Super Bowl 2018: Updated Favorites and Odds Entering Wild Card Weekend

The big thing when it comes to winning the Super Bowl is making the tournament.

At least that's the thought process with a number of coaches, general managers and players because teams like the 2012 Baltimore Ravens, 2011 New York Giants and 2010 Green Bay Packers all won Super Bowls as lower seeds.

John Harbaugh's Ravens were the fourth seed. As were Tom Coughlin's Giants. However, when Mike McCarthy's Packers won their most recent Super Bowl, they were the sixth seed in the NFC playoffs. They earned their spot in the postseason as a result of tiebreaker edges over the Giants and Tampa Bay Buccaneers.

Much has changed in the past four seasons, though, with the New England Patriots winning two Super Bowls. They have been joined by the Seattle Seahawks and Denver Broncos. All four were No. 1 seeds in winning their respective Super Bowls.

The Patriots are once again the No. 1 seed in the AFC playoff structure, and they are favored to win this year's Super Bowl.

New England is plus-210 to come away with the Vince Lombardi Trophy, according to OddsShark. That means that a $100 wager on the Patriots would return a profit of $210 for a winning bet.

The Minnesota Vikings are the second choice at plus-375, even though the Vikings are just the No. 2 seed in the NFC playoffs.

The Pittsburgh Steelers, who have a bye as the AFC's No. 2 seed, are the third favorites at plus-525.

The New Orleans Saints are the NFC's fourth seed and can be backed at plus-750, while the third-seeded Rams are plus-900.

Chris Szagola/Associated Press

While the top five betting choices seem fairly logical, the sixth choice among handicappers is the Philadelphia Eagles. The Eagles finished the regular season with a 13-3 record, and they are the No. 1 seed in the NFC.

However, they are no longer a likely Super Bowl winner as a result of the knee injury starting quarterback Carson Wentz suffered in Week 14. That ACL tear and consequent surgery mean his season is over. The Eagles have a bye, and they come into the postseason with odds of plus-1,200 to win the Super Bowl.

While the Eagles beat the Rams in the game in which Wentz picked up his injury and followed that up with a 34-29 victory over the New York Giants, their season took a downturn in Week 16.

They were able to come up with a 19-10 victory over the disappointing Oakland Raiders, but the offense stalled badly with Nick Foles under center.

The offensive malaise continued in the regular-season finale against the Dallas Cowboys, as the Eagles suffered a 6-0 defeat. It does not look like Foles has the same command of the offense as Wentz.

The Kansas City Chiefs won the AFC West crown with a 10-6 record and are plus-1,800 to win their first Super Bowl since 1970, while the AFC South champion Jacksonville Jaguars are plus-2,200.

The two NFC wild-card teams follow, with the Carolina Panthers and the Atlanta Falcons both plus-2,500 to pick up the Lombardi Trophy. The AFC wild-card Tennessee Titans and Buffalo Bills are both a whopping plus-7,500.

The Vikings are functioning at a high level as the postseason begins, as they have the 11th-ranked offense and the top defense in the league.

The Patriots have a history of getting to the Super Bowl and often winning it—landing five titles during the Bill Belichick-Tom Brady era—but they don't offer that much value at this time.

New England has the 29th-ranked defense in the league, and Brady has thrown six interceptions in his past six games. That's an eye-catching amount considering he threw just two in his first 10 regular-season games this term.

The Steelers seem to have all the elements needed to get to the Super Bowl and win it, but Antonio Brown's calf injury is a potential problem. Brown has caught 101 passes for 1,533 yards and nine touchdowns and is arguably the best receiver in the game. Head coach Mike Tomlin believes a return to action is possible when the Steelers play in the divisional round, per Ed Bouchette of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette.

However, if Brown can't play or is limited, the Steelers lose a tremendous weapon.

Among the long shots, it would be foolish to ignore the Panthers or Falcons. The Panthers made it to Super Bowl 50, where they were dispatched by the Denver Broncos. The Falcons infamously built a 28-3 lead over the Patriots in Super Bowl LI before Brady led a stunning comeback that resulted in a New England overtime victory.

Carolina boasts explosive quarterback Cam Newton, who can be dynamic when he is on his game but can also be inaccurate when he is struggling. Atlanta has brilliant skill-position players in Matt Ryan, Devonta Freeman and Julio Jones and is capable of hanging in with nearly any opponent.