14-Team Playoff Gives Incentive To NFL Longshot Bettors

• The NFL players approved the CBA increasing the playoff teams from 12 to 14.
• Middling teams like the Bears, Browns, and Rams may offer bettors more incentive for betting.
• Only two teams will have a first-round bye – the top seed from the AFC and NFC.

NEW YORK – As the players voted to approve the new labor contract in the NFL, one of the stipulations was that the playoffs would be expanded from 12 teams to 14 teams. While this may not seem like a major jump, the changing format will heavily impact the NFL future betting odds on the Super Bowl.

No longer will four teams have a first-round bye, as the top seed in each conference will be the only ones rewarded in this manner.

This will have a great impact on the regular season, as the two seeds will have to push through three games just to make it to the Super Bowl just like every other wildcard team.

Not only will this change the mindset of resting players heading into the playoffs, but it will also impact how the betting odds work surrounding the Super Bowl.

While the favorites are clearly above the pack, there has never been a better opportunity to take a chance on a middling team. With the additional two teams added to the NFL playoffs, not only does it remove the chances for the two seeds to make a run but it gives hope to the seven seed.

In last year’s playoffs (if under this new rule) the Ravens and 49ers would have had a first-round bye while the opening matchups would have been Packers vs. Rams, Saints vs. Vikings, and Eagles vs. Seahawks on the NFC side.

For the AFC, Chiefs vs. Steelers, Patriots vs. Titans, and Texans vs. Bills would have begun the postseason.

Heading into the 2020-2021 NFL season, teams like the Bears, Bills, Browns, and Rams offer bettors betting odds that are too lucrative to pass up.

Only time will tell if the 14-team playoff will hurt or help the lower-seeded teams but either way, taking a chance on a longshot in the NFL has become a wiser thing to do.