The way too early odds to win Super Bowl LIV

Fans would be hard-pressed to recall five highlight-worthy moments during New England's 13-3 Super Bowl LIII win over the Los Angeles Rams. So we'll just have to file the Patriots' sixth Super Bowl title under our "not pretty, but effective" file. Before anybody could recite "Did you know Julian Edelman played quarterback in college?" for the umpteenth time, oddsmakers released each team's chances of dethroning New England's dynasty and laying claim to the Lombardi Trophy this time next year, at Super Bowl LIV.

Odds: +10,000 or HIGHER

Where there's smoke, there's fire, right? Well, maybe it's because the Miami Dolphins just hired the hottest coach on the market after former Patriots defensive coordinator Brian Flores just shut down two of the league's highest-scoring offenses. For now, the Dolphins are the Super Bowl LIV long shot at 300-to-1. The Washington Redskins first need to figure out who their starting quarterback is before glancing at 150-to-1 odds. The Cardinals, Bengals, Broncos and Jets will start with new head coaches and 100-to-1 odds, while the Bills, in the AFC East, Lions, in the NFC North and Raiders, in the same division as the Chargers and Chiefs, are also tagged at 100-to-1.

Odds: +6,500

Will the real Jameis Winston please stand up? Forget the Super Bowl. If the Buccaneers truly want to compete for the NFC South division title, the three-year starter has to improve upon a 19:14 touchdown-to-interception ratio, and Tampa's defense can't allow 29 points per game like it did last season.

Odds: +6,000

Tennessee's defense was one of the more underrated units of the 2018 season, but due to Marcus Mariota's frequent injury issues, the Titans failed to hurdle enough obstacles to qualify for the playoffs. Tennessee reaches the 2019 playoffs if Mariota stays healthy all season, running back Derrick Henry becomes more involved, tight end Delanie Walker returns to form after injury and the Titans defense holds opponents under 20 points per game. It's not an aesthetically pleasing brand of football, but neither was Super Bowl LIII.

Odds: +5,000

After rushing for 1,300-plus yards and 11 touchdowns during the regular season, Saquon Barkley earned himself Offensive Rookie of the Year honors. Unfortunately for the Giants he can't play quarterback, right guard and defensive back, too. It appears Eli Manning will return in 2019 as New York's starting quarterback and while his receiving corps remains one of the best in the NFL, you have to wonder if the veteran trigger has enough in the tank to sniff the playoffs one last time.

Odds: +5,000

A picture's worth a thousand words. The Jaguars defense regressed in 2018, and thus Blake Bortles was exposed as one of the league's least-efficient quarterbacks. Jacksonville must return to its 2017 defensive form when "Sacksonville" reigned, and running back Leonard Fournette needs to avoid nagging injuries and play a 16-game schedule for the Jaguars to trump Indianapolis and Houston in the AFC South.

Odds: +5,000

Cam Newton played with an injured shoulder most of last season, and the Panthers offense struggled because of it. The quarterback claims his throwing arm is "good" following recent surgery, but proof of that will come this September as Newton looks to take some of the burden off the shoulders of hybrid tailback Christian McCaffrey, who rushed for 1,098 yards and caught 107 passes for 867 yards last season.

Odds: +4,500

Jimmy Garoppolo's 2018 season was cut short after tearing his ACL in late September. Prior to the injury, the 49ers franchise quarterback didn't appear as sharp as he did during a brief six-game cameo to end the 2017 campaign, but his offensive line was partially responsible for 13 sacks in just three games. Head coach Kyle Shanahan and the front office need to shore up the O-line, protect the quarterback and improve on defense before thinking about the Lombardi Trophy.

Odds: +4,000

The "Legion of Boom" era may have ended, but the Seahawks defense overachieved in many areas last season, which helped Seattle earn a wild-card playoff slot. It was the team's predictable, one-dimensional offense that cost them in the end. While it's great to average 160 rush yards per game, the strategy does possess a shelf life and the Dallas Cowboys tossed it in the trash in the first round of the playoffs. Seattle needs to provide Russell Wilson with a more balanced playbook next season.

Odds: +4,000

Deshaun Watson was sacked a league-high 62 times during the regular season. That's nearly four times per game. His top receiver, DeAndre Hopkins, catches nearly everything thrown in his direction, but Watson needs a clean pocket to maximize Hopkins' impact. The Texans will also look to improve their 28th-ranked pass defense this offseason, as divisional rival Indianapolis will continue to pass its way to AFC South division titles if Houston doesn't address the need in the secondary.  

Odds: +3,000

The Browns won zero games in 2017, but thanks, in part, to Baker Mayfield, Cleveland has better odds to win Super Bowl LIV than the Seattle Seahawks and Houston Texans. BELIEVEland is real, folks. The Browns will have to contend with a reeling Steelers franchise and Lamar Jackson's new-look Ravens offense to capture the AFC North crown next season.

Odds: +3,000

After six wins in their final seven regular-season games and plenty of praise to go with it, Lamar Jackson met fate in the form of the Los Angeles Chargers defense, which had a game plan that knocked the Ravens out of the playoffs. With Joe Flacco likely heading to another team to start the 2019 season, this is Jackson's squad moving forward. How the Ravens address and evolve from the one-dimensional option quarterback-led offense will dictate how next season goes. Even the league's top-ranked defense can't be on the field after consecutive three-and-outs that plagued the Ravens in that loss to the Chargers. Jackson and the Ravens need to find a pass-run balance to win the AFC North.

Odds: +3,000

Injuries plagued the Falcons defense most of the season, but that's not to excuse the 28th-ranked unit that allowed 26.4 points per game. Atlanta's offense may look a little different in 2019, as the franchise fired coordinator Steve Sarkisian following an uninspired evolution of the Falcons' playbook that failed to get Julio Jones involved inside the red zone. Plus, Atlanta will feature Devonta Freeman in the backfield once again, after he missed most of last season with various injuries. The "Dirty Birds" should return to form and compete for the NFC South crown.

Odds: +2,000

The Vikings guaranteed Kirk Cousins $84 million over the next three season. They failed to win nine games in Year 1 and wasted a 16-game slate where Minnesota's defense ranked fourth overall. With the Bears on the rise and atop the North division and the NFC as competitive as ever, the deck is stacked against head coach Mike Zimmer unless Cousins can turn into an elite success on a consistent basis and/or the Vikings find a way to lean more on Dalvin Cook to improve on their 30th-ranked rush offense of a season ago.

Odds: +2,000

The latest reports suggest the Eagles will pick up the $20 million option on Nick Foles' contract and then try to trade him, as it's pretty clear Carson Wentz is their long-term option at quarterback. At 20-to-1, the Eagles odds appear a little high when one considers how sluggish the offense looked with Wentz behind center. Perhaps a healthy Jay Ajayi and a consistent rush attack will open things up for Wentz, but the oft-injured offensive line needs some luck on its side to open those running lanes and keep its franchise quarterback upright next season.

Odds: +2,000

Head coach Jason Garrett is on a short leash heading into 2019. Should Dallas stumble out of the gate, he's gone. So there is plenty of risk investing in the Cowboys' Super Bowl LIV odds at 20-to-1. If you want to be optimistic, Dallas will have Amari Cooper for a full season and feature a new offensive coordinator, former quarterback Kellen Moore, which should lead to more innovative play-calling and less predictable run calls for Ezekiel Elliott.

Odds: +1,800

Aaron Rodgers will pick himself up, dust off and try again after a forgettable campaign. The Packers' 2018 ended with six wins, nine losses, one tie and one fired Mike McCarthy. Former quarterback and Titans offensive coordinator Matt LaFleur takes over as head coach, as Green Bay looks to reboot its systems. While the Packers defense has been average to below average in recent seasons, Rodgers and Green Bay's offense have managed to apply lipstick to that pig, but not in 2018. Davante Adams caught 111 passes and 13 touchdowns, which were more than twice the amount of receptions as the second-leading receiver and more touchdowns than every other receiver combined. Rodgers needs more targets if the Packers are going to reach the playoffs next season.

Odds: +1,600

Remember the good ol' days when these three crazy kids were celebrating wins and smiling? Those days are gone. Ben Roethlisberger is one hit away from landing on injured reserve before retiring, while Antonio Brown and Le'Veon Bell are on the verge of relocation. So while it's a surprise that the Steelers failed to make the playoffs this season, it shouldn't surprise anybody if they miss them again in 2019. Times are-a-changing in the Steel City, and without Brown and Bell others will have to step up. That unknown is why they are 16-to-1 to win Super Bowl LIV.

Odds: +1,300

Despite a one-and-done playoff loss to the Eagles, Matt Nagy was named NFL Coach of the Year in his first season with the Chicago Bears after his team finished the regular season with a 12-4 record. Chicago's third-ranked defense allowed fewer than 300 yards and 18 points per game. Offensively, Mitch Trubisky and the Bears' 21st-ranked passing game will need to make great strides to advance out of the NFC and into the Super Bowl.

Odds: +1,000

After winning nine of the last 10 regular-season games and embarrassing the Houston Texans on their home turf during the wild-card round, Andrew Luck disappeared during the Colts' playoff loss at Kansas City. Indianapolis was exposed on both sides of the football during that game but has plenty to build on heading into 2019. The team's drastically improved defense boasts the reigning Defensive Rookie of the Year in Darius Leonard, the Colts offensive line has the offseason to get healthy and Luck won't have to shake the rust off when he takes the field in September.

Odds: +1,000

If you think Saints fans are over the blown call in the final minutes of the NFC championship game, think again. Super Bowl television ratings in New Orleans dropped from 55 to 26.1 year-over-year, which are reportedly one of the city's lowest on record. On the field, Drew Brees will return, but he needs to find a third option in the passing game behind Michael Thomas and Alvin Kamara. Compared to how the season started, the Saints offense was stuck in a quagmire and didn't look as sharp from the Cowboys game through the NFC championship. Still, there is value to be had on the Saints at 10-to-1 odds.

Odds: +800

Lost in Kansas City's AFC championship game disappointment was the fact the Chiefs scored 31 second-half points. If not for the sluggish start against the Patriots pesky defense, who knows what happens. Led by the league's 2018 MVP, Patrick Mahomes, the Chiefs offense may have found a suitable backfield replacement for Kareem Hunt in Damien Williams, which should allow the front office plenty of wiggle room to address defensive issues via the draft and free agency this offseason.

Odds: +800

The Chargers posted a 12-4 regular season record, but — because they finished second in the AFC West — were forced to travel to the East Coast for their wild-card and divisional round playoff matchups. One wouldn't expect the Chargers offense to regress in 2019 with Philip Rivers behind center once again and tight end Hunter Henry back at 100 percent. Plus, the team's ninth-ranked defense could actually improve with Joey Bosa on the field for 16 games instead of seven. 

Odds: +700

Priority No. 1 is to figure out Todd Gurley's role with the Rams moving forward. If his lack of touches in the two biggest games of the season were injury related, will he be ready for the start of the 2019 regular season? If his lack of touches in the two biggest games of the season were Sean McVay coaching decisions, does that strategy spill over into 2019 or does Gurley return to 20-plus touches per game and heavily involved in both the Rams rush and receiving game? Don't let the Super Bowl performance fool you: Los Angeles will be an NFC Super Bowl favorite for the immediate future. But there are red flags that need to be addressed.

Odds: +650

The Dolphins, Bills and Jets aren't competing for an AFC East title next season. So we can already pencil in the Patriots as division champs. They'll likely host one playoff game. Tom Brady and Julian Edelman will carve up secondaries, Sony Michel's running back role will evolve, New England's defense will continue to bend, but not break and, who knows, perhaps Rob Gronkowski will return for a well-deserved curtain call. The Patriots — for better, for worse — are still here.