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Marshawn Lynch is coming out of retirement to play for the Oakland Raiders, thus fulfilling their needs at the running back position.
Their odds of winning Super Bowl 52 were among the shortest at 12-1 as a result.
ESPN.com’s Paul Gutierrez asks the question: Is this the same Beast Mode that played in Seattle prior to his retirement?
After all, Lynch last played in 2015, when he struggled with a hamstring injury and then a sports hernia, which required surgery. He was limited to seven games, in which he averaged 3.8 yards per carry -- the second lowest of his career for a single season.
He is not getting any younger, either, as he turned 31 on April 22. But the Raiders are banking on the year off, the change of scenery and the chance to play in Oakland all serving Lynch well after things seemed to sour in Seattle -- especially after the Seahawks did not give him the ball from the 1-yard line for a potential winning score in Super Bowl XLIX with less than 30 seconds to play. Instead, Russell Wilson was picked off at the goal line by Malcolm Butler and the New England Patriots escaped.
Some would argue that the Raiders were expected to challenge the Super Bowl reigning champion Patriots even before the signing of Lynch and that he could be a mere fraction of his former self in order for Oakland to excel in 2017.
Gutierrez adds:
If Lynch is close to replicating what he did in his last full NFL season -- in 2014, he rushed for 1,306 yards and an NFL-leading 13 touchdowns, averaged 4.7 yards per carry and caught 37 passes for a career-high 367 yards and four TDs -- the Raiders will have upgraded their No. 6 rushing attack significantly.
Latest 2018 Super Bowl Betting Odds (as of April 1, 2017)
Odds to win 2017-18 Super Bowl LII (2/4/18)
|
Team |
Odds |
|
New England Patriots |
4/1 |
|
Dallas Cowboys |
11/1 |
|
Atlanta Falcons |
12/1 |
|
Green Bay Packers |
12/1 |
|
Seattle Seahawks |
12/1 |
|
Houston Texans |
15/1 |
|
Denver Broncos |
18/1 |
|
Pittsburgh Steelers |
18/1 |
|
Oakland Raiders |
20/1 (now 12/1) |
|
New York Giants |
20/1 |
|
Kansas City Chiefs |
25/1 |
|
Indianapolis Colts |
30/1 |
|
Carolina Panthers |
30/1 |
|
Minnesota Vikings |
30/1 |
|
Arizona Cardinals |
35/1 |
|
Baltimore Ravens |
40/1 |
|
Tampa Bay Buccaneers |
40/1 |
|
Philadelphia Eagles |
50/1 |
|
Tennessee Titans |
50/1 |
|
Cincinnati Bengals |
55/1 |
|
Miami Dolphins |
60/1 |
|
Washington Redskins |
60/1 |
|
Detroit Lions |
70/1 |
|
New Orleans Saints |
70/1 |
|
Los Angeles Chargers |
80/1 |
|
Buffalo Bills |
100/1 |
|
Jacksonville Jaguars |
100/1 |
|
Chicago Bears |
125/1 |
|
New York Jets |
150/1 |
|
Los Angeles Rams |
150/1 |
|
San Francisco 49ers |
300/1 |
|
Cleveland Browns |
300/1 |
- Don Shapiro, Gambling911.com
