Saints, Vikings Among Top Super Bowl 2019 Contenders, Biggest Threats To Rams In NFC

The Los Angeles Rams are the clear favorites to win Super Bowl LIII, but the NFL’s only undefeated team has plenty of competition in their own conference. The New Orleans Saints and the Minnesota Vikings have emerged as the biggest threats to L.A. in the NFC.

After improving to 7-0 with a blowout victory over the San Francisco 49ers Sunday afternoon, the Rams lead all teams with 3/1 Super Bowl odds. They are followed by the New England Patriots (5/1) and Kansas City Chiefs (6/1), both of whom had impressive victories in Week 7.

New Orleans (9/1) and Minnesota (10/1) might be in the second tier of the league’s best teams, but both looked like serious Super Bowl contenders Sunday afternoon. The Saints went on the road and beat the Baltimore Ravens and their league-leading defense. The Vikings took care of business on the road against the New York Jets, winning by 20 points against a team that had won two straight games at home.

The Saints are undefeated since being stunned at home by the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in the season opener. After allowing 48 points in Week 1, New Orleans has surrendered 23 points or fewer in four of their last five games. That’s been more than enough for Drew Brees and the offense. The Saints trail only the Chiefs in points per game.

The Vikings are finally starting to look like the team that started the season among the NFC Super Bowl favorites. After securing just one victory in their first four games, Minnesota is on a three-game winning streak. Kirk Cousins has been worth the record-breaking contract he was awarded in the offseason, thus far, ranking in the top three in passing yards and completion percentage.

Minnesota will host New Orleans on “Sunday Night Football” in Week 8. It’s a rematch of last year’s divisional playoffs.

If the Saints defeat the Vikings on the road, they could be in a position to challenge the Rams for the top seed in the conference. A week after visiting Minnesota, New Orleans will host Los Angeles. The Saints are currently the NFC’s only one-loss team.

The Rams face several tough opponents on their upcoming schedule. Los Angeles hosts Aaron Rodgers and the Green Bay Packers in Week 8 before traveling to New Orleans. The Seattle Seahawks are the team that’s come closest to defeating the Rams, and they’ll visit L.A. in Week 10. Los Angeles takes on Kansas City in Mexico City on “Monday Night Football” in Week 11 before going on their bye.

Minnesota lost on the road to the Rams 38-31 in Week 4. It’s the only home game that Los Angeles didn’t win by double-digits.