Super Bowl 2015: Odds and Predictions for AFC and NFC Favorites
Week 16 of the NFL season concluded with a 37-28 victory by the Cincinnati Bengals over the Denver Broncos. With that, the playoff picture altered once again heading into the final week of the season.
The Bengals clinched a playoff berth with the win, leaving only one AFC spot up for grabs. That last position will be contested between the San Diego Chargers, Baltimore Ravens, Houston Texans and Kansas City Chiefs. A loss by the Broncos also ensured the New England Patriots home-field advantage throughout the playoffs.
With 10 of this year's 12 playoff teams realized, it's time to take a look at the updated Super Bowl odds. Did Cincinnati do enough to be considered a favorite, or is New England now a lock due to the privilege of playing at Gillette Stadium in January?
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Before we delve into the odds and predictions for the postseason, let's first take a look at the updated playoff picture heading into Week 17.
Week 17 Playoff Picture
Super Bowl Odds
| Seattle Seahawks | 13-5 |
| New England Patriots | 13-4 |
| Denver Broncos | 61-10 |
| Green Bay Packers | 137-20 |
| Dallas Cowboys | 223-20 |
| Pittsburgh Steelers | 45-2 |
| Detroit Lions | 53-2 |
| Arizona Cardinals | 73-2 |
| Indianapolis Colts | 41-1 |
| San Diego Chargers | 41-1 |
| Cincinnati Bengals | 47-1 |
| Atlanta Falcons | 75-1 |
| Baltimore Ravens | 75-1 |
| Carolina Panthers | 100-1 |
| Kansas City Chiefs | 200-1 |
| Houston Texans | 300-1 |
All odds courtesy of Odds Shark and current as of December 23 at 12:30 a.m. ET.
Postseason Predictions
Before we're able to predict anything that goes on in the postseason, we must first decide which 12 teams will comprise the final playoff picture and determine how each team will be seeded. Judging by how well each team has been performing of late, and taking clinching scenarios into consideration, here's a look at January's tournament bracket:
| 1 | New England Patriots (13-3) | 1 | Seattle Seahawks (12-4) |
| 2 | Denver Broncos (12-4) | 2 | Green Bay Packers (12-4) |
| 3 | Cincinnati Bengals (11-4-1) | 3 | Dallas Cowboys (12-4) |
| 4 | Indianapolis Colts (11-5) | 4 | Atlanta Falcons (7-9) |
| 5 | Pittsburgh Steelers (10-6) | 5 | Arizona Cardinals (11-5) |
| 6 | San Diego Chargers (10-6) | 6 | Detroit Lions (11-5) |
Assuming Denver defeats the Oakland Raiders in Week 17, it should earn a first-round bye. We shouldn't be expecting Peyton Manning to toss four interceptions in consecutive weeks.
Cincinnati is on a roll right now, and the Pittsburgh Steelers defense may have a difficult time keeping up with the Bengals' two-headed monster out of the backfield. Ben Roethlisberger was able to pick Cincinnati apart in the fourth quarter the last time these teams met, but with the Bengals controlling the clock, they'll earn a Week 17 road victory, claiming both the AFC North and the No. 3 seed.
That leaves the Indianapolis Colts with the No. 4 seed no matter their Week 17 outcome. If San Diego defeats Kansas City, it clinches the No. 6 seed after losing a conference-record tiebreaker to the No. 5 Steelers.
The Seattle Seahawks shouldn't have much trouble defeating an erratic St. Louis Rams team in the season's final week to clinch home-field advantage throughout the playoffs. Expect them to be very scary in the postseason due to their prowess at CenturyLink Field.
The Green Bay Packers have the privilege of playing their final game at Lambeau Field, where Aaron Rodgers has been stellar this season. That will afford them a win over the Detroit Lions, clinching the NFC North and a first-round bye in the playoffs.
Dallas remains at No. 3 with a win over the Washington Redskins, and the surging Atlanta Falcons will ride their fired-up offense to a victory over the Carolina Panthers to clinch the No. 4 seed. That leaves the Arizona Cardinals as the No. 5 seed no matter if they win or lose and the Lions rounding out the NFC's contenders at No. 6.
If those scenarios come to fruition, here's a look at the matchups we'd see in the Wild Card Round:
| AFC Game 1 | Cincinnati Bengals | San Diego Chargers |
| AFC Game 2 | Indianapolis Colts | Pittsburgh Steelers |
| AFC Bye Weeks | New England Patriots | Denver Broncos |
| NFC Game 1 | Dallas Cowboys | Detroit Lions |
| NFC Game 2 | Atlanta Falcons | Arizona Cardinals |
| NFC Bye Weeks | Seattle Seahawks | Green Bay Packers |
This brings about some very enticing postseason action. The Bengals get a rematch against the Chargers—the same team that knocked them out of the playoffs one year ago. This time around, Cincinnati is a far more complete team, and considering San Diego's injury woes on defense, the Bengals are poised to get the win.
The Steelers defeated the Colts earlier this season on the heels of a six-touchdown performance by quarterback Ben Roethlisberger. While he may not throw another six scores this time, the result will be similar given the amount of miscues Indianapolis continues to endure on a weekly basis.
On the NFC side, a high-powered Cowboys offense takes on a stingy Detroit defense. While defense may win championships, the Lions haven't shown a consistent effort on the offensive side of the ball. This will allow Dallas' trio of Tony Romo, Dez Bryant and DeMarco Murray to generate enough points to get the win.
Finally, Arizona takes on Atlanta. The Falcons may have just squeezed into the playoffs due to a very weak division, but they are hitting their stride at the right time. Meanwhile, the Cardinals can't get out of their own way on offense, and that will lead to the 7-9 Falcons stealing a win in the first round of the playoffs.
Those conclusions only lead to more compelling postseason matchups. Here's a look at how the divisional round would shape up:
| AFC Game 1 | New England Patriots | Pittsburgh Steelers |
| AFC Game 2 | Denver Broncos | Cincinnati Bengals |
| NFC Game 1 | Seattle Seahawks | Atlanta Falcons |
| NFC Game 2 | Green Bay Packers | Dallas Cowboys |
A rematch between Denver and Cincinnati won't turn out in a similar fashion with Manning in his own backyard. Meanwhile, the Patriots may be the most well-rounded team in football and are virtually unstoppable on their own turf. The Steelers made a great run, but it will end here.
The same can be said for both Seattle and Green Bay. Both teams are facing very formidable opponents, but each has great strengths on their home turf. The Seahawks are backed by some of the loudest fans in the NFL, and Aaron Rodgers hasn't even thrown a pick this year at Lambeau. They'll both move on.
That said, let's take a glance at the conference championship games:
| AFC | New England Patriots | Denver Broncos |
| NFC | Seattle Seahawks | Green Bay Packers |
This year, it just so happens that the four favorites will make the championship games—no surprises this time around. So, which two teams have the best shot of reaching the Super Bowl? Well, plenty can change before the third week of January, but New England has already defeated Denver once in Foxborough and Seattle already put a whooping on Green Bay at CenturyLink Field. Why should anything change this time around?
That's right, your playoff No. 1 seeds are going to face off in Super Bowl XLIX.
Super Bowl Prediction: New England Patriots vs. Seattle Seahawks
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