NFL 2022-23 betting preview and free bets: Complete season guide to the contenders and Super Bowl selections

LAST spring, the LA Rams hoisted the Lombardi Trophy in their very own SoFi Stadium.

After months of trades, drafts, coaching changes and training camps, we stand on the edge of another NFL season.

All 32 teams will be harbouring dreams of postseason glory, but which are the real deal, and which are destined to basement dwellers? Let’s pick our way through some of the runners and riders in the Ante Post outright market…

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THE CONTENDERS

Topping the market (and it’s a scary place to be for some of their older, battled-hardened fans) is the BUFFALO BILLS (6/1). For all 52 years of the AFL-NFL merger they have been the bridesmaids… Can they finally have their day in the sun?

The pieces all seem to be there: QB Josh Allen and HC Sean McDermott have been making strides each year. A supporting cast of Stefon Diggs, Dawson Knox, Tre Edmunds, Jordan Poyer and Devin Singletary gives them star power across the board. New faces including Von Miller should ensure strength in the depth chart.

It’s just a case of getting over their severe mental scarring. January’s AFC Divisional Round loss to the Chiefs (featuring THAT 13-second drive by Patrick Mahomes) is still too much for many Buffalonians to bear. The four falls of Buffalo (back-to-back-to-back-to-back Super Bowl losses in the 90s) are well documented, but this team is in danger of a new painful generation if they can’t make the big dance this time around…

Speaking of the KANSAS CITY CHIEFS (9/1), it looks like they could still well be the top dogs of the AFC, even if the conference is loaded with teams primed to take a shot at them. Andy Reid and Patrick Mahomes will be as strong as ever, although some of their performances in the middle of last season left a lot to be desired.

If they do make it seven AFC West titles in a row, they will have done it the hard way. It’s arguably the hardest division in Football, with the Broncos and Chargers having elite QBs, and the Raiders arguably having a world class one.

There may be more ‘fashionable’ and ‘sexy’ picks this year, but even with the AFC title collapse against Cincy in mind, is it ever wise to pick against the Chiefs if they get some playoff games at Arrowhead? 

The TAMPA BAY BUCCANEERS (7/1) have one thing in mind: Win now. It could well really, finally, definitely be the last ride for Tom Brady this time, and with a scary non-GOAT abyss waiting for them after this year, time is not on their side.

Todd Bowles takes up Head Coaching duties with Bruce Arians moving upstairs, but other than that there is stability within the ranks. Their young ‘Gravedigger’ secondary is another year wiser, the likes of Leonard Fournette, Vita Vea, and Tristan Wirfs all return. Brady’s weapons at WR look downright scary, with Julio Jones and Russell Gage joining Mike Evans and Chris Godwin.

However… It’s not been a good pre-season on the injury front. Pro Bowl center Ryan Jensen looks out for the whole year, so does fellow man-in-the-trenches Aaron Stinnie. 45 year old Tom Brady isn’t going to be Lamar Jackson any time soon and will need his O-line to give him time.

Will they have enough to do so? It might be a step too much to overcome, but with TB12 having the tools to hack Father Time’s mainframe, could he lift his supporting cast to one more ring?