Peyton Manning and the Denver Broncos are not even in first place in their own division. One loss is one too many in the AFC West, because the Kansas City Chiefs are still undefeated. Nonetheless, Denver is still expected to rack up plenty of hardware next January and February.

Odds provided by Sportsbook.ag.

Super Bowl

Denver Broncos (+320) – The Broncos have won two in a row since their lone 2013 setback at Indianapolis. Their 8-1 record is third-best in the NFL, but unfortunately for Manning and company it is second best in the division. Denver has a chance to tie and take the lead via the head-to-head tiebreaker when it hosts Kansas City on Sunday night. The Broncos are -7.5 favorites.

Seattle Seahawks (+350) – A five-game winning streak combined with San Francisco’s relative struggles has Seattle almost running away with the NFC West. The Seahawks lead the division by 2.5 games, and they own the tiebreaker thanks to a 29-3 rout of the 49ers back in Week 2.

New Orleans Saints (+750) – The 7-2 Saints are second in the NFL behind Denver in both yards per game and points per game (by a country mile). That is nothing new for New Orleans, but its defense is the reason for significant improvement. Rob Ryan’s club is seventh in total defense, including third-best against the pass.

New England Patriots (+900) – Injuries have been a factor, but Bill Belichick has 7-2 New England two games ahead of the Jets in the AFC East and poised to clinch another division title. Only a win over New Orleans is particularly impressive, but we will find out more about the Pats during games at Carolina and vs. Denver after their bye week.

NFL MVP

Peyton Manning (-600) – Not coincidentally, the top three favorites for MVP of the league are on teams among the top four favorites to win the Super Bowl. Manning has a healthy lead at the moment, having thrown for 3,249 yards and 33 touchdowns this season. That’s a year’s worth of statistics in a mere nine games.

Drew Brees (+300) – Brees is up to his usual tricks, and unlike in 2012 his team is winning. As long as New Orleans continues to win, Brees will give Manning a run for his money. The signal-caller has completed 247-of-363 passes for 3,064 yards and 25 touchdowns through nine contests.

Tom Brady (+2000) – Brady’s numbers (2,256 passing yards, 13 touchdowns) are modest compared to those of Manning and Brees. However, New England’s quarterback will get credit for almost single-handedly keeping his team afloat. As the odds suggest, though, this is a two-horse race for the time being.

Calvin Johnson (+2000) – As for numbers that are anything but modest, Megatron made 14 receptions for 329 yards and a touchdown in Detroit’s Week 8 win over Dallas. For the season, Johnson has 54 catches for 904 yards and nine scores. He has found the endzone in six of eight outings, and he has five touchdowns in his last three games.

Stanley Cup

Pittsburgh Penguins (+500) – Pittsburgh is a decent 11-6-0, good for 22 points to put it atop the Metropolitan Division standings. The Penguins, though, have lost two in a row—to the Rangers last Wednesday and to the Blues on Saturday. Sidney Crosby leads the team in both goals (eight) and assists (15).

Chicago Blackhawks (+600) – The Blackhawks’ title defense is off a solid 12-2-4 start. Their offense is firing on all cylinders, but don’t underestimate the importance of Corey Crawford. Chicago’s net-minder has 11 wins to go along with a 2.22 goals against average.

St. Louis Blues (+800) – St. Louis is on fire to start the season, with only two regulation losses in its first 16 contests. The Blues are getting it done on both ends of the ice, fourth in the NHL in goals per game and sixth in goals-against average.

San Jose Sharks (+900) – Like Chicago, San Jose also has just two regulation losses in 18 games. The Sharks are so close to being far better than their 27 points indicate, but they are tied for first in the league in overtime losses (five). They have a +23 goal differential, second best in the NHL behind Colorado.

Premier League

Manchester City (+275) – Man City is not playing great ball at the moment, but it does not seem to be scaring off bettors. Despite being in eighth place with just 19 points after 11 matches, the Sky Blues are still favored to win the Premier League title.

Chelsea (+333) – Chelsea is fourth in the standings with 21 points, one point ahead of Manchester United for the last spot that guarantees Champions League qualification. Since beating City 2-0 on Oct. 27, the Blues are 0-1-1 in the Premiership with a loss to Newcastle United.

Arsenal (+333) – The first-place Gunners, who have a two-point lead over Liverpool with 25 points, are the second choice alongside Chelsea to take home the title. However, they did not do themselves any favors by falling to Manchester United 1-0 on Sunday at Old Trafford.
Manchester United (+450) – Robin Van Persie notched the only goal of the game in Man U’s win over his former club, Arsenal. RVP is tied for fourth in the league with seven goals to go along with two assists. The Red Devils have won three straight and have gone five games in a row without a loss.

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