Super Bowl Predictions: 5 Picks To Win The 2020 NFL Championship
Getty Images. Pictured: Kliff Kingsbury, Patrick Mahomes, Odell Beckham Jr.
The Kansas City Chiefs are favored to repeat as Super Bowl champions, but our analysts see value on four other teams to take the crown in 2020.
Find their picks and analysis below.
2020 Super Bowl Predictions & Picks
Click the pick to skip ahead to that analysis.
New to betting? The Cardinals' +5000 odds mean a $10 bet would net a $500 profit. Convert more odds with our Betting Odds Calculator.
Travis Reed: Chiefs +650
It is kind of boring to take the favorite, but my projections have this bet as the highest edge currently. Earlier in the offseason, the Cowboys and Steelers were the best values, but those lines have dropped and the edges are essentially gone.
A betting line of +650 equates to a 13.3% chance of happening, and my model has the Chiefs' chances of winning another ring this year at 16%. They're the best team in the league with the best quarterback and don’t have many viable contenders in their division.
Because of this, Kansas City has the most likely shot to get the top seed in the AFC, which is a big step toward repeating. I would bet them down to +615.
Mike Randle: Saints +1200
New Orleans is 37-11 over the past three seasons, winning the NFC South each year. And if not for a horrible pass interference non-call, it's possible the Saints could have won a second Super Bowl title over the past decade.
Now with one of the best defenses and an explosive offense, they enter the 2020 season with one of the most balanced rosters in the NFL.
They feature an elite run defense that ranked third and fifth, respectively, in Football Outsiders' Rush Defense DVOA over the past two seasons. They allowed the fourth-fewest rushing yards as a team last season, trailing only the Buccaneers, Jets and Eagles.
They also ranked fourth with 3.2 sacks per game while cornerback Marshon Lattimore allowed just a 50% completion rate.
Offensively, the Saints have transitioned to a run-first team while maintaining explosive pass play ability.
All-Pro wide receiver Michael Thomas has totaled 274 receptions over the past two seasons — 55 more than the next wideout, DeAndre Hopkins. While quarterback Drew Brees is 41-years old, he ranked first among all quarterbacks in true completion percentage (79.6%) and fifth in passing touchdowns (27).
New Orleans has the second-best offensive line per Pro Football Focus. The Saints should also have a completely healthy Alvin Kamara, assuming his reported contract-related absence from training camp doesn't carry on. And over his first three seasons, Kamara tallied exactly 81 receptions in each year.
You're getting 12-1 value on a team that could be the best in the NFC. With superior talent on both sides of the ball and a great head coach in Sean Payton, these odds provide fantastic value.
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Matthew Freedman: Eagles +2500
The Eagles have a top-10 coach in Doug Pederson and top-10 quarterback in Carson Wentz. They have a top-eight offensive line with All-Pro center Jason Kelce and right tackle Lane Johnson. They have a potential top-10 running back in Miles Sanders. They should have an explosive and markedly improved wide receiver unit thanks to the return of DeSean Jackson and addition of rookies Jalen Reagor, John Hightower and Quez Watkins. And they have the league’s best tight end duo with Zach Ertz and Dallas Goedert.
On offense, they could dominate.
On defense, the Eagles have a top-two line thanks to their high-end talent and unrivaled depth. They can pressure opposing quarterbacks at will. They have a below-average linebacking unit — but off-ball linebackers don’t matter much in today’s NFL anyway. And their secondary should be vastly improved this year: With the additions of perimeter cornerback Darius Slay, slot corner Nickell Robey-Coleman and free safety Will Parks, the Eagles might now have a top-10 unit.
The Eagles are just a few years removed from their 13-3 season that culminated in a championship, and many of the key pieces from that Super Bowl-winning team are still in place. For a team that has made the playoffs in each of the past three years, the Eagles are too discounted.
I’d bet them down to +2200, which is available at PointsBet as of writing.
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Sean Koerner: Browns +4000
Expectations were high for the Browns heading into 2019 and they fell well short.
Baker Mayfield and Odell Beckham Jr. didn’t quite gel in their first season together. Mayfield specifically was to blame for their -8 turnover margin as he threw 21 interceptions (second-most). It resulted in the Browns firing Freddie Kitchens and bringing in Kevin Stefanski as the new head coach.
Stefanski led the run-heavy offense in Minnesota last season and is expected to install a similar scheme in Cleveland. He couldn’t ask for a better running back duo in Nick Chubb and Kareem Hunt, the offensive line should improve with the addition of veteran Jack Conklin and first-rounder Jedrick Wills, and the Browns should run more 2-TE sets, which means more Austin Hooper and David Njoku.
A more conservative offense should limit the number of turnovers by Mayfield and allow him to regain his confidence. The Browns also have the third-easiest schedule, which should play right into their more conservative approach on offense.
I’m very bullish on the Browns in 2020. The best way to invest in their upside is their odds to win the Super Bowl — they could thrive in the uncertain environment this season.
I would bet the Browns to +3800.
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Collin Wilson: Cardinals +5000
With the addition of a third wild-card spot in each conference, the chances of a Super Bowl run opened up in a tight NFC.
Considering the Super Bowl market has been hammered since the Chiefs raised the trophy, it may be time to put a low investment on another rising offensive juggernaut. Is there another team that can throw up four touchdowns in a single quarter like the Chiefs did in the 2019 AFC Divisional Round? The Arizona Cardinals may be that team.
Kliff Kingsbury and Kyler Murray are posed to take the next step as the acquisition of DeAndre Hopkins gives the Cardinals even more weapons, and the third-round selection of Josh Jones beefs up an offensive line that was 26th in adjusted sack rate in 2019.
Expect the continuation of 4-WR sets in a blitzing offensive scheme in Arizona — never forget that the NFL is becoming more like the college game and the Cardinals are well on the track to being the most explosive offense in the league.
With an extra postseason berth in the NFC, odds are likely to get this 50-1 ticket into the playoffs.
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