Early Look at the Top Contenders and Sleepers for the 2023 Super Bowl

The 2021 NFL season brought us many thrilling games, and we still have one more with Super Bowl 56. I’m sure most people have placed their bet for the big game between the Los Angeles Rams and Cincinnati Bengals.

Now, I’m looking ahead to betting on Super Bowl 57. There are many moving parts in the offseason, and anything can happen. However, this could be your best opportunity to find a value bet. We could see a big trade boost a team’s odds in the next month or two.

Let’s check out the odds for Super Bowl 57 via BetUS.

It shouldn’t surprise anyone to see the Kansas City Chiefs as the favorite. This marks the third straight season Kansas City is the early favorite. It also shouldn’t surprise people to see the Buffalo Bills as their biggest challenger.

Who can forget their legendary battle in the Divisional Round? Had Buffalo won that game, I think they’d be in Super Bowl 56.

On the NFC side, the Los Angeles Rams and Dallas Cowboys open as co-favorites. The Rams could be coming off their second Super Bowl title in franchise history. Moving down the list, we have two teams with big question marks at quarterback in the Green Bay Packers and Tampa Bay Buccaneers.

Let’s start our discussion by going over the top contenders for Super Bowl 57.

Which top contenders will compete for Super Bowl 57? Let’s talk about the best of the best.

The Kansas City Chiefs have been among the Super Bowl favorites for the past three seasons. They may have fallen short of their third straight Super Bowl appearance, but no one is discounting this team.

Kansas City had a tumultuous start to their 2021 season. They barely defeated the Cleveland Browns in Week 1 but lost four of their next six games. Their rock bottom came when they lost 27-3 to the Tennessee Titans.

From there, the Chiefs flipped a switch. They had to change their offensive philosophy since teams played with two deep safeties. This stretch also marked a turnaround for the Chiefs’ defense. Check out their defensive numbers in the following six games.

The Chiefs came alive on both sides of the ball to win nine of their last ten games. They finished 12-5 to make the playoffs as the No. 2 seed in the AFC.

Following a thrilling victory over the Buffalo Bills in the Divisional Round, it looked like the Chiefs were on their way to a third Super Bowl. They jumped out to a 21-3 lead in the AFC Championship Game but fell victim to a comeback by the Cincinnati Bengals.

Next season, Kansas City will have their core of Patrick Mahomes, Tyreek Hill, and Travis Kelce. However, they have a few key free agents on defense.

As long as the Chiefs have Mahomes and Andy Reid, they’ll be in Super Bowl contention. It only helps that Hill and Kelce are among the best players at their position. They should make a run for their fifth straight AFC Championship Game.

Following a loss in the 2021 AFC Championship Game, the Buffalo Bills knew they had to overcome the Kansas City Chiefs if they wanted to make a run at Super Bowl 56.

Buffalo suffered a disappointing loss in Week 1, but they rattled off four straight blowout wins. Their victory in Week 5 came over the Chiefs in Arrowhead. That victory, combined with the Chiefs’ struggles, made the Bills the Super Bowl favorite.

Unfortunately, the Bills would follow that victory with a rough stretch. In Week 6, they lost to the Tennessee Titans in one of the best NFL games of the 2021 season. Including that game, the Bills lost five of their next eight games.

Buffalo walloped New England in the Wild Card Round with a historic offensive performance. Check out their drives, excluding the end of each half.

That came against a Patriots defense that allowed the second-fewest points in the regular season. Unfortunately, Buffalo’s run ended in the Divisional Round against the Chiefs. They had the lead with 13 seconds left, but a questionable defense allowed the Chiefs to tie the game.

I don’t think the Bills enter this offseason with as much doubt about beating the Chiefs, but they still know that’s the goal if they want to make Super Bowl 57.

The Bills will likely move on from Jerry Hughes and Mario Addison to get younger. Bringing back players like Harrison Phillips, Levi Wallace, and Isaiah McKenzie should be a priority.

Truthfully, I don’t think Buffalo is far from making the Super Bowl. It could come down to one or two things falling their way. Making a big free-agent signing or draft pick could be the difference-maker.

Following a defeat in the 2021 Divisional Round, the Los Angeles Rams knew they needed to make a change at quarterback. They went all in, acquiring Matthew Stafford for multiple first-round picks.

The move worked wonders for the Rams, as they kicked off the season winning seven of their first eight games. Stafford had the spotlight, but Cooper Kupp was putting up big numbers.

Midway through the season, the Rams continued to make upgrades. They acquired Von Miller in a trade, and signed Odell Beckham Jr. Beckham’s signing was big because it came days before Robert Woods suffered a season-ending ACL tear.

Los Angeles lost three straight games in the middle of the season, but a five-game win streak propelled them to the NFC West title. This season, it was all about Kupp.

COOPER KUPP WINS THE WR TRIPLE CROWN.

? No. 1 catches (145)
? No. 1 yards (1,947)
? No. 1 TD (16)

Special season. pic.twitter.com/E00m7bB5h2

— B/R Gridiron (@brgridiron) January 10, 2022

The Rams’ big moves paid off in the postseason. They cruised over the Arizona Cardinals and held off a comeback from the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. The NFC Championship Game was the third matchup of the season between the Rams and San Francisco 49ers.

San Francisco swept the regular-season meetings, and held a 10-point lead in the fourth quarter. Los Angeles scored 13 points in the fourth quarter to advance to the Super Bowl. Now, they have a chance to win their second title in franchise history.

Aaron Donald and Jalen Ramsey will lead the defense, but Miller and Darious Williams will be free agents. Because of the Rams cap situation, they probably won’t retain both players.

The NFC could look a lot different in 2022. Tom Brady is retiring, and Aaron Rodgers could leave the Green Bay Packers. If so, the Rams would be the clear favorite in the NFC.

At this time last season, the Cincinnati Bengals had (+8000) odds to win the Super Bowl. Let’s see which sleepers can replicate their success.

Last offseason, the Green Bay Packers faced a lot of turmoil. Aaron Rodgers requested a trade, and it sounded like he’d rather sit out than play. Thankfully for Green Bay, Rodgers returned in time for the season.

Green Bay had an embarrassing performance in Week 1. Rodgers looked out of sorts in a 38-3 loss to the New Orleans Saints. From there, the Packers rattled off seven straight wins to soar to the top of the NFC.

Following a 1-2 stretch, the Packers won five straight games. A Week 18 loss wasn’t enough to keep them from earning the No. 1 seed in the NFC. For all the offseason turmoil, Rodgers had one of the best seasons of his career.

Unfortunately, it was the same story for the Packers. They had a great regular season that fell short of a Super Bowl appearance. This season, they failed to win a playoff game for the first time since 2018.

Now the question shifts to what will happen with the Packers’ two best players? Rodgers’ 2022 status is something every fan is talking about, but we also have Davante Adams. Adams is a consensus top-three wide receiver, but the 29-year-old will be a free agent.

Ultimately, I think Rodgers stays with Green Bay for another season. He is under contract, so there is no need for the Packers to trade him this offseason. They have the pieces to make another Super Bowl run.

Rodgers sticking around increases the chances of Adams re-signing. I see a ton of value with the Packers at (+1800).

The Indianapolis Colts got in on the quarterback market last offseason, acquiring Carson Wentz. Wentz had high-end talent, but he was coming off the worst year of his career. The hope was that reuniting him with Frank Reich would bring back his elite play.

Wentz had a great start, throwing 11 touchdowns and one interception in his first seven games. However, a different Colts player began to emerge in Jonathan Taylor.

Taylor was putting up good numbers in the first half of the season, but Derrick Henry stole the spotlight. Once Henry suffered a foot injury, Taylor took over as the best running back in football.

Check out his numbers from the season.

Following a 1-4 start, Taylor was the driving force behind the Colts’ 8-2 run. Unfortunately, they suffered a disappointing end, losing to the Jacksonville Jaguars in Week 18. That was a tough blow considering the Colts entered the game as a (-15.0) point favorite.

Down the stretch, the Colts were a team that no one wanted to face in the postseason. They should be in playoff contention in 2022, so I believe they could make a surprise run to Super Bowl 57.

It looks like the AFC will be much tougher than the NFC, but the Colts can overtake the Tennessee Titans in the AFC South. From there, we could see them use their ground game and defense to make a deep run.

I think Indianapolis represents excellent value for Super Bowl 57. I would keep my eye on them throughout the offseason.

We are over a year away from Super Bowl 57. Still, the sportsbooks aren’t afraid to release early odds for the big game. We’ll see many moving parts with free agency and the NFL Draft in the offseason. There will be a lot of movement with the odds for Super Bowl 57.

If you want to get ahead of the game, make sure you check out the top NFL betting sites.