August and early September are always interesting times for football fans. You’ll get a flurry of articles and predictions from the sports media, with many analysts busting a gut to make bold statements about what will happen throughout the season.
Sometimes, they get it right, of course, whereas other times, they get it laughably wrong.
Plenty of analysts know they can get it badly wrong, so it is always refreshing to see them revisit those predictions in January and February when the Playoffs take place and awards are handed out.
As for sportsbooks, it’s a little different, as the odds will fluctuate throughout the preseason. Yet, we can always look back and see where they predicted teams to be based on the betting data.
Of course, sportsbooks will use actuary and algorithms to make their predictions, not relying on gut feelings like some analysts, so it tends to be a more sober prognosis.
In saying that, the odds can be badly wrong. As we march through the 2024/25 NFL Playoffs, we thought we would look back and see where the sportsbooks’ betting markets got it right – and wrong – before the season began.
Got It Right: Chiefs, Lions, Ravens, Bills & Eagles As Dominant Teams
The Chiefs and Lions made the Playoffs with 15-2 records, the Bills and Josh Allen stormed through the regular season, whereas the Eagles always looked like the best under-the-radar team in the league.
As for the Ravens, they huffed and puffed for a while, yet they finished the season strongly. Those five were in the top six of most sportsbooks’ betting markets to make the Playoffs, and they also led the Super Bowl odds with one other team (see below).
In hindsight, it’s always easy to point out missteps when making football predictions, yet it is difficult to argue with the fact that this was the best quintet throughout the regular season. The sportsbooks were right in this case.
