NFL new season: NE Patriots rebound in SuperBowl 50 betting

New England Patriots have been at the centre of media attention since capturing their fourth SuperBowl title in franchise history back in February.

The club has been embroiled in the Deflategate scandal which resulted in quarterback Tom Brady being handed a four-game suspension by NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell, which sent their game line and outright odds at Coral tumbling.

After opening with strong 6/1 odds of repeating as SuperBowl champions, the Patriots saw their odds plummet to 12/1 upon news of Brady’s suspension. Since that was nullified by a US District Court judge in early September, however, New England have rebounded to 8/1 in the betting, and improved to strong seven-point favourites in their season opener against Pittsburgh Steelers on Thursday night.

Seattle Seahawks continue to lead the way as 4/1 SuperBowl favourites. The Seahawks have made appearances on Super Sunday in each of the past two years, crushing Denver Broncos 43-8 in Super Bowl XLVIII before their heartbreaking 28-24 loss to the Patriots this past season.

Also rated firm odds-on 1/4 favourites to claim their third straight NFC West division crown, Seattle are a 4/5 bet to record OVER 11 regular season wins after tallying 12 victories in 2014.

The Seahawks are closely trailed by Green Bay Packers, with 6/1 odds of claiming their first SuperBowl title since 2011. Like Seattle, the Packers have dominated their division in recent years, finishing atop the NFC North in each of the past four seasons, and are 1/3 favourites to make it five straight in 2015.

Indianapolis Colts are next, sitting alongside the Patriots with 8/1 outright odds. Led by quarterback Andrew Luck, who opens the 2015 NFL campaign as a 7/2 favourite to earn MVP honours, the Colts also join New England as 4/1 co-favorites to emerge as AFC Conference champs, and strong odds-on 1/5 favourites to continue their dominance in the AFC South, which they have won in eight of the last 11 years.