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The unpredictable NFL season continued with a wild Week 16. Losses by the No. 1 playoff seed from both conferences showed how there’s no runaway Super Bowl favorite with only two weeks left in the regular season.

The top of BetMGM’s latest Super Bowl odds board didn’t see significant changes, even with losses by the Los Angeles Rams and the Denver Broncos. A legitimate case can be made for many future playoff teams to make a deep postseason run thanks to the parity we’re seeing this season.

Through the madness, the NFC West looks like the gold standard among NFL divisions this season. Meanwhile, the AFC playoff picture remains a crowded mess near the top. Two legacy franchises are also making a late push up the Super Bowl odds with no juggernaut title contender standing in the way.

Live Super Bowl oddsDespite loss, Rams have best odds in crowded NFC West

Week 16 began Thursday night with an incredible NFC West battle, as the Seattle Seahawks (+600 to win the Super Bowl) rallied from 16 points down in the fourth quarter to outlast the Rams (+450) in overtime.

Los Angeles is still the betting favorite to win the Super Bowl, even though the loss in Seattle dropped the Rams to the sixth seed in the NFC playoff picture and third place (on a tiebreaker) in the loaded NFC West. An injury to star wideout Davante Adams, blowing a double-digit lead and failing to close out a road win — numerous times — are troubling signs for the Rams. Luckily for Los Angeles, the regular season concludes with two winnable matchups against Atlanta and Arizona, giving the Rams another opportunity for one final push up the NFC playoff picture.

With the victory over Los Angeles, Seattle inched closer to the top spot in the Super Bowl market by rising from its previous +700 odds. Perhaps most importantly, Seahawks quarterback Sam Darnold delivered a signature comeback that should quiet critics who questioned his ability to win big games. Now the NFC’s top seed, a position teams have struggled to hold this season, the Seahawks will try to fend off the Rams, the Chicago Bears (+1800) and the San Francisco 49ers (+1400) for the first-round bye over the final two weeks of the season.

Speaking of San Francisco, the 49ers remain within striking distance after Monday’s blowout of the Indianapolis Colts. San Francisco has won five straight, with each of those victories by double digits, and has run only 11 offensive plays while trailing during that span. The 49ers also haven’t punted in the month of December.

Peaking since the return of quarterback Brock Purdy from injury, the Niners are 7-1 when Purdy starts this season — including a season-opening win in Seattle. While the Super Bowl discourse in the NFC centered largely on Los Angeles and Seattle in recent weeks, it would be foolish to overlook the red-hot 49ers. The NFC West now holds three of the top eight positions in the odds to win the Super Bowl.

Week 18’s rematch between San Francisco and Seattle looms large, with the outcome potentially delivering the top seed in the NFC.

Buffalo takes a slight lead among AFC teams

Over in the AFC, the Buffalo Bills (+850) took a slight lead over the Denver Broncos (+900) among the conference’s top teams following Week 16. It wasn’t pretty, but Buffalo weathered Cleveland’s best shot for a close road victory to keep pace with the AFC’s top playoff seeds.

Similar to the Rams in the NFC, the Super Bowl market maintains respect for Buffalo despite the Bills currently sitting in the AFC’s No. 6 seed and second in the AFC East behind the New England Patriots (+1000). Following an impressive road win over the Baltimore Ravens (+8000), New England possesses the easiest track to the AFC’s top seed with a closing stretch against the Jets and Dolphins.

Denver’s 11-game winning streak ended with a home loss to the Jacksonville Jaguars (+1400). Soundly outplayed by the surging Jags, Denver lost for the first time at home since October 2024 — snapping a 12-game home streak. The loss also opened the door for the rest of the AFC to potentially catch the Broncos. Denver now has the same record as New England and only a one-game advantage over Jacksonville, Buffalo and the AFC West rival Los Angeles Chargers (+2000).

Denver would love to keep home-field advantage in the playoffs with its recent success in the Mile High City, but first it must hold off the Chargers to end the regular season. Los Angeles knocked off Denver in Week 3 and could still win the AFC West by winning out and sweeping the Broncos in the Week 18 rematch.

Of course, for the Chargers to have a crack at a division title, they must first beat the Houston Texans (+1500) in Week 17. Yet another thriving AFC playoff hopeful riding a recent (seven-game) winning streak, the Texans remain a game back of Jacksonville in the AFC South.

Chicago and Pittsburgh make a move

Big moves came from the Chicago Bears (+1800) and Pittsburgh Steelers (+4000) after important Week 16 victories.

Clinching a playoff spot with a thrilling overtime win over the rival Green Bay Packers (+1600), the Bears are playoff-bound for the first time since 2020. Making a habit of heart-stopping fourth-quarter comebacks all season, the Bears and quarterback Caleb Williams keep finding ways to win despite facing several late deficits.

Now in the driver’s seat in the NFC North, Chicago greatly benefited from the Detroit Lions (+15000) losing at home to the Steelers. The Bears are currently the No. 2 seed in the NFC playoff picture and still have an outside shot at the conference’s top seed with two weeks to go in the regular season, but face a difficult closing stretch that includes a road tilt in San Francisco and hosting the Lions.

Pittsburgh went from previous +10000 odds to its best odds of the season. Opening the year at +8000 odds, the market was slow to adapt to the Steelers, even with the team leading the AFC North for most of the season. A notable road win in Detroit did wonders for Pittsburgh’s odds. The Ravens’ loss to New England further precipitated a Steelers bump.

Although Pittsburgh deserves credit for defying expectations to this point in the season, only one of its nine victories came against a future playoff team — all the way back in Week 3 against New England. The Steelers will clinch the AFC North title and a playoff spot with one more win (against Cleveland or Baltimore).