Before the season began, many people expected the Panthers and Bengals to be Super Bowl contenders. Through five weeks of the season, both teams have the same number of wins combined as the Los Angeles Rams.
And that's why they're low on the pecking order for Vegas Super Bowl odds heading into Week 6. The Cards are dipping too, although not quite as far, and there are a pair of teams -- the Ravens and the Giants -- who started off the season in spectacular fashion, only to come back to earth over the last few weeks.
If one was inclined to put a large wager on a preseason favorite to win the Super Bowl like Carolina or Cincinnati, now would be a pretty good time to do it.
Odds courtesy of the Westgate Las Vegas.
1. New England Patriots (7-2, Previously 4-1) -- Tom Brady is back and the combo of Rob Gronkowski/Martellus Bennett looks unstoppable.
2. Green Bay Packers (5-1, Previously 6-1) -- Aaron Rodgers started getting Randall Cobb involved on Sunday night and the offense is starting to click.
3. Pittsburgh Steelers (6-1, Previously 8-1) -- Ben Roethlisberger and the Steelers have eviscerated a couple of AFC contenders over the last two weeks.
4. Seattle Seahawks (7-1, Previously 7-1) -- 3-1 after their by and it doesn't even feel like the Seahawks are playing that well.
5. Minnesota Vikings (5-1, Previously 9-1) -- The only undefeated team left in football keeps rolling right along with the best defense in football.
6. Denver Broncos (12-1, Previously 8-1) -- Denver got a little exposed by the suddenly rolling Atlanta Falcons but they did have to start a rookie.
7. Oakland Raiders (16-1, Previously 16-1) -- No movement here? Maybe Huevos Del Rio needs to REALLY start going for broke.
8. Arizona Cardinals (18-1, Previously 16-1) -- Drew Stanton managed to beat the 49ers but it wasn't dominant. David Johnson is the best running back in football right now.
9. Dallas Cowboys (18-1, Previously 20-1): The Cowboys' biggest problem is a questionable quarterback controversy. Good place to be.
10. Atlanta Falcons (20-1, Previously 30-1) -- Matt Ryan is matchup proof in fantasy football and the clear MVP leader five weeks into the season.
11. Kansas City Chiefs (30-1, Previously 40-1) -- Maybe this is just building in Andy Reid's post-bye week performance already.
12. Philadelphia Eagles (30-1, Previously 20-1) -- First loss of the season and first Carson Wentz pick of the year. The Lane Johnson suspension should be the really concerning news.
13. Carolina Panthers (40-1, Previously 25-1) -- Their defense just isn't good. It's a huge problem.
14. Houston Texans (40-1, Previously 20-1) -- Brock Osweiler just isn't good. It's a huge problem.
15. Washington Redskins (40-1, Previously 60-1) -- Dead in the water two weeks ago and suddenly just a game out of first place. The NFL is fun.
16. Cincinnati Bengals (50-1, Previously 30-1) -- They desperately need a "get right" game after being run over by the Cowboys.
17. Baltimore Ravens (50-1, Previously 40-1) -- The first three wins are starting to look a little further back in the rearview mirror.
18. New York Giants (60-1, Previously 40-1) -- Those first two wins are starting to look a little further in the rearview mirror.
19. Indianapolis Colts (60-1, Previously 80-1) -- Huge, season-saving win by the Colts, who basically rely on not protecting Andrew Luck for 55 minutes and hoping he can lead a miracle drive late.
20. Buffalo Bills (60-1, Previously 60-1) -- What a turnaround by Rex Ryan. The 49ers and Dolphins are next so 5-2 is a reality.
21. San Diego Chargers (100-1, Previously 100-1) -- They should be undefeated, but have a gift for losing games like no one we've ever seen before.
22. Detroit Lions (100-1, Previously 100-1) -- That was a huge comeback win for the Lions against the Eagles. Might have saved Jim Caldwell's job.
23. Los Angeles Rams (100-1, Previously 60-1) -- Losing a shot at first place while hosting the Bills is not a great look.
24. Tennessee Titans (100-1, Previously 200-1) -- This is kind of developing into an interesting little exotic smashmouth team.
25. Tampa Bay Buccaneers (200-1, Previously 300-1) -- They wanted to lose on Monday but the Panthers weren't going to let them.
26. Jacksonville Jaguars (200-1, Previously 200-1) -- Real scorcher of a bye week.
27. New York Jets (300-1, Previously 100-1) -- This team is cratering quickly. Might be Geno Smith time.
28. New Orleans Saints (300-1, Previously 300-1) -- Backs-in-the-corner game for New Orleans and Carolina this week.
29. Miami Dolphins (300-1, Previously 100-1) -- This seems high considering how bad the Fins look this year. They got run over by Tennessee.
30. Chicago Bears (500-1, Previously 300-1) -- Brian Hoyer has thrown for 300 yards in three straight games though!
31. San Francisco 49ers (5000-1, Previously 2000-1) -- Careening right towards "off the board" despite Colin Kaepernick starting.
32. Cleveland Browns (9999-1, Previously 5000-1) -- The Browns have 9,999 problems and their roster is every single one.
