Three Super Bowl Dark Horses To Consider Right Now
In the race to get to and win Super Bowl LVIII, favourites have emerged in the NFL. Groups like the San Francisco 49ers and Kansas City Chiefs have proven that it will take a lot for any team to beat them in the postseason, thanks to a combination of talent and depth that has set them apart from the competition. But several teams at longer odds than those favourites could realistically claim Super Bowl LVIII for themselves, including the three dark horses listed below.
Cincinnati Bengals
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The Cincinnati Bengals were among the favourites to win Super Bowl LVIII coming into the 2023 NFL season. However, a calf injury to quarterback Joe Burrow has questioned their legitimacy as Super Bowl contenders. Burrow’s struggles moving in the pocket saw a drop in their odds of winning a championship. However, that drop in the Bengals’ title odds could have made them an attractive dark horse candidate to win the Super Bowl.
Cincinnati has started to turn the corner this season, primarily due to Burrow’s passing ability returning as he gets healthy. However, it also reflects the Bengals' defence stepping up as Burrow recovers. The Bengals’ defence has been particularly effective at home, as they have stifled the potent offences of teams like the Los Angeles Rams, driving down live betting totals by preventing their opponents from scoring.
At this stage of the season, the Bengals have similar odds to win the Super Bowl as a team like the Jacksonville Jaguars. Cincinnati has a much higher upside than the Jaguars since the offence of the Bengals is expected to improve as Burrow’s health improves, while the Jaguars' offence will not be much better than it is already.
Seattle Seahawks
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A team that lost to the Cincinnati Bengals on the road earlier this season still has a shot at Super Bowl glory. That team is the Seattle Seahawks, whose odds are longer than the Bengals, but not wholly unreasonable. Seattle’s offence is one of the more dangerous groups in the NFL, and their ability to move the ball through the air and on the ground makes them an intriguing dark horse candidate.
The focal point of the Seattle offence is its passing game, as Geno Smith has several weapons that can get open reliably. DK Metcalf and Tyler Lockett are among the best receivers in the NFL today, while rookie Jaxon Smith-Njigba could reach that point shortly. But the Seahawks do a great job balancing their passing attack with their running game, making them so hard to defend for most teams.
Pete Carroll deserves much credit for his offensive philosophy, which relies sparingly on the pass or the run. While Carroll has been criticised during his tenure with Seattle for running the ball too often, he has served as a voice of reason, making sure to keep defences off-balance. As long as he does not get away from that philosophy this season, the Seahawks should be a threat to win an NFC Wild Card slot and make a deep playoff run.
Tampa Bay Buccaneers
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The Tampa Bay Buccaneers are at even longer odds to win the Super Bowl. Tampa Bay has had an up-and-down start to their season, beating the bad teams on their schedule while faltering against elite teams like the Philadelphia Eagles and Detroit Lions, a loss quarterback Baker Mayfield blamed himself for. However, there is an excellent reason to consider backing the Bucs to win the Super Bowl, which is their division's strength.
Tampa Bay is in contention to win the NFC South, as they are joined by the Atlanta Falcons and New Orleans Saints in the race to win that division. All three teams are flawed, but the Saints and Falcons are especially limited on the offensive side of the ball. If the Buccaneers can win the NFC South over those teams, they will host at least one playoff game and would be a bargain at their current price to win the Super Bowl.
Also working in Tampa Bay’s favour is that Mayfield has been relatively turnover-averse early in the year. He has thrown two times as many touchdowns as he has interceptions. If that trend continues for the Buccaneers, they could remain solid enough offensively to pull away from the Saints and Falcons to get into the postseason and do some damage once they get there.
By the end of this NFL season, we could see the usual suspects competing for a Super Bowl title. But each of the three teams listed above certainly has a chance to upset the natural order of things and claim their own championship. Whether or not they can put together a run late in the season to make that dream a reality remains to be seen.