Super Bowl 53 Odds: Champion Eagles Trailing the Patriots on Opening Futures

The Philadelphia Eagles proved they were the best team in the NFL this past season with a 41-33 upset win over the New England Patriots in Super Bowl 52, even with backup quarterback Nick Foles on the field.

But the defending champion Eagles are just the +700 second choice (bet $100 to win $700) to repeat with starting quarterback Carson Wentz expected to be back under center next season. The Patriots are listed as the +500 favorites.

Philadelphia's biggest challenge to winning the Vince Lombardi Trophy in consecutive years will likely come in repeating as NFC champions, with a number of teams expected to contend for the title. The NFC's Green Bay Packers (+800), Minnesota Vikings (+1200), Los Angeles Rams (+1750) and San Francisco 49ers (+1800) all join the Eagles among the top seven betting choices to win Super Bowl 53 at sportsbooks monitored by OddsShark.

The Pittsburgh Steelers (+1000) are the only other AFC team besides New England that oddsmakers have pegged as one of the top contenders. The Steelers are the fourth choice to win Super Bowl 53 while the Houston Texans (+1850) and Jacksonville Jaguars (+2000) are two other AFC teams in the mix as well further down the board.

But all of them will again need to find a way to get past the Patriots, who have won the conference three of the past four years. However, New England must address its defense in the offseason, especially since it looks like former Super Bowl hero Malcolm Butler will probably be gone after his benching in Super Bowl 52.

Wentz's return from a torn ACL following an MVP-caliber campaign makes the Eagles a no-brainer as the best NFC team heading into next year, although the competition will be fierce. Green Bay's Aaron Rodgers will be back after he suffered a fractured collarbone, and Minnesota could be a landing spot for Kirk Cousins.

In addition, San Francisco has yet to lose a game with quarterback Jimmy Garoppolo, and Los Angeles Rams counterpart Jared Goff should be improved for the defending NFC West champs, who also have the reigning Offensive Player of the Year in running back Todd Gurley.

For more odds info, picks and a breakdown of this week's top sports betting news check out the OddsShark podcast with Jon Campbell and Andrew Avery. Subscribe on iTunes, or check it out at OddsShark.libsyn.com.