2024 Super Bowl predictions: Why Eagles and Jets are best bets to win it all

It’s a brand new NFL season, which means fans of nearly every team (looking at you, Patriots lovers) can talk themselves into the hopes of Super Bowl contention.

However, only one team is worthy of lifting the Lombardi Trophy at the end of the year.

The Kansas City Chiefs have been that team for two years running, but I believe we’ll see a new champion this season.

A day before the NFL kicks off its 2024 season, here are two teams we’re betting on to win Super Bowl LIX in February.

Odds to win 2024 Super Bowl

Philadelphia Eagles (+1300, FanDuel)

The Eagles have been my predicted Super Bowl champion for the entire offseason, and I’m not budging now.

We saw them collapse at the end of last season, going 1-6 in their final seven games. The brutal run ended with a playoff mercy kill at the hands of the Buccaneers.

However, Philadelphia is in much better hands this fall. Offensive coordinator Kellen Moore will provide far better structure for quarterback Jalen Hurts with more disguised formations, pre-snap motion and tempo.

That’s all a fancy way of saying Hurts will have far more easy buttons to push than he did in the haphazard Brian Johnson offense last year.

The defense should also rebound under the leadership of Vic Fangio, the godfather of the two-high shell that nearly every team now implements.

Along with a handful of veteran free agency signings, the Eagles drafted cornerback Quinyon Mitchell in the first round. I expect Fangio to use him as a Swiss Army knife in the defense, similar to how he implemented Jalen Ramsey in various ways in Miami.

According to Sharp Football, Philadelphia has the top year-over-year improvement in strength of schedule in the passing game, both offensively and defensively, which should result in a rebound for Hurts and the pass defense.

With the ninth-easiest schedule overall, the Eagles can make a play for the top seed in the NFC and have the playoffs run through Lincoln Financial.

New York Jets (+1900, DraftKings)

Don’t expect Aaron Rodgers’ injury to have any lingering effects this season. He tore his Achilles in his non-plant foot and was reportedly ready to return toward the end of last season if not for the Jets being out of playoff contention.

Even if the future Hall of Famer can’t perform at peak levels, he’ll be an enormous upgrade over the team’s league-worst quarterback play last season.

The Jets ranked last in passing efficiency and red-zone scoring and were the sixth-most injured team in the league. They also had a top-five rate of penalties and turnovers.

Despite that, they finished 7-10 thanks to a dominant defense and elite special teams production. With top-five units in both spots, the Jets don’t need their offense to do any heavy lifting.

Betting on the NFL?

But what if it does? What if the year off helps Rodgers regain focus and return to 2021 levels when he won his fourth NFL MVP?

What if the Jets’ improved offensive line ascends to a top-notch unit with the presence of tackles Tyron Smith, Morgan Moses, and Olu Fashanu?

What if Garrett Wilson and Breece Hall cement themselves as elite skill-position talents with productive quarterback play for the first time in their careers?

The Jets play the fourth-easiest schedule in the NFL this season, and the upside is undeniable. After a challenging opening road game against the 49ers, they face Will Levis, Jacoby Brissett (twice), Bo Nix, Sam Darnold and Russell Wilson, all before the end of October.

The Bills and Dolphins got worse this offseason, and if the Jets start off hot, this might be the best number you see for New York’s Super Bowl odds all year.