New England is 2005 super bowl odds Favorite
New England is super bowl odds Favorite
Jan. 21 -- The New England Patriots moved past the Pittsburgh Steelers, the team with the National Football League's best record this season, to become the super bowl odds favorite among futures traders and Nevada sports books. Futures contracts that pay $10 with a Patriots win have more than doubled in value to $3.90 since Jan. 16, when the team defeated the Indianapolis Colts 20-3 in the playoffs. New England, seeking its third NFL championship in four years, is the 3-2 favorite at Las Vegas MVP Sportsbook Race and Sports Book. The odds mean that a winning $2 bet will return $3. Before the Colts game, the Patriots were 4-1. Fans see the Patriots, who play the Steelers on Jan. 23 in Pittsburgh, as the best bet because the team shut down the Colts' record-setting quarterback, Peyton Manning, said Jeff Sherman, assistant manager of the MVP Sportsbook Race and Sports Book. ``Everyone's perception has really taken a turn,'' Sherman said. ``With a convincing win over a team that everybody was backing, there's a trust factor now with a lot of people.'' The Steelers are the second choice at the MVP Sportsbook, with 12-5 odds. The two National Football Conference teams remaining are third and fourth: the Philadelphia Eagles at 14-5, and the Atlanta Falcons at 7-1. Jets Win Among the 40,000 traders , Steelers contracts dropped 10 percent to $2.66 after the team's 20-17 overtime win against the New York Jets. Eagles contracts were trading at $2.36, and the Falcons at $1.10. Futures are agreements to buy or sell assets at a set date and price, and futures on events are paid off in cash. The Colts entered last week's game with the highest-scoring offense in the NFL. Manning threw 49 touchdown passes during the regular season, breaking a 20-year-old record held by former Miami Dolphins quarterback Dan Marino. Before the game, contracts that paid off with an Indianapolis super bowl odds win rose 20 percent to $1.70. New England's victory made them worthless. ``All of a sudden, everybody's all over the Patriots,'' said Joe Ferrara, 28, an independent currency trader from Jersey City, New Jersey, who said he's been buying Patriots futures contracts . Close Call The Steelers, whose record stands at 16-1 this season, were 8- 5 favorites at the MVP Sportsbook heading into last weekend's games. They beat the Patriots 34-20 on Oct. 31, ending the defending champions' 21-game winning streak. Even after that win, the Patriots are a 3-point favorite at most Las Vegas sports books to beat the Steelers in the American Football Conference championship game. The reason is the way Pittsburgh beat the Jets last week: on an overtime field goal after New York missed two potential game-winning kicks in the final two minutes of regulation time, Sherman said. ``It's really predicated on the game before,'' Sherman said. ``If the Patriots had squeaked out a win, the Steelers might have been a slight favorite.'' Philadelphia, which had a conference-best record of 13-3, has lost three-straight conference championship games, the past two at home. They are favored to beat the Falcons by 5 points at Lincoln Financial Field in Philadelphia and claim the other spot in the super bowl odds . Playing at home, where the Eagles have an 8-1 record this season, more than offsets the loss of Pro Bowl wide receiver Terrell Owens, who injured his ankle last month and won't play on Sunday. ``They're still favored, even with the loss of a key player,'' Sherman said. ``With a player like Owens out and this game in Atlanta, the Falcons might have been a short favorite.''
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