:format(webp)/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_image/image/48465941/usa-today-8802810.0.jpg)
Nine wins in a row and a 13-2 record, plus beating four playoff teams in that streak will get you some respect it seems. The Arizona Cardinals have now risen to the top of the Vegas sports books. A tweet from Darren Rovell revealed this:
Super Bowl title odds from @LVSuperBook this AM: Pats & Cardinals 3/1, Panthers 9/2, Seahawks 7/1, Broncos 8/1, Steelers 12/1, Packers 16/1.
— Darren Rovell (@darrenrovell) December 29, 2015
The Cardinals are now, along with the Patriots, the best bet in the league for winning the Super Bowl.
Of course, this is not real football, but betting odds. However, it does mean this -- the Cardinals no longer are a surprise. These odds mean the Cardinals and the Patriots right now are the two teams would make the least surprising champions.
How does that feel? The Cardinals are Super Bowl favorites. They are for real.
Of course, numberFire has been saying this for a while. Much of the season they have been the statistical favorites to win the Super Bowl. After their Week 16 win, they stand as the most likely team to win the championship. They are given a 33.6 percent chance of winning it all. That is up more then 11 percent over last week. The odds for getting to the Super Bowl are roughly 50/50 (49.44 percent).
They are given roughly a 17-percent chance of getting the number one seed in the NFC.
This is a welcome change and uncharted waters. Arizona, even when they have made the playoffs, have come from bad divisions, have been a fluke or just flat out the worst playoff team ever.
They have the best offense in football. They have one of the best defenses. This is the year. We probably won't ever see a better chance than this year.