This is an archived article that was published on sltrib.com in 2013, and information in the article may be outdated. It is provided only for personal research purposes and may not be reprinted.
Now that the smoke has cleared and the NFL Combine has long been over and teams have spent millions on free agents and the draft has raised the hopes of many, all that's left this offseason is to ponder who has positioned themselves the best to win Super Bowl XLVIII on Feb. 2, 2014.
According to Bovada.com, the San Francisco 49ers are clearly the team to beat. The 49ers were listed as the 6-1 favorite to win next year's championship.
During the offseason, the 49ers acquired Anquan Boldin in a trade with the Baltimore Ravens. They signed cornerback Nnamdi Asomugha, defensive tackle Glenn Dorsey and kicker Phil Dawson.
Then in last week's draft, general manager Tom Baalke was praised by most draft experts for addressing the team's needs with 11 picks. Rookies Eric Reid at safety and Tank Carradine on the defensive line will be expected to be key contributors next season.
When the free-agent signing period started back in March, the 49ers and the Denver Broncos were listed as 7-1 co-favorites, followed by New England at 15-2 and Seattle at 10-1.
On Monday, the Broncos were listed at 15-2, the Patriots at 8-1, Seahawks at 9-1 and Atlanta Falcons at 12-1.
On the other end of the spectrum the Arizona Cardinals, Buffalo Bills, Oakland Raiders and Tennessee Titans were listed at 100-1, and were followed by the Jacksonville Jaguars — the longest of long shots — at 200-1.