Super Bowl Odds: Festive Schedule Preview
Week 15 of the 2022 NFL regular season is upon us, and the action is hotting up! This is the time of year when the contenders really separate themselves from the pretenders, and there are a lot of contenders on the Super Bowl odds board at Bodog Sportsbook – six teams at press time with odds of +900 or better, and a handful of viable outsiders as well.
With so many would-be champions in the mix this year, you’re going to hear the phrase “playoff atmosphere” used repeatedly to describe the biggest games on the remaining regular-season schedule. Here are the must-see matchups from each week on the betting calendar at Bodog, starting with a potential AFC Championship preview in Orchard Park.
Week 15: Miami Dolphins at Buffalo Bills
The Bills (10-3 SU, 6-6-1 ATS) were the +750 preseason favourites at Bodog to win Super Bowl LVII in Glendale, and they’ve held their place at the top of our NFL odds list throughout the season. At press time, Buffalo’s title odds stand at +350; they’re already a virtual lock to make the playoffs, with ample talent on both sides of the ball – and special teams, too.
It’s very likely the Bills will retain their AFC East crown as well, but they still have some work to do – thanks to the Dolphins (8-5 SU, 6-7 ATS), who have performed at a much higher level than expected. Miami started the 2022 campaign as distant +5000 long shots to win the Super Bowl, but they’ve since improved to +2000, largely on the strength of their offense under QB Tua Tagovailoa.
These divisional rivals will meet Saturday night (8:15 PM ET, PRIME) in Buffalo, where the Bills are 7.5-point favourites on what should be another snowy day at Highmark Stadium. Miami already upset the Bills back in Week 3, winning 21-19 as 4-point home dogs, but can this “warm weather” team repeat in these conditions? Their playoff chances might depend on it.
Week 16: Philadelphia Eagles at Dallas Cowboys
How quickly things have changed in the NFC East. Two years ago, the league’s marquee division failed to produce a single winning team; now all four members are above .500 in the Super Bowl odds and competing for a playoff spot, with the Eagles (12-1 SU, 8-5 ATS) and Cowboys (10-3 SU, 8-5 ATS) at the top of the pile.
This is a pleasant surprise indeed for Philly fans. The Eagles opened at +4000 to win the Super Bowl, but now that they have the best record in the league – and have already clinched a postseason berth – Philadelphia find themselves in second place at +450 on Bodog’s NFL odds board.
It’s been a good year for Dallas, as well. Their Super Bowl LVII odds have shortened from +1200 to +800 since the start of the campaign. However, the Cowboys will be looking for more than revenge in Week 16, after falling 26-17 to the Eagles back in Week 6 as 6.5-point road dogs. They’ll be trying to move within a game of the division lead, and improve their Wild Card chances at the same time.
Week 17: Minnesota Vikings at Green Bay Packers
Amazingly enough, it’s already been three months since the Vikings (10-3 SU, 6-6-1 ATS) kicked off their regular season by beating the Packers (5-8 SU and ATS) 23-7 as 1.5-point home favourites. That win set the table for both clubs, with Minnesota’s Super Bowl odds shooting up from +4000 to +2200 since the open, and Green Bay’s dropping from +2200 to +25000 as they struggle to remain relevant.
There’s a good chance this Week 17 matchup will end up being relatively meaningless. But for the moment, it’s still the most compelling game on the schedule; the Packers have started to play better in recent weeks, as QB Aaron Rodgers tries to shake off the various injuries that have limited his production this year.
The Vikings, meanwhile, aren’t nearly as potent as their 10-3 record would suggest. Each of their victories after that season-opener was by single digits, leaving Minnesota with a point differential of –1 heading into Week 15. That’s 38 points better than the Packers, but three points worse than the second-place Detroit Lions at 6-7. Rodgers has a long history of feeding off mediocre teams like this when the chips are down.
Week 18: Baltimore Ravens at Cincinnati Bengals
Have the Bengals (9-4 SU, 10-3 ATS) finally broken the Super Bowl curse? They opened as +1600 third-tier favourites in the Super Bowl odds after falling to the Los Angeles Rams at last year’s Big Game, and things looked very shaky at first, but Cincinnati have rallied to win five straight SU and ATS and grab a share of first place in the AFC North. They are now No. 6 on Bodog’s NFL odds list at +900.
The Ravens (9-4 SU, 5-7-1 ATS) are the other team at the top of the division, but their Super Bowl hopes were knocked down a peg when QB Lamar Jackson sprained his PCL in Week 13. The former MVP should be back anytime now, but with back-up QB Tyler Huntley (concussion) also in sick bay, there’s little room for error if Baltimore want to stay in the title hunt.
These injuries have caused the Ravens’ Super Bowl odds to shift from just +2000 to +2200. And they did manage to beat Cincinnati 19-17 back in Week 5 as 3-point home favourites. These are two evenly-matched teams on paper, but only if Jackson is healthy and ready to contribute. We’ll soon see if he’s up to the task. In the meantime, keep checking in with Bodog Sportsbook for the latest NFL lines and analysis, and enjoy the best of the holiday season.