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Winning a Super Bowl is tough enough. Pulling it off when nobody gives you a chance? That’s on a whole different level. A few NFL teams enter the season with star quarterbacks, loaded rosters and short betting odds, while others start with major questions and little belief from the betting market. In fact, looking back at the 49 champions with tracked preseason betting lines, only six were clear favorites before the opening kickoff, just about 12 percent of the time. That’s bad news for the 2026 consensus favorite, the Los Angeles Rams. FanDuel Sportsbook places head coach Sean McVay’s stacked squad at +550. Nobody else is under +1000. The vast majority (61 percent of them) of past champions sat in that sweet spot between +600 and +1200. MORE: AFC power rankings for Week 1 of 2026 NFL season The teams here have entered the year with odds at least three times longer than normal contenders. A few had to turn the offense over to a backup QB. One group was climbing back from a miserable losing record, while another had basically given up on their starters before the first snap was even played. Yet somehow, against all odds, they still found a way to win it all, As the 2026 NFL season begins on Wednesday, Sept. 9, with a Super Bowl rematch between the Seattle Seahawks and New England Patriots, here are the seven champs that overcame the longest odds to lift the Lombardi Trophy (provided by sportsoddshistory.com). 7. 1982 Washington Redskins, Super Bowl XVII Preseason odds: +3500 Washington entered 1982 with little reason for optimism. Joe Gibbs had started his head-coaching career 0-5 the previous year. The season then became even stranger when a 57-day players’ strike cut the schedule to just nine games. Despite the shortened season, Washington went 8-1. The Redskins earned the NFC’s best record and entered a special 16-team playoff tournament created for the strike-shortened season. John Riggins became the team’s key offensive weapon. The 33-year-old running back powered the offense behind an offensive line known as “The Hogs.” Washington won four playoff games by double-digit margins. The run included a 31-17 win over Dallas in the NFC Championship Game. Super Bowl XVII came against the Miami Dolphins at the Rose Bowl on Jan. 30, 1983. Washington trailed 17-10 at halftime before Riggins changed the game. His 43-yard touchdown run on 4th-and-1 became known as “70 Chip.” Washington scored 17 straight points and won 27-17. Riggins rushed for 166 yards on 38 carries and earned Super Bowl MVP honors. The title was Washington’s first NFL championship since 1942. 6. 1980 Oakland Raiders, Super Bowl XV Preseason odds: +3500 Oakland made a major change at quarterback before the 1980 season. The Raiders traded longtime starter Ken Stabler and brought in Dan Pastorini. The team started 2–3. Then Pastorini broke his leg in Week 5, forcing Jim Plunkett into the lineup. Plunkett had once been the No. 1 overall pick and a Heisman Trophy winner at Stanford. His NFL career had gone badly with the Patriots and San Francisco 49ers. He entered the season as Oakland’s third-string quarterback. Everything changed after he took over. Plunkett won nine of his final 11 starts. Oakland finished 11–5 and reached the playoffs as a wild card. The Raiders won three straight playoff games on the road. They beat the Houston Oilers 27–7, Cleveland Browns 14–12 and San Diego Chargers 34–27. The run earned them the nickname “Road Warriors.” In Super Bowl XV on Jan. 25, 1981, Oakland beat Philadelphia 27-10. Plunkett threw for 261 yards and three touchdowns and won MVP. The Raiders became the first wild-card team to win the Super Bowl. Tom Flores also became the first Hispanic head coach to win the championship. MORE: NFC power rankings for Week 1 of the 2026 NFL season 5. 2017 Philadelphia Eagles, Super Bowl LII Preseason odds: +4000 Philadelphia had never won a Super Bowl before 2017. The Eagles also had not reached one since the 2004 season. Second-year quarterback Carson Wentz became the centerpiece of the team. He played at an MVP level, throwing 33 touchdowns with only seven interceptions. His season ended in Week 14 when he tore his ACL. Backup Nick Foles then took control. Foles had already been benched by one team and traded away by another. Philadelphia still finished 13–3. The Eagles beat Atlanta 15–10 in the NFC divisional round and destroyed Minnesota 38–7 in the NFC Championship Game. Super Bowl LII was a shootout against the defending champion Patriots. Philadelphia won 41–33 on Feb. 4, 2018, at U.S. Bank Stadium in Minneapolis. The biggest moment came on the “Philly Special.” On 4th and goal, running back Corey Clement took a direct snap and pitched it to tight end Trey Burton, who then threw a touchdown pass to a wide-open Foles. Foles finished with 373 passing yards and four total touchdowns (three passing, one receiving). Foles became Super Bowl MVP and gave Philadelphia its first Super Bowl title. 4. 1981 San Francisco 49ers, Super Bowl XVI Preseason odds: +5000 San Francisco had gone 2-14 only two years before its breakthrough season. Joe Montana had also spent much of 1980 behind Steve DeBerg. Montana finally got the full-time job in 1981. He led the 49ers to a 13-3 record, their first playoff appearance since 1972. The postseason started with a 38-24 win over the New York Giants. San Francisco then faced Dallas in the NFC Championship Game. With the game on the line, Montana found Dwight Clark in the back of the end zone for the touchdown now known as “The Catch.” San Francisco won 28–27. Super Bowl XVI was played Jan. 24, 1982, at the Pontiac Silverdome. The 49ers forced three first-half turnovers and built a 20-0 halftime lead against the Cincinnati Bengals. Cincinnati fought back, but San Francisco held on for a 26-21 win. Montana earned Super Bowl MVP honors. The win became the first of five championships for the 49ers between 1981 and 1994. MORE: Updated NFL conference championship odds entering 2026-27 season 3. 2025 Seattle Seahawks, Super Bowl LX Preseason odds: +6000 Seattle entered the 2025 season with a very different roster from the season before. Geno Smith left for the Las Vegas Raiders. DK Metcalf was traded to Pittsburgh. Tyler Lockett was also released. The Seahawks turned to well-traveled quarterback Sam Darnold. He had already started for four different teams and had only one career playoff appearance before the season. Seattle went 14–3 and set a franchise record for regular-season wins. The defense led the NFL in scoring and allowed only 3.7 yards per rushing attempt, the league’s best mark. A four-interception game by Darnold against the Rams in Week 11 looked like a major setback. Seattle responded by winning its final seven games. The Seahawks beat division rival San Francisco 41-6 in the divisional round. They then edged the Rams 31-27 in the NFC Championship Game. Super Bowl LX took place Feb. 8, 2026, at Levi’s Stadium. Seattle beat New England 29-13. Darnold struggled at times, but Kenneth Walker III carried the offense with 135 rushing yards on 27 carries and 26 receiving yards. Walker won Super Bowl MVP. The win gave Seattle its second championship and its first since the 2013 season. 2. 2001 New England Patriots, Super Bowl XXXVI Preseason odds: +6000 New England was coming off a 5-11 season. Drew Bledsoe was the established starter, while Tom Brady was a sixth-round pick who had thrown only three NFL passes. Bledsoe suffered internal bleeding in his chest after a hit from Jets linebacker Mo Lewis in Week 2. Brady stepped into the starting role and went 11-3. The Patriots finished 11-5 and won the AFC East. Their playoff run included a 16-13 overtime win over Oakland in the famous “Tuck Rule Game.” New England then beat Pittsburgh 24-17 in the AFC Championship Game. Bledsoe briefly replaced Brady after Brady suffered an injury during the game. Super Bowl XXXVI was a much bigger test. The Patriots faced the heavily favored St. Louis Rams, who had gone 14-2 and won the previous Super Bowl. New England pulled off the upset. Adam Vinatieri kicked a 48-yard field goal as time expired to give the Patriots a 20-17 victory. Brady went 16-of-27 for 145 yards and a touchdown. He became the youngest Super Bowl MVP at the time. The win also marked the beginning of the Brady and Bill Belichick dynasty, who would produce five additional championships. 1. 1999 St. Louis Rams, Super Bowl XXXIV Preseason odds: +15000 No Super Bowl champion on record started with longer preseason odds than the 1999 St. Louis Rams. Their +15000 price was 150-to-1. A $100 bet would have returned $15,000. St. Louis had gone 4–12 in 1998. Things got worse when starting quarterback Trent Green tore his ACL during the preseason. That injury opened the door for Kurt Warner. The 28-year-old had only 11 career NFL pass attempts. His earlier career included time in the Arena Football League and NFL Europe. He had even worked a grocery-store stocking job while trying to stay in football. Warner turned into an MVP. He threw 41 touchdown passes and completed 65.1 percent of his passes. Marshall Faulk, Isaac Bruce and Torry Holt helped power an offense that became known as “The Greatest Show on Turf.” St. Louis finished 13–3. The Rams beat Minnesota 49–37 in the divisional round before defeating Tampa Bay 11–6 in the NFC Championship Game. Super Bowl XXXIV was played Jan. 30, 2000, at the Georgia Dome in Atlanta. St. Louis built a 16-0 lead before the Tennessee Titans tied the game at 16 with less than three minutes left. Warner then found Bruce for a 73-yard touchdown. The Rams went ahead 23-16. On Tennessee’s final play, linebacker Mike Jones tackled Kevin Dyson one yard short of the goal line. “The Tackle” ended the game and gave St. Louis its first championship since 1951. Warner was named Super Bowl MVP. The Rams were the biggest preseason long shot to win the Super Bowl. Game odds refresh periodically and are subject to change. If you or someone you know has a gambling problem and wants help, call 1-800-GAMBLER. — Enjoy free coverage of the top news & trending stories with The Big Lead Newsletter —