Super Bowl 2016: Schedule, Latest Vegas Odds and Updated Predictions

No matter what Las Vegas and the NFL do, everybody wins with the 2016 Super Bowl. 

So it goes when Tom Brady and Peyton Manning are involved in the playoffs. Either one hoisting the Lombardi Trophy is a big win for all involved. Or how great would it be to see Arizona Cardinals wide receiver Larry Fitzgerald and quarterback Carson Palmer get a ring? Carolina Panthers quarterback Cam Newton, after an MVP-caliber year, would make for a great story too.

Everybody wins—except maybe for bettors who have to decide right now who will actually win the whole thing. It's trickier than it sounds given the teams left standing, and it's something worth a deep dive. So here's a look at the updated odds, the ideas behind them and a projection as to who will take it all.

Game Details

When: Sunday, February 7, at 6:30 p.m. ET

Where: Levi's Stadium in Santa Clara, California

Television: CBS

Super Bowl 2016 Odds

Team	Odds
New England Patriots	19-10
Carolina Panthers	2-1
Arizona Cardinals	15-4
Denver Broncos	4-1

Odds Analysis and Prediction

Is it really any surprise the New England Patriots boast such great odds? 

This is the team that survived the respectable—at most points of the season—AFC East. Brady managed 36 touchdowns to seven interceptions while wideout Julian Edelman only suited up for nine games during the regular season. The running game survived despite injuries to LeGarrette Blount and Dion Lewis.

And the defense. Brady gets the attention, but it's the defense that ranked 10th in scoring, 17th against the pass and ninth against the rush over the course of the regular season, strong numbers considering how often opposing teams have to pass to keep up with Brady.

New England just took care of business against the Kansas City Chiefs, a team that entered with an 11-game winning streak, while getting Edelman back in the fold.

Deeper numbers explain the record too, especially going into this weekend against the Denver Broncos, as Gil Brandt of NFL.com helped to point out:

Denver has respectable odds for similar reasons. Maybe one could say the Broncos had it worse by losing Manning to an injury, only to get 10 touchdowns to six interceptions and four wins out of backup Brock Osweiler.

Manning's back, of course, and he's going to ride that top-tier defense, perhaps the biggest reason for the strong numbers from Las Vegas.

As New England head coach Bill Belichick himself noted, though, Manning might have a little playoff magic left in him too, per NFL Network's Ian Rapoport:

Belichick and many others might say the same about Palmer, who has the Cardinals sitting in a great position going into the NFC title game. 

Palmer also leaned on a great defense, one that finished the season seventh in scoring, sixth against the rush and eighth against the pass. He also has a deep cast of supporting weapons, including a trio of talented runners and the aforementioned Fitzgerald, who led the team in receiving with 109 catches for 1,215 yards and nine scores.

Arizona might not have reached the 15-win mark like the Carolina Panthers, but it did show its offense-defense combination could get past contenders such as the Seattle Seahawks, Cincinnati Bengals, Minnesota Vikings and Green Bay Packers. 

A reliable postseason threat such as Fitzgerald tends to swing lines. Rotoworld's Evan Silva provided some context:

Speaking of reliable, bettors cannot afford to ignore Carolina's odds, not after Newton totaled 45 touchdowns this year with only tight end Greg Olsen as a top passing option.

Newton had help, of course, with elite linebacker Luke Kuechly and corner Josh Norman helping the Panthers to finish sixth in scoring defense. Unlike most of the other teams left standing, Newton also had a reliable presence in the backfield with Jonathan Stewart rushing for 989 yards and six scores.

So how do the conference title games unfold? In the AFC, bettors might want to bank on a fairy-tale story for Manning. Belichick might not underestimate him, but Denver's home-field advantage at Mile High can play a large role in slowing Brady's offense.

Denver already ran the ball well once against the Patriots in a win this year. Doing so again and advancing certainly isn't unbelievable if Manning can play mistake-free football.

Defenses and smart quarterback performances seem like the keys here, even on the NFC side. Palmer and the Cardinals might be on the road, but the Carolina defense has continued to falter, allowing three consecutive 300-yard performances by opposing signal-callers. 

Palmer can be the fourth, especially if his aggressive defense can force a few turnovers while the Panthers struggle to get separation off the line of scrimmage in the passing game.

So Cardinals-Broncos isn't the craziest outlook.

Or in other words, inexperience against experience. The Cardinals won't be the "just happy to be here" team by any means in this hypothetical encounter, but the team did struggle to simply get out of the second round and into the conference title game while Palmer escaped with his first playoff win.

Such a divide in experience is all it takes to swing what would be a defensive-minded encounter in Denver's favor. If there's a defense that can match Palmer's deep targets well and Arizona's running backs, it's an experienced Denver unit, especially if the Cardinals come out jittery.

This is final for the Broncos. What they've built around Manning can't last. Arizona hasn't been in such a situation before, and it would show in this matchup, especially late with the game on the line.

Again, no matter who wins, almost everyone wins. But there are no out-of-place odds here, and after a wild season, it's only right things reset back to normal with Manning taking over one more time.

Prediction: Broncos 28, Cardinals 27 

Stats courtesy of NFL.com and accurate as of January 20. All advanced metrics courtesy of Pro Football Focus. All betting information courtesy of Odds Shark.