ed welch
The NFL schedule has hit the Thanksgiving Day check points, which unofficially serves as the start of the postseason races. While teams like the New Orleans Saints, Los Angeles Rams, Kansas City Chiefs, and New England Patriots are the runaway favorites to win the Super Bowl, there rest of the field is a bit muddled.
Sizing up the Big Game futures, these teams could shock and stun their way to Super Bowl LIII – and cash in big for those holding a ticket on their championship sports betting odds.
Dallas Cowboys (+7,500)
The Cowboys seem to be in the best place to make a run to the top of the NFC North, with Philadelphia falling on its face, New York trying to crawl out the basement, and Washington just losing its starting quarterback for the season.
Dallas’ defense is quickly becoming one of the most vaunted stop units in the land, limiting foes to only 19 points on 331 yards against per game. A young linebacking corps is beginning to shine and the secondary is getting better with every game.
The offense leaves much to be desired in Dallas, but with the recent acquisition of receiver Amari Cooper, there has been life in the passing game – complementing the top rushing attack in the league. Ezekiel Elliott remains an unstoppable force, and is even stretching his skill set to catching balls as well. If America’s Team can continue to stay hot, they could ride that momentum to playoff profits.
The Minnesota Vikings (+5,000)
The Vikings lost a huge divisional matchup with the Bears last Sunday but are far from dead in the division race. Minnesota still has a good shot of earning a wild card spot as well, but needs its defense to wake up and play like the top-ranked stop unit from last season. So far this season, the Vikes have been a defensively disappointment in the biggest games of the year.
Offensively, Minnesota has the pieces to make a run and keep pace with the likes of New Orleans and Los Angeles. Kirk Cousins is earning his keep under center with top targets in Adam Thielen and Stephon Diggs. The offensive line has to step up and give him a clean pocket to pass the ball, as Cousins isn’t the most mobile QB.
Seattle Seahawks (+10,000)
If you’re looking for value, the Seahawks have it. Seattle has gone toe-to-toe with the Rams twice, and nearly knocked them off in both tries. The schedule is set up for Seattle to build momentum before the postseason, with four of their final six games being played at home, including marquee matchups with Minnesota and Kansas City.
Russell Wilson is an experienced – and often undervalued quarterback – having a solid year under center, throwing 23 touchdown passes to a low-profile receiving corps while only tossing five interceptions. The Seahawks are relentless on the ground, with four capable ball carriers as well as the shifty Wilson breaking down defenses.
The Seahawks stop unit is far from those “Legion of Boom” days, but is doing solid work with a young core of playmakers. They’re giving up just under 22 points per game while recording 16 takeaways – 11th among defenses. They won’t win the NFC North but look to be on track for a wild card spot.
