Denver Broncos Still Among Favorites to Win Super Bowl in 2015

The Denver Broncos have been one of the favorites to win the Super Bowl the last two  years, and updated odds have the Big Orange again as one of the heavy favorites.

National Football Post.com reports based on odds released this week by LVH Sports Book in Las Vegas, the Broncos are 5-1 favorites to win the Super Bowl, just behind Seattle at 4-1. The other leading favorites are San Francisco at 6-1, and New England at 8-1. Green Bay is next at 12-1.

At the opposite end of the spectrum are teams who's fans don't have to worry about being a bundle of nerves during the next Super Bowl. Oakland and Jacksonville face the longest odds to win the championship with odds at 200-1. Minnesota's odd's of winning the Super Bowl have actually dropped to 100-1 since drafting  quarterback Teddy Bridgewater in the 2014 NFL Draft.

Just getting back to the Super Bowl will be a great achievement for the Broncos, let alone winning it. Only five teams in NFL history have lost the Super Bowl, and returned to the Super Bowl the following year. Of those, only two lost the Super Bowl and came back to win it the following season. The  1972 Dallas Cowboys beat the Miami Dolphins a year after losing to the Baltimore Colts, and in 1973 the Dolphins beat the Washington Redskins  in the big game, one year after losing to the Cowboys. The Minnesota Vikings and the Broncos both lost back-to-back Super Bowls, while the Buffalo Bills made four consecutive appearance, losing each time.

Given their draft position, it's quite probable that none of this year's draft picks will make a significant impact on the team, meaning  if they are going to get back to the Super Bowl, the Broncos' numerous off-season free agent acquisitions will need to be golden replacing the likes of Knowshon Moreno, Eric Decker, Champ Bailey, and Zane Beadles. And, of course, the million dollar question is can the aging Peyton Manning come close to replicating his most valuable player success of the past season?

There is little doubt the Broncos will be a good team in 2014. Will they be better than they were a season ago, and will they be better than 31 other teams who are also trying desperately to improve? Only time will tell, but if you listen to the odds makers, the Broncos have as good of a chance as any to win the Vince Lombardi Trophy next February in Glendale, Arizona.