The landscape of the National Football League changes every week. Where we thought teams lined up before Week 1 can (and usually does) end up being completely different to where they actually end up come Week 17. But all teams are focusing on one goal, even if it calls for a season to be tanked in the meantime. Everyone is aiming for the Super Bowl. And that’s exactly what we’ll focus on here. I’ll highlight three teams whose Super Bowl winning odds will change the most in Week 7.
Week 6’s biggest shift = Chicago Bears. The Green Bay Packers were absolutely trampled by the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, losing 38-10. This opened the door for the Bears in the NFC North, who dealt with the Carolina Panthers in a 23-16 win and jumped to the top spot in the division. Chicago’s odds were trimmed from +4000 (14th-shortest) to +3000 (T-11th-shortest).
As we approach Week 7, let’s break down which teams could see the biggest changes. All odds via DraftKings Sportsbook.
Dallas Cowboys (2-4, +6000)
Last week when I featured the Cowboys here, it may have come across as though I had overwhelming confidence in Andy Dalton. Let’s clear the air. No one should have overwhelming confidence in Andy Dalton. Though we can’t just write him off based on one performance. When you throw a backup into a situation where he needs to throw 54 times in a game, you likely won’t win.
That being said, the Cowboys still hold the top spot in the NFC East. All of the teams in this division are very bad, and we should view Dallas as the only team capable of figuring out how to string a few wins together. This week, America’s team has a get-right game opportunity against Washington. The Cowboys are currently 1-point underdogs, but divisional games will prove to be the ones that matter for these teams. And with the Eagles battling the Giants on Thursday night, this is a must-win for Dallas.
Cleveland Browns (4-2, +4000)
Speaking of “get-right” spots, Baker Mayfield and the Browns also find themselves in one this week. After suffering a 38-10 defeat to the steam-rolling Steelers, the Browns will face the AFC North’s worst team. In Week 2, the Cincinnati Bengals nearly completed a comeback against Cleveland, though they fell short losing 35-30. This game is by no means a freebie for the Browns, as they’re currently only set as 3-point favorites. When your team is allowing 31.2 points per game, third-most in the league, the oddsmakers won’t favor you heavily against any team, unless it’s the Jets.
Some might argue that this is a potential turning point for Joe Burrow and the Bengals, who are in a position to stomp on a team while they’re down. And while it would be very Browns-like to let a 4-1 start to the season suddenly slip away, it’s likely that this goes in another direction. Cleveland has won four of the last five meetings between the two Ohio teams, and if it happens to be five this weekend, that will give its Super Bowl odds a noticeable bump.
Tennessee Titans (5-0, +1500)
The other piece to the Browns puzzle of increased odds in Week 7 is that the Titans and the Steelers will go head-to-head on Sunday. Tennessee and Pittsburgh are two of the league’s three remaining undefeated teams, so there is plenty at stake. This game could go either way, but I’m leaning toward the current 1-point favorite (Tennessee).
We all know Derrick Henry is a beast, exploding for 212 rushing yards and two touchdowns last week against the Texans, but we shouldn’t overlook how important it is to have a coach with a strategic mind like Mike Vrabel. Perhaps it was the years of learning from Bill Belichick in New England, or maybe he’s always had killer instincts. Either way, Vrabel’s game management skills saved the Titans crucial seconds, which gave them a shot to force overtime. What I’m taking away from this 42-36 OT win is that Tennessee is resilient, and it’s going to take more than just scoring a lot of points to hand the Titans their first loss. A win over the Steelers would likely give them the AFC’s second-shortest Super Bowl odds.
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