The first quarter of the 2017 NFL schedule is in the books, and already we have seen some serious surprises and some shocking disappointments. The good news for the struggling teams is that there is still three-quarters of the season remaining. The bad news is, teams that are 0-4 or 1-3 don’t have history on their side when it comes to making the football postseason.

Lions and Rams and Bills Oh My!

Somebody break up the LA Rams! The Rams move to LA has seemed to change the fortune of this franchise as they are off to one of their best starts in years.

The great play of young quarterback Jared Goff and a pretty good looking defense has helped LA get off to a 3-1 start on the season, and coming off of a road win against the Dallas Cowboys should only bolster this team's confidence down the road.

How about those Buffalo Bills? 3-1 and leading the AFC East division? What year is this, 1993? The Bills defense is statistically one of the stingiest in the NFL, giving up just 13 points per game thus far in 2017. Buffalo proved they belong in the conversation with the league's best after grounding the high-flying Atlanta Falcons last weekend in Atlanta.

Last but not least are the Detroit Lions. Addition by subtraction in Motown? Calvin Johnson walked away from the Lions after last season, but in a strange way that has seemed to open up options for QB Matt Stafford.

Ndamukong Suh left for bigger bucks in 2015, yet that move may have been a key in helping the Lions become more solid on defense. No matter how you add it up, the Lions are for real and should be fighting the NFC North right down to the final week of the season.

For real or fools gold

So, what does this term “for real” really mean?

Well, that depends on how each fan interprets it. If you are implying any of the three teams mentioned can win the Super Bowl this season, well that may be a stretch. However, don’t dismiss it either. Not any NFL experts predicted Atlanta to win the NFC last season, or the Carolina Panthers the season before that. Just look up their odds to win the Super Bowl before those seasons began for proof.

So, could the Lions, Bills or Rams be the surprise team of 2017? A 3-1 start sure doesn’t hurt their chances. The Lions opened the season at 60/1 and are now 22/1. The Buffalo Bills and LA Rams were both 100/1 longshots in August, however, they are now listed at 40/1.

Here is a look at the latest Super Bowl odds for each team, according to oddsshark.

  • New England Patriots+450
  • Green Bay Packers+750
  • Atlanta Falcons+1000
  • Pittsburgh Steelers+1000
  • Kansas City Chiefs+1000
  • Seattle Seahawks+1000
  • Dallas Cowboys+1400
  • Denver Broncos+1600
  • Oakland Raiders+1800
  • Philadelphia Eagles+2200
  • Detroit Lions+2200
  • Carolina Panthers+2500
  • Tampa Bay Buccaneers+2800
  • Houston Texans+2800
  • Tennessee Titans+3300
  • Minnesota Vikings+4000
  • Buffalo Bills+4000
  • Los Angeles Rams+4000
  • Washington Redskins+5000
  • New Orleans Saints+5000
  • Baltimore Ravens+6600
  • Arizona Cardinals+6600
  • Jacksonville Jaguars+10000
  • Cincinnati Bengals+10000
  • New York Giants+12500
  • Miami Dolphins+20000I
  • ndianapolis Colts+20000
  • Los Angeles Chargers+20000
  • Chicago Bears+50000
  • New York Jets+20000
  • San Francisco 49ers+200000
  • Cleveland Browns+500000
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