It is hard to believe, but the 2018 NFL season will officially hit the halfway point this Thursday (October 25) when the Miami Dolphins take on the Houston Texans from NRG Stadium in Houston, Texas. Where does the time go? The good news is that no matter what team you cheer for, well maybe outside of the Cardinals and 49ers, your team is still alive in the heavily log-jammed wild-card race in each conference. The Week 8 power rankings also have the Rams and Saints at the top.

First-half surprises

The Kansas City Chiefs are easily the biggest first-half surprise teams of the 2018 season - now the big question is can they keep it up?

Quarterback Patrick Mahomes continues to baffle defenses, and throw touchdown passes at a record rate. The 6-1 Chiefs are starting to pull away from the pack in the AFC West. Kansas City opened the year at 66-1 or +6600 and now are listed as one of the favorites to win the big game at +750 or 7.5-1. A quick look back at the Week 7 NFL schedule is also applicable.

The Cleveland Browns are also a pleasant surprise, so far, in the first half of the season. At 2-4-1, Cleveland is just one game behind the first place Pittsburgh Steelers, a team they tied back in Week 1. The Browns could easily be 4-2-1 or 5-2 for that matter, but heartbreaking last-second losses to Tampa Bay and Oakland have damped the excitement a bit.

Underachievers

The disappointments? That’s easy. The Oakland Raiders, Atlanta Falcons, and New York Giants take home those early season awards. The NY Daily News indicates that the upcoming Monday night clash (October 22) with the Atlanta Falcons is the biggest game of the season for the G-Men in terms of what direction the squad should go for the remainder of the season.

At 1-5, the Giants are still not out of it in the NFC East or wild-card race, but a loss to the 2-4 Falcons could officially start to end the 2018 campaign.

As for the Raiders, it is a nightmare. The return of Jon Gruden brought the fans to a frenzy before the season began. Now, the Raiders fans are already looking forward to the 2019 NFL Draft.

At 1-5, Oakland had better start stringing together some wins quick, or the tide may turn on Chucky much sooner than believed. The Raiders opened at +4000 or 40-1 back in August to win the 2019 Super Bowl. They are now listed at a whopping +50000

Longshots worth the risk

Everyone knows about the favorites, but how about some teams that have a shot and could payout nicely? The Detroit Lions and Washington Redskins top that list. Both teams are playing well and certainly have the talent to make a run deep into the postseason. Quarterbacks Matt Stafford and Alex Smith have a lot of experience under their belts and know how to win games late. Oddsshark indicates that the Lions are currently set at +6600, while the Redskins are listed at +5000.

Below is a look at the current odds for each team to win the 2019 Super Bowl.

  • Los Angeles Rams +350
  • New England Patriots +700
  • Kansas City Chiefs +750
  • New Orleans Saints +1000
  • Minnesota Vikings +1200
  • Los Angeles Chargers +1600
  • Green Bay Packers +1800
  • Jacksonville Jaguars +2000
  • Philadelphia Eagles +2000
  • Pittsburgh Steelers +2000
  • Baltimore Ravens +2500
  • Chicago Bears +2500
  • Houston Texans +3300
  • Atlanta Falcons +4000
  • Carolina Panthers +4000
  • Cincinnati Bengals +4000
  • Dallas Cowboys +4000
  • Washington Redskins +5000
  • Detroit Lions +6600
  • Seattle Seahawks +6600
  • Miami Dolphins +8000
  • Cleveland Browns +10000
  • New York Jets +10000
  • Tennessee Titans +10000
  • Denver Broncos +15000
  • New York Giants +15000
  • Buffalo Bills +25000
  • Indianapolis Colts +25000
  • Tampa Bay Buccaneers +25000
  • Oakland Raiders +50000
  • San Francisco 49ers +50000
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