New England Patriots: Defending champs dominate Super Bowl betting matchups
By Matty Simo
The New England Patriots are the most common team in favored Super Bowl matchups according to Las Vegas. Find out the top matchups at the Golden Nugget.
As the defending Super Bowl champions, it is not shocking to see the New England Patriots favored to repeat across the board. After all, they have only improved in the offseason while other top contenders have taken a step back.
Early last week, the Golden Nugget sportsbook in Las Vegas also released betting odds on hypothetical matchups for Super Bowl 52. The Patriots dominated the board with the most favored matchups, led by them playing the Dallas Cowboys at 7/1.
Last season, New England and Dallas were the top seeds in the AFC and NFC, respectively. However, the Cowboys were upset in the Divisional Round of the playoffs by the Green Bay Packers, who then lost to the Atlanta Falcons in the NFC Championship Game. You could probably guess that the Patriots playing the Packers (8/1) and Falcons (10/1) are next in line as more favored matchups along with the Seattle Seahawks (10/1).
The first Super Bowl 52 matchup not including New England is Dallas versus the Oakland Raiders at 12/1. But the Patriots against the New York Giants is listed at 12/1 as well.
It is worth noting that three of the top five Super Bowl 52 matchups involving the Pats would be rematches of previous Super Bowls. And the Giants are the only team to beat them, accomplishing that feat twice in Super Bowls 42 and 46.
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As expected, Oakland and the Pittsburgh Steelers look to be New England’s main competition in the AFC based on these matchups. A Cowboys vs. Steelers matchup is 14/1 followed by Packers vs. Raiders at 15/1.
So what teams are the longest shots to meet in Super Bowl 52? That would be the San Francisco 49ers and New York Jets at 5,000/1. In fact, the Jets are on the complete opposite end of the spectrum as the Patriots. They are also 3,000/1 to face the Los Angeles Rams and Chicago Bears. The Browns are 3,000/1 to play the 49ers too.