Despite losing back-to-back regular season games in Weeks 5 and 6, the Buffalo Bills are still the favorites at most online betting sites to win the Super Bowl this season.
With a record of 4-2 after six weeks of play, the Bills have around +600 odds to win the Super Bowl. They opened the season at around +750 odds to hoist the Lombardi Trophy, which has eluded the franchise throughout its entire existence despite playing in the Super Bowl four times in the early 1990s.
A major reason why the Bills are still the Super Bowl favorites despite losing consecutive games to the Atlanta Falcons and New England Patriots is because of the surprisingly awful start from the 1-5 Baltimore Ravens, who were also one of the preseason betting favorites to win the Super Bowl out of the AFC.
Back in Week 1, Buffalo scored 17 unanswered points in the fourth quarter, including a last-second field goal, to edge Baltimore, 41-40, in one of the most thrilling NFL games to this point in the season. After a Week 2 win over the Cleveland Browns, the Ravens then lost four consecutive games heading into their Week 7 bye. Currently, most betting sites have the Ravens at +2500 to win the Super Bowl after opening at around +700.
Buffalo is also sharing a Week 7 bye with the Ravens, and it couldn’t have come at a better time due to an insurmountable number of injuries. Roughly 19 players are currently hurt or on injured reserve, so the extra rest provided by the bye week should help get some of those bodies healthy in time for the Bills’ Week 8 clash with the Carolina Panthers on Oct. 26.
Defensive linemen Michael Hoecht and Larry Ogunjobi are expected to return in Week 8 after serving suspensions, potentially providing some roster relief alongside the medical recoveries. However, key players such as linebacker Terrel Bernard, tight end Dalton Kincaid, and safety Damar Hamlin, among many others, are still managing various ailments.
One positive for the Bills in the wake of this wave of injuries is that their schedule is one of the easiest in the NFL down the stretch. With a .453 remaining strength of schedule, the shorthanded Bills should be able to continue to pile up wins in their pursuit of the AFC East title. They have several favorable matchups against teams already out of playoff contention down the stretch, including games against the 1-5 Miami Dolphins, 2-4 Cincinnati Bengals, 1-5 Cleveland Browns, and the 0-6 New York Jets.
Heading into Week 8 of the NFL season, the Bills remain one of the most wagered-on teams to win the Super Bowl at major online sportsbooks like DraftKings and BetMGM. Buffalo holds the highest handle percentage (13.2%) at BetMGM to win the Super Bowl, in addition to 10.6% of the total tickets in that particular betting market, making the team one of the biggest liabilities for the online sportsbook.
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