Super Bowl LIV Odds

That’s it, folks. It’s over. Done with. The 2018 NFL season has come to a close in the most perfect way possible. The matchup no one wanted resulted in a game no one wanted to see that featured defensive battle without many great defensive plays.

Sure, Stephon Gilmore took a punch to a face and forced a fumble that skittered out of bounds, and he caught a pop fly interception. Aaron Donald and Ndamukong Suh were nasty, but invisible, on the interior against the Patriots’ power run game. One of the Chungs knocked away an open touchdown to Brandin Cooks after Jared Goff saw it late and threw it fat; Cooks had another touchdown jarred out by a big hit. There was some swarming pass rush, but overall, this game had one spectacular play—the triple coverage completion to Rob Gronkowski that put New England at the Rams’ two yard line for Sony Michel to put it away.

Now that 2018 is over, rather than think and recollect on what just transpired, everyone is rushing to think about the next thing, which in football is next season. The oddsmakers are prepared. Early odds for Super Bowl LIV have been released. It’s New England, Los Angeles, and Kansas City dominating the top.

Houston is in there, just a little bit ahead of the middle of the pack. The Vegas Sportsbook has Houston at 20:1 odds tied along with Philadelphia, Cleveland, Indianapolis, and Baltimore. Bovada has Houston at +4000, tied with the Seattle Seahawks.

To me, even putting on my neutral unbiased observer hat, this seems wrong. With Deshaun Watson still on his rookie deal, two second round picks, plenty of players in their primes, and the amount of cap space available, Houston shouldn’t be outside the top twelve.

Anyways, this is where things stand as the offseason is set to begin.