For entertainment purposes only, of course, the Green Bay Packers are the odds-on favorites to win the Super Bowl this season, according to the latest lines from prominent online sportsbook Bovada.
The Packers have been given 6-to-1 odds to bring the Lombardi Trophy back to Titletown. Closely behind are the New England Patriots at 13-to-2, with the San Francisco 49ers (10-to-1), Houston Texans (12-to-1) and Philadelphia Eagles (12-to-1) rounding out the top five.
The defending-champion New York Giants have the 10th-best odds at 18-to-1.
Green Bay has also been given 7-to-2 odds of winning the NFC Championship and 4-to-9 odds of winning the NFC North.
If the Packers do win Super Bowl XLVII, it will be the franchise’s fifth Super Bowl victory and 14th overall championship dating back to the team’s origin in 1919.
Listing Green Bay as the favorite this season makes plenty of sense. Two years ago, the Packers won Super Bowl XLV, defeating the Pittsburgh Steelers after winning three consecutive road playoff games just to get there. Last season, Green Bay set a franchise record with a 15-1 regular-season record. Despite losing in the divisional round at home to the Giants, the Packers were the NFL’s highest-scoring team in 2011.
With Aaron Rodgers, the league’s Most Valuable Player, at quarterback, the future is bright in Green Bay. Rodgers is only 28 and is coming off a season in which he threw 45 touchdown passes and six interceptions, setting the NFL’s all-time record for best QB rating in a single season.
Rodgers also has a loaded group of wide receivers to work with. Jordy Nelson finished third in the league last season in receiving touchdowns and was ninth in yards. Greg Jennings missed three games late in the year due to injury and still finished tied for sixth in touchdown receptions.
The struggle for the Packers last season was on defense. After finishing second in the NFL in sacks on the way to a Super Bowl victory in 2010, Green Bay dropped to 27th last year. The Packers also gave up more passing yards in 2011 than any team in league history. However, Green Bay did have the NFL's most interceptions and was tied for first in total defensive takeaways.
Packers general manager Ted Thompson added plenty of reinforcements to the defense through the draft, including a couple of players who will start immediately this season. Green Bay’s first six draft selections were all on defense and were led by pass-rushing linebacker Nick Perry. Since the first day of minicamp, Perry has lined up with the first-team defense opposite Clay Matthews to try to get the Packers back to their 2010 ways of sacking the quarterback.
All things considered, predicting the Packers to win Super Bowl XLVII seems like a pretty safe call.
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