Super Bowl Odds 2016: Patriots Chances To Win Championship, Division Increase After Brady Suspension Lifted

Tom Brady Patriots — "I love the NFL. It is a privilege to be a member of the NFL community," Tom Brady wrote in a statement posted on Facebook on Friday. Getty Images

A judge has nullified the NFL’s decision to suspend Tom Brady for his role in Deflategate, altering the landscape of the upcoming season. The New England Patriots have seen their chances of defending their championship increase, now that their starting quarterback won’t be forced to miss the first four games of the year.

New England’s Super Bowl 50 odds went from 10/1 to 9/1 at Bovada.lv because of the ruling. Earlier in the offseason, the Patriots’ odds had risen as high as 12/1. Some sports books had given New England 8/1 odds to repeat in 2016.

Tom Brady's #MVP odds have gone from 20-1 to 10-1 after his successful appeal against the NFL. https://t.co/ZIEdHqrcqA
— Bovada Official (@BovadaLV) September 3, 2015

Even when it appeared that Brady would miss a quarter of the season, the Patriots were still among the favorites in the AFC. They’ve kept the second-best odds to represent their conference in Super Bowl 50, behind the Indianapolis Colts, against whom New England allegedly deflated footballs in last season’s AFC Championship Game. But having Brady under center all season gives the Patriots a better chance of making the playoffs while playing in an improved division.

With Jimmy Garoppolo under center for four games, the Patriots had -375 odds to make the postseason and 2/3 odds to win the AFC East for a seventh consecutive year. On Thursday morning, those odds shifted to -400 and 1/2, respectively. New England’s odds of winning at least 11 games have gone from +100 to -150.

The Patriots will open up the regular season next Thursday night against the Pittsburgh Steelers, and their betting odds for the Week 1 contest have improved significantly. After giving Pittsburgh less than a field goal in their home opener, New England is favored by a touchdown.

#Patriots host #Steelers the opening Thursday. NE was as low as -2.5 when Brady was in doubt. Pats now a 7 point favorite.
— RJ Bell (@RJinVegas) September 3, 2015

The Green Bay Packers remain the favorites to win Super Bowl 50 with +550 odds, even though they will be without one of their top players for the entire season. Wide receiver Jordy Nelson suffered a torn ACL in the preseason, and he won’t return this year. The Seattle Seahawks (+650) have the second best odds in the NFL, looking to reach their third consecutive Super Bowl.

Below are the complete Super Bowl 50 odds a week away from the start of the 2015 season.

Green Bay Packers +550

Seattle Seahawks +650

Indianapolis Colts +850

Philadelphia Eagles +850

New England Patriots +900

Dallas Cowboys +1400

Denver Broncos +1400

Pittsburgh Steelers +2000

Baltimore Ravens +2000

Miami Dolphins +2500

Minnesota Vikings +2800