegas Raiders | +5000 |
| San Francisco 49ers | +5000 |
| Cleveland Browns | +5000 |
| New England Patriots | +5000 |
| Indianapolis Colts | +6500 |
| Minnesota Vikings | +10000 |
| Denver Broncos | +10000 |
| Carolina Panthers | +20000 |
| Washington Football Team | +20000 |
| Philadelphia Eagles | +20000 |
| New York Giants | +50000 |
| Atlanta Falcons | +50000 |
| Miami Dolphins | +50000 |
| Chicago Bears | +50000 |
| Detroit Lions | +100000 |
| Houston Texans | +100000 |
| New York Jets | +100000 |
| Jacksonville Jaguars | +100000 |
The Cowboys have consistently inched their way up the oddsboard through the first eight weeks of the season, moving from an opening price of 30-1 and going all the way to 14-1 entering this week. And that was before arguably their most impressive victory of the season.
It wasn't always pretty, but Dallas' defense stepped up with the team missing starting quarterback Dak Prescott. Fill-in starter Cooper Rush captained the offense to 419 total yards and 23 first downs in an impressive prime-time win over the favored Vikings. This team looks more and more like the real deal with each passing week, especially when Prescott returns.
Titans, Saints win at a costOn the surface, it was a great week for the Titans and Saints, who both notched upset victories over division rivals. But injuries to key stars on offense could complicate each of their Super Bowl outlooks.
Start with Tennessee, which engineered a wild comeback against the Colts in a 34-31 overtime win. However, the bigger news is losing Derrick Henry, who broke a bone in his right foot early on but still carried the ball 28 times for 68 yards - his worst showing of the year. He's expected to miss the rest of the regular season, which could be a fatal blow for the AFC-leading Titans.
The Saints are also reeling after a 36-27 win over the Buccaneers that saw Jameis Winston tear his ACL early in the second quarter. Trevor Siemian was an adequate fill-in Sunday, and Taysom Hill is expected to assume the starting role once he clears concussion protocol. Does either quarterback have the upside to lift New Orleans' already struggling aerial attack?
Browns, Bengals suffer blow to title hopesEntering Week 8, the Browns and Bengals were making noise as potential dark-horse contenders in the AFC North. But the market has cooled on both clubs after surprising losses to inferior teams Sunday.
Cleveland took the biggest hit to its title odds, dropping from 25-1 after Week 7 to 50-1 following Sunday's 15-10 loss to the Steelers in Baker Mayfield's first game back from injury. He couldn't get anything going for the Browns offense, which has now scored 17 points or fewer in three straight weeks.
Cincinnati was still a relative long shot at 35-1 last week, but a stunning 34-31 loss to the Jets as 11.5-point favorites won't help matters. Backup QB Mike White shredded the Bengals' defense to the tune of 405 yards and three touchdowns, casting doubts on Cincy's surprisingly effective defense through the first seven weeks.
C Jackson Cowart is a sports betting writer at theScore. You can follow him on Twitter (@CJacksonCowart) or email him at cjackson.cowart@thescore.com.
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