On February 13, 2022, at SoFi Stadium in California, the Los Angeles Rams sealed a late comeback victory to send the traveling Cincinnati Bengals packing and hoist the Lombardi Trophy.
It was a glorious victory for one of the most exciting teams of the regular season, and one that stacked the roster with superstars Aaron Donald, Von Miller, Jalen Ramsey, Cooper Kupp, Matthew Stafford, and Odell Beckham Jr.
While the break is much longer than other major league sports, a Super Bowl triumph is always more short-lived than the victors want. Even this far out from the 2022 NFL season, pundits and expert tipsters have already weighed in on which team is destined to reign supreme in 2023.
Experts siding with those conquered in the AFC Divisional round
Despite how exciting and mighty the Bengals and Rams looked last season, neither are considered the favorites for Super Bowl LVII. In the run-in to Super Bowl LVI, NFL predictions correctly called the Rams as the favorites, the Rams to win, the Bengals with a +4 handicap, and a wide receiver to win the MVP in prop betting.
Now, that same platform is posting NFL betting odds that read as the Rams not winning the NFC, with the Green Bay Packers doing so instead, and the Buffalo Bills conquering the AFC before going on to win the Super Bowl in 2023.
The Bills were, for a second season running, ousted by the Kansas City Chiefs at Arrowhead Stadium, this time in the Divisional round rather than the AFC Championship. However, they showed significant improvement through regular-season performances and in the playoffs matchup, going down quite valiantly in overtime.
Why are the Bills favored to win Super Bowl LVII?
The Buffalo Bills have looked to have the makings of a Super Bowl contender for the last couple of seasons, boasting a core unit on offense and defense that can go toe-to-toe with the best. The fact that Josh Allen continues to develop into his incredible potential, with the team being built around that talent, certainly bodes well for the Bills’ prospects.
As is the case for every team, though, Buffalo must first conquer to offseason. The NFL website lists the team’s notable free agency departures as including Emmanuel Sanders, Jerry Hughes, Harrison Phillips, Mario Addison, Efe Obada, Vernon Butler, and Levi Wallace. Significantly, three defensive ends are in the group set to explore the open market.
For the Bills, as is addressed in this Pressing Questions piece, the offseason will be about retaining some of the UFAs, as, even with the increase in the cap, the Bills would struggle to come under with its 2021 roster. Regardless, the important thing is that the team’s star players – Allen, Stefon Diggs, Micah Hyde, Gabriel Davis, Jordan Poyer, and Tre’Davious White – will all be back and ready to start again at 0-0.
Knowing that much of the same cast will be coming back and that Buffalo now has a great amount of appeal to free agents seeking a shot at the Super Bowl, many see the Bills as a Super Bowl pick. In fact, in the ESPN pundits report, seven of the 12 asked for picks had the Bills make it to the final. The next closest was their AFC rivals, the Chiefs, and the Packers – both getting four nods each.
Already boasting a strong team that, at the very least, isn’t expected to weaken over the offseason, it makes sense that the developing Bills would be among the top picks for Super Bowl LVII, with the odds currently slating Buffalo as the favorite.
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