Super Bowl LIII chances: Why Patriots are longshots
The conference title games in the 2018 NFL playoffs are set — it’s the New England Patriots vs. the Kansas City Chiefs in the AFC, and the Los Angeles Rams vs. the New Orleans Saints in the NFC. Which team is most likely to take home the Lombardi Trophy after winning Super Bowl LIII?
Here are the early projections for the four teams, according to ESPN’s Football Power Index:
Super Bowl title chances: 33.8 percent
The Chiefs’ victory over the Colts only reinforced what we’ve seen throughout the season: Kansas City is one of the league’s best teams. And that level of ability is what fuels the Chiefs’ Super Bowl chances.
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Super Bowl title chances: 33.1 percent
The Saints have a tough game against the Rams coming up, but they have a significant home-field advantage.
Super Bowl title chances: 18.1 percent
New Orleans holds an offensive edge over Los Angeles, which is why — combined with home-field advantage — the Rams will be underdogs in the NFC Championship Game. The Rams would have been heavy favorites over the Eagles had Philadelphia pulled off the upset Sunday.
Super Bowl title chances: 15.0 percent
New England might have looked dominant against the Chargers, but a season’s worth of data tells us the Patriots are inferior to the Chiefs. Tom Brady will be an underdog in Kansas City.