Buffalo Bills, Tampa Bay Buccaneers starting season as Super Bowl favorites

The Buffalo Bills enter the NFL season as the outright betting favorite for the first time since 1991, as the franchise continues to pursue its first-ever Super Bowl title. The Bills are listed at +600 at Caesars Sportsbook ahead of their season opener Thursday against the defending champion Los Angeles Rams.

«We really think the Bills are the highest power-rated team, but just as importantly is where they play,» SuperBook executive director and oddsmaker John Murray told ESPN. «The philosophy is the AFC West teams will beat each other up and that will allow the Bills to be in a favorable position to have the AFC Championship Game running through Buffalo.»

Caesars Sportsbook vice president of trading Craig Mucklow told ESPN: «With a rebuilding AFC East, the Bills are almost a certain lock for the playoffs and the clear front-runner for home field in January, which will make them a tough out for any visiting team.»

Following the Bills, the AFC West accounts for the next three teams in the conference with the shortest Super Bowl odds: the Kansas City Chiefs (11-1), Los Angeles Chargers (14-1) and Denver Broncos (16-1). Along with the Las Vegas Raiders (30-1), all four division teams rank among the top seven for most Super Bowl bets, in terms of ticket volume, at Caesars. No other division has even three teams in the top 15.

The Tampa Bay Buccaneers, at +750, are the second overall Super Bowl favorite, followed by the Rams (11-1) and Green Bay Packers (12-1) in the NFC. A large reason for that is the high volume of wagers they drew during Tom Brady's brief retirement at 40-1 odds and their overall popularity at the betting window.

«They're a team that takes money all year long,» DraftKings sportsbook director Johnny Avello