The 2025 NFL season is edging ever closer to its conclusion: Super Bowl LIX.
Week 5 has been completed bar for two franchises (Kansas City Chiefs and New Orleans Saints), giving us all a new perspective about where the season is heading.
Although the game isn’t for another four months, with it to be played on September 9, 2025, the league is already starting to take shape. The first five weeks have been revealing enough for the bookies to even start offering odds based on who they believe has the best chance to be playing in the game and potentially win it.
Which Teams Are Thought To Be The Favorites?
The latest Sportsbet NFL betting markets have identified the Kansas City Chiefs as the main favorites. These odds – which can potentially change once they have played the Saints on October 7 – are only slightly better than those that are being offered for some of the other teams across the league.
The San Francisco 49ers have been priced at 7.50 following their surprise defeat to the Arizona Cardinals in Week 5. They dropped to a 2-3 record on the year, but it seems bookmakers still feel that it is likely a repeat of last year’s Super Bowl will take place.
Elsewhere, the 3-2 Baltimore Ravens have been highlighted as a potential AFC contender for the premier spectacle. They managed to overcome a challenging encounter with the Cincinnati Bengals in Week 5, requiring overtime to win.
The most likely to challenge the 49ers as the NFC’s representative according to the latest betting odds remains the Detroit Lions. They were on a bye in Week 5 and have started strongly with a 3-1 record. It’ll be interesting to see what Dan Campbell’s team will do in their Week 6 game, when they take on the Dallas Cowboys at the AT&T Stadium.
The Minnesota Vikings might be the biggest dark horse of the season. The NFC North franchise is 5-0 to start the year, having extended their winning start to the year by beating the New York Jets in London.
Analyzing Main Super Bowl Contender’s Chances
Given that the result of the Kansas City Chiefs game isn’t quite known just yet, it might be best to leave the organization out of the analysis when trying to predict their chances of winning the Super Bowl this season.
Indeed, it wouldn’t be unreasonable to suggest that they can go all the way. They have many advantageous factors going their way at the moment. They are the current betting favorites with the bookies; they are unbeaten heading into their Week 5 matchup, and they have players like Patrick Mahomes and Travis Kelce leading the offense. It’s almost silly to bet against these guys, especially when the AFC organization have won three of the last five, appearing in four of those.
Of course, it’s almost impossible to complete a perfect season. The 1972 Miami Dolphins went unbeaten, but no other team has been able to accomplish the feat. The Chiefs can accomplish this feat, but if they were to be beaten, there is still every chance that they will be in the Super Bowl because of the talent they have on their roster.
Minnesota Vikings: Dark Horses?
Another team that has hopes of replicating what the legendary franchise managed to achieve over 50 years ago are the Vikings. As mentioned, they have already started the season with a 5-0 record. The third season under Kevin O’Connell is looking extremely promising, with his two first seasons producing mixed results.
The Vikings have to be considered a dark horse at this moment, especially in the latest round of power rankings. Given the strength of their schedule and the remaining fixtures, it’s not unreasonable to believe they can go all the way. They have many favorable encounters, although we’ll potentially see what they are made of after their bye week in Week 7 when they take on the Detriot Lions.
Detroit Lions & San Francisco 49ers: Other NFC Representatives?
The Lions are thought to be one of the teams to watch in the NFC. Campbell’s side have been going from strength to strength in recent years. They reached the postseason for the first time since 2016, and had a home game for the first time since 1993.
This year, they have picked up where they have left off. They are 3-1 and have been strong with their performances, especially in their last game before the bye. They put up a total of 42 points against the Seattle Seahawks, inflicting the first defeat of the season on the NFC West.
Elsewhere, the 49ers are the most likely contenders for the NFC. However, their defeat to the Cardinals in Week 5 will have hurt their stock. The franchise struggled at home to their divisional rivals. To make matters worse, they went into the half 23-10 up, but failed to score in the second half as the Cardinals rallied back to win 24-23. There is perhaps a hangover being experienced after their Super Bowl defeat last season, and one that could have a negative impact on their chances of success this year.
AFC: If Not Kansas, Who Else?
As highlighted, it’s almost impossible not to back the Kansas City Chiefs. Even if they were to suffer a blip against the Saints on Monday Night Football, many will still back them to be the AFC’s representative at Super Bowl LIX.
However, what if they weren’t? The Baltimore Ravens are the most likely to be those to dethrone them from their perch. They’ve started well, having gone to a 3-2 record after their Week 5 overtime win over the Bengals. They’ve been strong, but there have been concerns, especially following a slow start that saw them lose to the Chiefs and Las Vegas Raiders in their opening two games.
Since then, they have been able to put in strong performances against the Dallas Cowboys and the Buffalo Bills. With wins against these teams following a poor start, it’s no surprise that they have been ranked as highly as they have as contenders.
