Bengals Super Bowl odds reflect 4-0; could Dalton really win NFL MVP

I The Bengals opened this season like many of theirs previous seasons getting little love in the eyes of the national media and in Vegas. With 40-1 odds to win the Super Bowl in August, that was right around the middle of the pack. This area is usually reserved for up and coming teams, playoff fringe teams, and older teams who injuries might derail. The Bengals have made the playoffs four straight years and started the season in the same breath as the Vikings, Bills, Saints, Chargers, Texans, and Falcons...really? Oh and not to mention they had worse odds than the Steelers, Ravens, Chiefs, Lions, and Dolphins. Talk about a lack of respect, it was evident. The thing is, we all know the Bengals have tanked in the playoffs and you have to win in the playoffs to win the Super Bowl and it affects their odds.

The hot start for the Bengals has definitely changed the national perception and as a results the team's Super Bowl odds have inflated, heavily. The Bengals started the week with 14-1 to win the Super Bowl and now have 15-1 odds even after their fourth straight win. This is just because other teams like Seattle, Baltimore, and Indianapolis won and improved their odds ahead of them.

Now that the Bengals have 15-1 odds they are they have the fifth highest odds to win the Super Bowl and that reflects people believing in this team, even with their money. This team can legitimately win the Super Bowl as long as they stay healthy, especially with how well Dalton is playing in Hue's offense. If the Bengals win this weekend they will likely move to as low as 9-1 because they would be beating a team with better Super Bowl odds. The fact they are this high, this early is crazy because they had two teams in their division ahead of them, both of which are now long shots. Is this really the Bengals' year? Could you paint a better redemption story other than they get their first Super Bowl in the city of the team the broke their hearts twice in the 1981 and 1988 seasons?

The Bengals also have the third highest odds of winning the AFC:

And, the Bengals' odds of winning the AFC North are now extremely high 1/3:

Dalton's NFL MVP Odds

With how well Andy Dalton is playing, he now has the third best odds to win NFL MVP. It is absolutely unreal when you think this is a guy who people were wondering if he was the franchise quarterback as recently as training camp this year. He's actually throwing the ball down the field and he has all his weapons at his disposal now. Here's a list of the NFL MVP odds before the season started, notice that Andy Dalton is not even in the top 25 and there are nine Quarterbacks on this list.

This year's MVP favorites, per @BovadaLV, led by Rodgers, Luck, Peterson and Watt: pic.twitter.com/jYLfSwRKwP

— Chris Burke (@ChrisBurke_SI) August 11, 2015

Well, I cant say that it was a shock but how about the jump he has made? I hope there is some Bengals fan out there who is holding a ticket with Andy Dalton 500-1 odds (that was his preseason odds to win the NFL MVP award). Now, it's still unlikely that he wins it, but if the Bengals can get to 13 wins, he has a real shot.

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