Super Bowl LII may have been three years ago, but Philadelphia Eagles fans relived the moment all weekend, reminiscing over the defeat of Tom Brady and the New England Patriots.
A once-in-a-lifetime moment for the Eagles has now turned into a seven-time victory for Tom Brady. After joining the Tampa Bay Buccaneers this year, Brady played in his tenth Super Bowl, leading the Buccaneers to a 31-9 win over the Kansas City Chiefs Sunday night.
But this time last year, the Buccaneers were in a much different position. With Super Bowl odds listed at 50-1 (+5000) before Brady’s arrival, no one could have predicted this outcome.
Now, the Philadelphia Eagles find themselves in a similar spot. The Birds will be moving into 2021 with 50-1 odds and a quarterback who is to be determined.
A YEAR IN REVIEW
Despite a Super Bowl win in 2018, the Eagles were not fan favorites to win Super Bowl 55. According to PA and NJ sportsbooks, Philadelphia slipped to 20-1 (+2000) and was placed in the bottom of the top ten teams in the NFL, trailing the Dallas Cowboys (+1700).
The Eagles had a Super Bowl-winning coach, a healthy quarterback looking to showcase his MVP abilities, and they filled in the gaps after adding expected stand-out players to their roster.
The NFC East Championship would come down to Philadelphia and Dallas.
Boy, was everyone wrong. The 2020 NFL season was one of the worst seasons the Eagles have ever played.
Finishing with a 4-11-1 record, the team hadn’t seen anything so bad since 2012 when they finished 4-12 and lost Andy Reid as their head coach. Before that, 1998, when they finished 3-13, also getting rid of former head coach Ray Rhodes. Are you sensing a theme?
EARLY SUPER BOWL 56 ODDS
The Eagles will now go into the 2021-22 season with 50-1 (+5000) odds. They trail the Dallas Cowboys (+3000) again, but this time from the 23rd position.
The top Pennsylvania and New Jersey online sportsbooks report the following odds to win Super Bowl 56:
- PointsBet: +5000
- BetMGM: +5000
- DraftKings Sportsbook: +6600
- BetRivers Sportsbook: +6600
- Unibet: +6600
Below the Eagles, the Falcons, Broncos, Giants, Washington, Bengals, Lions, Texans, Jets, and Jaguars fill in the remainder of the bottom teams.
As for the NFC East Championship, the Cowboys have the best odds at 25-1, according to DraftKings Sportsbook. The Washington Football Team follows at 25-1, Eagles at 28-1, and New York Giants at 30-1.
ANYTHING IS POSSIBLE
With the offseason approaching, Philadelphia is left with a few unknowns. For one, new head coach Nick Sirianni’s abilities are hearsay.
More importantly, the Eagles still have yet to announce a starting quarterback. The controversy has not only continued between Carson Wentz and Jalen Hurts, but the trade rumors surrounding Philadelphia’s franchise quarterback are at an all-time high this week.
Fortunately, this leaves the Eagles with possibilities.
This time last year, the Buccaneers were listed at 50-1 but entered Week 1 with 14-1 odds to win Super Bowl 55 — after Tom Brady was signed. Philadelphia may not be inheriting the Greatest of All Time, but this tells us that a good quarterback can change a lot.
The Buccaneers are now head into 2021 with +1000 odds. The Super Bowl 55 runner-up, the Kansas City Chiefs, lead the odds at +600. Both teams will play the Philadelphia Eagles at Lincoln Financial Field this upcoming season.
