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Vegas sure doesn't waste a lot of time. R.J. Bell of Pregame.com released the 2016 Super Bowl odds in the wee hours of the morning via Twitter. Sure, the Patriots and Seahawks were the two teams left standing at the end of this season, and they are also the top two teams when it comes to next year's odds.
But from a historical perspective, the odds are stacked against either of this year's finalists making it back to the Super Bowl next year:
| Year | Super Bowl | Winner | Next season | Loser | Next season |
| 2015 | XLIX (49) | Patriots | - - | Seahawks | - - |
| 2014 | XLVIII (48) | Seahawks | Super Bowl loser | Broncos | Divisional Round |
| 2013 | XLVII (47) | Ravens | missed playoffs | 49ers | Conference Championship |
| 2012 | XLVI (46) | NY Giants | missed playoffs | Patriots | Conference Championship |
| 2011 | XLV (45) | Packers | Divisional Round | Steelers | Wildcard Round |
| 2010 | XLIV (44) | Saints | Wildcard Round | Colts | Wildcard Round |
| 2009 | XLIII (43) | Steelers | missed playoffs | Cardinals | Divisional Round |
| 2008 | XLII (42) | NY Giants | Divisional Round | Patriots | missed playoffs |
| 2007 | XLI (41) | Colts | Divisional Round | Bears | missed playoffs |
| 2006 | XL (40) | Steelers | missed playoffs | Seahawks | Divisional Round |
| 2005 | XXXIX (39) | Patriots | Divisional Round | Eagles | missed playoffs |
| 2004 | XXXVIII (38) | Patriots | Super Bowl winner | Panthers | missed playoffs |
| 2003 | XXXVII (37) | Buccaneers | missed playoffs | Raiders | missed playoffs |
- Of the 26 teams participating in the last 13 Super Bowls, 10 missed the playoffs entirely the next season.
- Only four of those 26 teams made it beyond the Divisional Round the following year.
- Only twice over the last thirteen years has a Super Bowl participant made it back to the Super Bowl the following year. Fittingly, those two teams are the Patriots and Seahawks.
So let's take look at which teams the Vegas bookmakers see as the favorites for the Super Bowl next year. Despite their loss yesterday, the Seahawks open as the favorites for 2016, immediately followed by the Patriots. The Cowboys open at 18-1, which ranks them sixth overall, quite an improvement over the 66-1 odds they started the 2014 season with.
Which just goes to show that a lot can happen between now and then, after all, the Saints (9-1), Eagles (20-1) and Bears (22-1) were projected as some of the top NFC teams at the start of the 2014 season, but all failed to make the playoffs.
Here's how the teams stack up in the early Vegas odds for the 2016 Super Bowl.
| ODDS TO WIN 2016 SUPER BOWL | |||
| Team | Odds | Team | Odds |
| Seattle Seahawks | 6 to 1 | San Diego Chargers | 40 to 1 |
| New England Patriots | 7 to 1 | St. Louis Rams | 40 to 1 |
| Green Bay Packers | 8 to 1 | Carolina Panthers | 45 to 1 |
| Denver Broncos | 12 to 1 | Miami Dolphins | 45 to 1 |
| Indianapolis Colts | 12 to 1 | Atlanta Falcons | 50 to 1 |
| Dallas Cowboys | 18 to 1 | Houston Texans | 50 to 1 |
| Philadelphia Eagles | 25 to 1 | Chicago Bears | 60 to 1 |
| Baltimore Ravens | 30 to 1 | Minnesota Vikings | 60 to 1 |
| Detroit Lions | 30 to 1 | Buffalo Bills | 70 to 1 |
| New Orleans Saints | 30 to 1 | Cleveland Browns | 70 to 1 |
| Pittsburgh Steelers | 30 to 1 | New York Jets | 125 to 1 |
| San Francisco 49ers | 30 to 1 | Washington Redskins | 140 to 1 |
| Cincinnati Bengals | 35 to 1 | Tampa Bay Buccaneers | 200 to 1 |
| Arizona Cardinals | 40 to 1 | Jacksonville Jaguars | 300 to 1 |
| Kansas City Chiefs | 40 to 1 | Oakland Raiders | 300 to 1 |
| New York Giants | 40 to 1 | Tennessee Titans | 300 to 1 |
The Patriots won the Super Bowl yesterday, but the Vegas notwithstanding, history doesn't like them or the Seahawks to make a repeat appearance in the Super Bowl. Who is your favorite to take home the Lombardi Trophy next year? Let us know who your NFL underdog is, and why.