Once the Super Bowl game is done and dusted, there will be plenty of new lines written in the record books. A win for the New England Patriots will see the franchise move out to seven wins overall, claiming the top spot ahead of the Steelers. Whatever happens, the Pats will move out to 12 appearances in the championship game – way ahead of everyone else. As for Seattle, this will be the 4th Super Bowl for the Seahawks in the 21st century, drawing them level with teams like the Colts.
But beyond those records, there is also something curious in this season’s NFL – the Super Bowl futures betting lines, or at least as they were at the start of the season. In early September, the Patriots were listed at +8000 to win Super Bowl LX, with the Seahawks at +6000. Yes, we often see a surprise team make it all the way to the championship game, but two underdogs of this level? It’s practically unheard of.
Two underdogs in preseason
Forgetting the odds for a moment, as far as we can judge it, the Patriots (23rd) and Seahawks (20th) were ranked among the least likely teams to go all the way. What was interesting, though, was that it kind of made sense across a season characterized by breakout performances from both teams and individual players. By that, we mean, it doesn’t feel like a Super Bowl of two underperforming teams. Indeed, it’s almost like we have been transported back to February 2015 when this pair last clashed at the Super Bowl.
Of course, sports historians will be able to point out that there have been big underdog clashes in the Super Bowl before. The one that jumps out is Super Bowl XXXIV. The Rams usually get all the attention for the “greatest show on turf”, but it is worth remembering that the Tennessee Titans were an underdog team in 2000.
There is sometimes disagreement over what exactly the Rams’ preseason odds were, but the markets certainly had them at over 100/1, with some saying 150/1. The Titans were somewhere around +3000, which, while still underdog territory, is not completely uncommon for a Super Bowl team.
Echoes of the 2000 Super Bowl
Nonetheless, both the Patriots and Seahawks’ preseason odds are the highest for Super Bowl teams aside from the Rams in 2000. It is highly remarkable. What will be interesting, however, is to see how this season is judged in hindsight, perhaps several years from now.
We say that because the 2025 season was characterized by some big favorites falling: The Chiefs, Ravens and Lions were eliminated in the regular season; the Bills and Eagles were fairly limp in the postseason. Those five were steady favorites in the betting markets across the first nine months of 2025.
So, the question is whether this was a changing of the guard at the top of the NFL, or if it was simply a case of serendipity with the way being cleared for Seattle and New England by struggling top teams.
That’s no criticism of the Seahawks and Patriots – the teams made it on merit, with the former, in particular, playing scintillating football – but it remains the case that the context of their achievement and standing as great teams will likely be judged on what happens next season and beyond.
Nevertheless, any bettors who took a chance on either of these two teams can afford to be very smug right now, knowing that they may be in line for an unlikely windfall.