Super Bowl 2025 odds after NFL trade deadline: Chiefs and Lions current favorites to win it all - The Athletic

Nov 07, 2024

Well, folks, the NFL trade deadline came and went, and every team’s Super Bowl odds changed … not one single iota.

It’s not that nothing happened. Tuesday was a busy deadline day, with the bell ringing the latest it has in NFL history. But historically, the NFL trade deadline has always been something of a whiff. Some of the biggest trade headlines this year — Davante Adams, Amari Cooper, DeAndre Hopkins — came well before the final bell, with odds moving in concert.

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Sorting through the results, the real storyline features the Haves getting more and the Have-nots shoring up for next year. Deadline day may not have budged NFL futures odds, but Week 9’s action did. The Kansas City Chiefs (+400) are still at the top, but the tier below them has seen some shifts since last week, with the Detroit Lions and Buffalo Bills moving up and the San Francisco 49ers continuing their downward spiral.

Let’s take a look at the betting board.

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The Kansas City Chiefs are still atop the Super Bowl odds board at +400 to win it all. Their acquisition of Hopkins and subsequent Week 9 overtime win over the Buccaneers only solidified that status. The game was quintessential Chiefs. Patrick Mahomes seemed to avoid a serious injury, Travis Kelce was activated, Hopkins was trolling and a coin toss going their way in overtime sealed the deal. Before that win, The Athletic did some research on the odds for the Chiefs to go undefeated. Though the chances are slim on that, a Super Bowl appearance is looking almost like an inevitability. Their next big test should be two weeks from now when they face the Buffalo Bills in New York.

But the Chiefs have a new top challenger for the crown: The Detroit Lions (+500). Ever heard of “Daddy Dan Campbell”? After claiming a pivotal win over NFC North rivals the Green Bay Packers in Week 9, he landed an Aidan Hutchinson replacement in one of the top edges on the trade block, Za’Darius Smith. Last week, the Lions were tied in Super Bowl odds with the Baltimore Ravens at +650. They moved up after Week 9 and are now within striking distance of the undefeated Chiefs. Next up, a test against the Houston Texans on Sunday, and then two easier games should be on deck (vs. Jacksonville and at Indianapolis).

Perhaps the most promising factor of all for the Lions? Their path to victory in the NFC appears clearer than any of the paths for AFC contenders not named the Chiefs.

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The Ravens (+650) are sitting at the same odds they had last week. Baltimore can be a baffling team to watch. Unlike the Chiefs, who are winning close games in a methodical way, the Ravens can be feast or famine. Their 0-2 start was famine, as was their Week 8 loss to the 2-7 Cleveland Browns. But that Browns game was more about a reinvigorated Cleveland team with Jameis Winston under center than any indication the Ravens are slipping. They came back in Week 9 to clobber the Denver Broncos 41-10.

With Lamar Jackson favored to win back-to-back MVPs, the Ravens were scary even before they added Diontae Johnson to their ranks.

We’re not done with AFC contenders. The Bills are +800 this week, improved from +1000 odds last week. They jumped the 49ers to take the fourth-place spot in the odds to win the Super Bowl, and Josh Allen continues to be a favorite to win MVP. A Week 9 defeat of their top division rivals, the Miami Dolphins (who had Tua Tagovailoa), gave them a boost. On the horizon, though, are several challenges: the Chiefs in Week 11 and then after a bye, they play the 49ers, Los Angeles Rams and Lions back to back to back.

The next tier of favorites lines up the 49ers (+1000), Philadelphia Eagles (+1200), Minnesota Vikings (+1800), Houston Texans (+2000), Green Bay Packers (+2000) and Washington Commanders (+2200). Deadline day did no favors for the Packers and Vikings, who now have a strengthened Lions team looming.

We may start to see the Commanders’ odds ticking up, as well as the Pittsburgh Steelers (+2800). The Commanders’ acquisition of Marshon Lattimore from the New Orleans Saints showed Washington is serious about making a push for the playoffs this season. The Steelers got receiver Mike Williams and pash rusher Preston Smith, shoring up their strength to make a run for the top of the AFC North.

Watching this space.

(Photo of Amon-Ra St. Brown: Patrick McDermott / Getty Images)

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Hannah Vanbiber is a staff editor for sports betting at The Athletic. Hannah previously wrote for Gaming Today, New York Sports Day, Rocky Top Insider, MLIVE, and other sports betting outlets as a freelance writer. She started her journalism career in Chattanooga, Tennessee, as a reporter and editor covering local sports. Follow Hannah on Twitter @HannahVanbiber