Seahawks, Patriots Super Bowl 51 favourites after Broncos triumph

SUPER Bowl 50 lived up to expectations as Peyton Manning and the Denver Broncos proved too tough for the Carolina Panthers.

The Broncos put on a stellar defensive effort, led by Super Bowl 50 MVP Von Miller, to record a 24-10 victory over Cam Newton’s Panthers, which looked at sea for most of the 60-minute game at Santa Clara on Sunday.

Despite Manning’s imminent retirement and second Super Bowl triumph, the main headlines to come out of the post-game scenes focused on Cam Newton’s poor sportsmanship.

The highly-criticized Panthers quarterback was targeted throughout the season for over-celebrating in the faces of opposing fans and players, but when the Carolina Panthers lost Super Bowl 50, Newton didn’t take it professionally and that has critics blowing up about the NFL regular season MVP.

Despite Newton’s poor game and the upset loss WilliamHill.com is still offering +850 that the Panthers will go one better and win the Super Bowl next season.

Newton set the game alight throughout the season as Carolina rolled to a 15-1 record, but seeing how Newton acted after a big loss was telling of his character and after walking out during the post-game press conference, it had people wondering about his credibility.

The man known for smiling during games, being infectious with the media and fulfilling any requirement needed, appeared with a hoodie draped over his head and a mumbled response to any question fired his way. That resulted in Newton walking out of the press conference as his teammates were left to answer the questions no losing player wants to answer.

Tight end Greg Olsen came to Newton’s defense at the press conference.

“This can’t turn into the ‘What happened to the Cam Newton show?,'” Olsen said. “It was a collective letdown.”

Newton did, however, offer some words for punters looking towards the 2016/2017 season.

“We’ll be back,” Newton said

The Denver Broncos will likely be without two-time Super Bowl winner Peyton Manning, but are still a chance with young Brock Osweiler ready to take over. The Denver defense should remain mostly in tact and bettors are getting a great price of +1500 for them to win the Super Bowl.

Super Bowl 51 betting market

It comes as no surprise to bettors that the New England Patriots and the Seattle Seahawks are joint-favourites for Super Bowl 51.

Both teams are big-time performers and have typically started the last few years at around the +750 mark in Super Bowl markets. The Patriots and the Seahawks typically take the early money before bettors look elsewhere as the season progresses.

The Seahawks will be without star running back Marshawn Lynch who announced his retirement via a twitter photo yesterday. After a season where his production was limited, expect the Seahawks to recruit a top running back to replace Beast Mode.

Bookmakers have Carolina on the second line of betting at +850 which should be a popular option. The Panthers won’t lose key players in the off-season and Cam Newton will have a rather large chip on his shoulder. In a soft division, the Panthers will likely get an easy trip to the playoffs and with the experience of losing a Super Bowl under their belt, expect the Panthers to be just as good as they were this season.

Super Bowl 51 market:

Seattle Seahawks +750
New England Patriots +750
Carolina Panthers +850
Green Bay Packers +1000
Arizona Cardinals +1200
Pittsburgh Steelers +1200
Cincinnati Bengals +1400
Denver Broncos +1400
Kansas City Chiefs +2200
Dallas Cowboys +2500
Minnesota Vikings +2500
Indianapolis Colts +2500
Baltimore Ravens +2800
Atlanta Falcons +3500
Houston Texans +3500
Buffalo Bills +3500
New York Giants +4000
New York Jets +4000
Philadelphia Eagles +4000
New Orleans Saints +5000
Washington Redskins +5000
Miami Dolphins +5000
Detroit Lions +5000
San Diego Chargers +6000
Jacksonville Jaguars +6000
Los Angeles Rams +6000
Tampa Bay Buccaneers +6600
Tennessee Titans +6600
Oakland Raiders +6600
Chicago Bears +6600
San Francisco 49ers +8000
Cleveland Browns +12500

NFL teams that can win Super Bowl 51

Let’s be frank, not every team in the NFL can win the Super Bowl. We can rule out at least 11 teams which are all fulling the bottom half of the current market, but there are some good value chances at nice prices.

The Indianapolis Colts are great value at +2500 with WilliamHill.com as they have a franchise quarterback which should be better prepared this season.

Andrew Luck had a 2015/2016 season to forget with various injuries, not only to himself, but to players in key positions. Luck should be better equipped this season and with his Manning-like temperament, Luck can lead the Colts back to the Super Bowl after Peyton Manning led them to victory in 2007.

The Patriots are prime contenders, like they are every year, as champion quarterback Tom Brady will be at the helm again. The Pats are always well supported in NFL Super Bowl futures markets and it’s generally warranted as the Patriots usually start their season in top gear.

Along with the likes of the Seattle and Carolina, we wouldn’t risk leaving the Patriots out of your Super Bowl 51 bets.

There has been support for the Cardinals, Packers and Steelers. All three teams had their chances in the playoffs and all came unstuck against superior opposition, but that shouldn’t diminish their chances of going better this season.

The Arizona Cardinals will be better prepared with Carson Palmer at quarterback. Palmer’s lack of winning experience in the playoffs was the main focus point after their loss to the Carolina Panthers, and it might continue to be a problem in upcoming seasons, but the Cards remain a top elect.

The Packers and Steelers will be back with their elite quarterbacks at the helm. The Packers will be wanting to improve their offensive line to give Aaron Rodgers more time in the pocket, and the Steelers bettors will be hoping for a healthy running back option this season.

Both teams will likely make the playoffs where they become dangerous propositions.

Other teams well supported have been the Bengals, Chiefs and Vikings which will all post good winning totals for the 2016/2017 season.