Majority of bettors picking Packers to win the Super Bowl

Despite the New England Patriots having the best odds to win, many are picking the Aaron Rodgers-led Packers to take it all.

Everybody is loving the Green Bay Packers at the Las Vegas Sportsbooks. As of September 5, The Westgate Las Vegas SuperBook has the New England Patriots as the odds-on favorite to win Super Bowl LI, coming off at 6-1. The Packers are second at 8-1 (along with the Seattle Seahawks and Arizona Cardinals).

According to an ESPN article, William Hill’s Nevada book has taken twice the number of Super Bowl bets on Green Bay compared to New England.

So why is everybody shying away from the Patriots and betting on the Packers to win it all? Tom Brady’s four-game suspension to open the season has many weary of the Patriots, and for good reason. Jimmy Garoppolo looked shaky in the preseason and has many wondering how the ‘Pats will fare without their star quarterback.

On the other side, things are looking up for the Packers entering the regular season. Quarterback Aaron Rodgers boasts an even more impressive set of weapons than he worked with last season. Wide receiver, Jordy Nelson, will be back in the lineup after missing all of 2015 with a torn ACL. Running back, Eddie Lacy, reportedly lost over 20 pounds this offseason which should help him return to elite status.

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There have been some other popular Super Bowl picks whom bettors are now shying away from due to recent injuries. The Minnesota Vikings have attracted the fifth-most bets, but now will be without quarterback Teddy Bridgewater who tore his ACL and dislocated his knee.

Similar to the Vikings, the Dallas Cowboys were also a popular choice until their quarterback, Tony Romo, went down with a serious back injury.

We’ll have to wait until February to see just how smart the bettors in Vegas are.