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Plenty of Green Bay Packers fans are concerned about their front office’s approach to building a roster that will win another Super Bowl. However, while General Manager Ted Thompson is squarely in some fans’ crosshairs, Las Vegas and sports bettors seem to be rather unconcerned about the Packers regressing.
In the opening futures odds for Super Bowl LII, to be held in Minnesota at the conclusion of the 2017 season, the Packers actually opened up with 9:1 odds (per Bovada.lv), which ties them for the second-shortest odds of any NFL team at this point. Not surprisingly, the Super Bowl LI champion New England Patriots got the lowest odds at 5:1; meanwhile, the Dallas Cowboys are the team tied with the Packers at 9:1.
The rest of the top five is below.
Top Five
5:1 Patriots
9:1 Packers, Cowboys
12:1 Steelers
14:1 Falcons
Next Group
After the top five, there is a big group bunched together between 6-13, but there are some surprising teams listed here. For example, the Vikings come in inside the top ten, despite the strong likelihoods of Adrian Peterson leaving and Teddy Bridgewater sitting out another season in rehab. They actually have the same odds as the Seahawks and Raiders, both of whom won their divisions this year. Perhaps the fact that the game is being held at U.S. Bank Stadium, the Vikings’ home field, is causing fans to bet on them more heavily than usual.
16:1 Broncos, Raiders, Seahawks, Vikings
25:1 Chiefs, Colts, Giants, Panthers
NFC North
Of course, the Packers have the shortest odds of any team in their division. Perhaps surprisingly, the Lions slot in way back, even though they made the playoffs ahead of Minnesota this season. The Bears, meanwhile, have the third-longest odds, behind the Browns and 49ers, each getting 150:1 odds.
9:1 Packers
16:1 Vikings
40:1 Lions
100:1 Bears