NEWSLETTER
Even though I’m in Las Vegas for a basketball adventure, that wasn’t going to keep me from checking out Super Bowl futures while I was out here. And if you’re a Bears fan hoping to find value in your favorite team, I hope you’re not expecting to find another 100/1 long-shot ticket.
The Bears are currently sitting at 16/1 to win the Super Bowl in 2020, according to the Westgate Superbook in Las Vegas. That number is a step back from the 12/1 odds they had back in January 2019, but still … not bad. A $20 investment could net a payout of $340 if the Bears were to win it all, which would satisfy everything you would want as a fan. It’s the ultimate “have your cake and eat it too” moment. And yet, the fact that Chicago doesn’t have the best odds to win it all among the teams in the NFC North is a bit surprising.
The Packers’ Super Bowl odds sit at 14/1 as of this posting, which is a small leap from the 16/1 they opened at back in January. Green Bay has had an active offseason bringing in a new head coach to go along with some splashy free agent additions. But to have their odds where they are right now is something else.
Perhaps the oddsmakers are taking into consideration how difficult it will be for any team to take the division, given how tough it projects to be. Then again, the Bears are currently favorites at 8/5. To put that in perspective, the Bears have a 38.5% shot at taking the NFC North in 2019.
Meanwhile, both the Packers and Vikings are at 2/1 (or implied odds of 33.3%) to take the division crown. You can find the Lions at the bottom of the barrel at 14/1 to win the NFC North, which essentially tells me that Vegas isn’t buying Detroit’s vision of signing all the ex-Patriots and becoming the New England of the NFC North just yet.
It’s wild to think about how far the Bears have come in the last calendar year. Because even after crashing through the first wave of free agency with their share of splash signings, the Bears were viewed as a long shot to make hay by oddsmakers in Las Vegas at this time last year. We won’t forget how we felt when we snatched up a 100/1 ticket on a whim despite things looking not-so-favorable. And while I’m bummed I’ll never get that opportunity again, I think I’d rather the Bears be expected to be good than the alternative.
