With the NFL season kicking off, "Bear Bets" experts John Murray and Will Hill share their thoughts on who they like to win the AFC, NFC, and the Super Bowl. They also discuss their predictions for the first coach fired market.
For the AFC, the Kansas City Chiefs remain the favorites to three-peat after their Super Bowl victory last year. However, John Murray of the SuperBook believes the books are hoping for a different outcome. "I can't really disagree with anybody saying they're going to put in a Chiefs future," Murray said. "I just hope it's not the Chiefs. Give me somebody else."
Geoff Schwartz, a former offensive lineman, agrees that the Chiefs are a solid bet to win the AFC but believes there are other teams to consider. "If you aren't betting the Chiefs to win the AFC or the Super Bowl, who do you like in the conference?" Schwartz asked.
Breaking Down the AFC, NFC, and Super Bowl Contenders with NFL Insiders
Will Hill has already placed a wager on the New York Jets to win the AFC and plans to bet on them to win the Super Bowl as well. "They're my pick to come out of the AFC," Hill said. "They won seven games last year with no quarterback at all. ... I think Aaron Rodgers is going to play great. I think the defense is absolutely stacked."
Murray leans toward the Cincinnati Bengals to win the AFC. "If you made me pick a team, I'll go with the Bengals," Murray said. "They've done it before. They did it [in 2021]. I thought they should have won the AFC Championship Game [in 2022], and the refs kind of intervened there to help the Chiefs."
In the NFC, the San Francisco 49ers are the defending champions, but John Murray believes there are doubts about their ability to repeat. "The 49ers are a mess, and Under 11.5 has been a really sharp play," Murray said.
Schwartz agrees that the Detroit Lions are the safest bet to win the NFC. "The Lions have the least amount of questions right now when you look at the roster, the way they're built," Schwartz said. "I think Dan Campbell's style of coaching is important here, right? He is aggressive. He is going for it."
The Philadelphia Eagles are another potential contender, but Murray highlights some question marks with their roster. "They have to replace Jason Kelce," Murray said. "What's that gonna look like on the offensive line? New coordinators everywhere. Is Nick Sirianni the guy that's gonna lead them?"
As for the Super Bowl, the Chiefs remain the favorite, but Murray expressed his desire for a different team to win. "We started them at 10-1 to win the Super Bowl," Murray said. "We got bet so heavily on the Chiefs that we had to lower their odds to win the Super Bowl and their odds to win the conference."
However, Schwartz believes the Chiefs are still a good bet to win it all. "It's rare a Super Bowl champion comes back the next year and is better," Schwartz said. "Their offense is going to be back to what it was, and their defense will take a step back as defenses are more volatile year to year."
Hill also has a long shot bet on the New York Jets to win the Super Bowl, stating, "They're absolutely stacked."
Finally, the experts discussed their predictions for the first coach fired. John Murray suggested Matt Eberflus of the Chicago Bears as a potential candidate, while Chris "The Bear" Fallica named Nick Sirianni of the Philadelphia Eagles and Sean McDermott of the Buffalo Bills as contenders based on the odds board.
