Super Bowl 2018: Updated Odds and Predictions for NFL Championship Game

The NFL playoff picture is set after the 2017 NFL regular season wrapped up Sunday.

Among the usual postseason suspects—New England Patriots, Pittsburgh Steelers—in the AFC, some surprising teams made the cut. The Tennessee Titans, Jacksonville Jaguars and Buffalo Bills (yes, the Bills!) have made the playoffs.

How far can those three teams go? Only time will tell. But just being a part of the Wild Card Round is enough to satisfy each team's fanbase for a short while.

In the NFC, it's a little harder to predict how things will play out because of the lack of playoff experience at the quarterback position from the Los Angeles Rams, Philadelphia Eagles and the Minnesota Vikings.

But now it's win or go home, anything can happen during any given game. Here's a look at this season's Super Bowl contenders and the latest Super Bowl odds, according to OddsShark.

Super Bowl Odds for Playoff Teams

New England Patriots: +240

Minnesota Vikings: +375

Pittsburgh Steelers: +475

New Orleans Saints: +1,000

Los Angeles Rams: +1,000

Philadelphia Eagles: +1,000

Jacksonville Jaguars: +1,400 

Kansas City Chiefs: +1,800

Carolina Panthers: +1,800

Atlanta Falcons: +2,800

Tennessee Titans: +7,500 

Buffalo Bills: +15,000

Contenders

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The odds-on favorites to hoist the Lombardi Trophy are the Patriots.

With home-field advantage, the Patriots have the edge against their opposition with their fans in attendance and because of the bitterly cold conditions in Foxborough, Massachusetts.

Coming off an impressive Week 17 victory over the New York Jets, the Patriots are playing well in each facet of the game, highlighted by the fifth-best scoring defense in the league during the regular season, surrendering just 18.5 points per game.

Going up against the lowest-seeded team after the Wild Card Round (Chiefs, Titans or Bills), New England is expected to reach the AFC Championship Game at the very least. 

The Steelers are another team that will contend for a title this season, as they were able to end the regular season with an impressive 13-3 record. While their closely fought game against the Cleveland Browns, an ugly 28-24 win, in Week 17 didn't do much for them going forward, a win is a win.

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Pittsburgh will have a bye week and is hoping to get star wideout Antonio Brown back in the rotation at some point. The Steelers are loaded on offense, boasting the likes of a healthy Brown, Le'Veon Bell, Martavis Bryant and a surging JuJu Smith-Schuster, who is coming off a career performance. 

The Steelers will play host to either the Jacksonville Jaguars, Kansas City Chiefs or Tennessee Titans in the divisional round with the hope of setting up a rematch against the Patriots in the AFC Championship Game.

In the NFC, the Minnesota Vikings look to be the most complete team heading into the postseason, just ahead of the Los Angeles Rams and Philadelphia Eagles.

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The Vikings don't have many question marks on either side of the ball and will have a bye week, waiting to face off against the highest remaining seed in the conference.

While Minnesota may be the most playoff-ready team in the NFC, it is far from the only contender in the conference.

The Philadelphia Eagles have home-field advantage throughout the postseason, but there are question marks surrounding the team's offense.

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Week 17's 6-0 loss to the Dallas Cowboys doesn't bode well, even if the Eagles played some second-string players at various points of the game. Quarterback Nick Foles didn't look good in his short stint against the Cowboys, which is concerning heading into the postseason.

If Foles can play mistake-free football and put his team in a position to win, Philadelphia has a shot at winning the conference. If not, a team like the Rams could easily swoop in and play spoilers.

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The Rams don't have a bye week, but that might be a good thing for such a young and inexperienced football team.

Getting a taste of postseason football in the Wild Card Round could be exactly what sophomore quarterback Jared Goff needs to get his feet wet in the postseason. Going up against the Atlanta Falcons in the Wild Card Round won't be easy, but a win over last year's Super Bowl runners-up will give this young team all the confidence they need heading into the divisional round. 

Prediction

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The AFC Championship Game will be a hard-fought battle between the Patriots and Steelers, but the Patriots will come out on top with a narrow victory to make their second consecutive Super Bowl appearance.

In the way of the Patriots will be the top team from the NFC. Last season, it was the Falcons. This season, however, it will be the unlikeliest of teams: the Los Angeles Rams.

Week 17 was not kind to Los Angeles, as the team lost to the San Francisco 49ers, but keep in mind neither Goff nor Todd Gurley played a down.

The Rams have to beat the Falcons and then take on the Vikings in the divisional round. The Vikings beat Los Angeles 24-7 earlier this season, but anticipate a more mature team that is ready to contend right away.

However, once they reach the Super Bowl, the youth and exuberance won't be enough as they take on Tom Brady and Bill Belichick.

The Patriots are the best team in football with the best head coach in the game. Brady and Co. will look to run up the scoreboard in the second half and put the game in cruise control en route to the franchise's sixth Super Bowl win.

Prediction: Patriots defeat Rams, 35-17.