NFL betting preview: Eagles, Ravens among our favorite division champion bets
Last season, only four NFL teams repeated as division champs. We see plenty of turnover for the first-place teams from year to year.
Five of last season's division winners are favored to win again and a sixth, the Dallas Cowboys, was favored until the past few days. You can find some value in division winner bets outside of the favorites.
Our Yahoo Sportsbook team discussed our favorite bets in the division markets at BetMGM:
MARK DRUMHELLER: I am going to use my hometown team card and take the Eagles at +130. I bet them at +300 the minute the AJ Brown trade was announced on draft day. It’s not just about the Eagles, it helps that I am well below market on the rest of the NFC East teams.
NICK BROMBERG: This bet is boring but I am very confident it cashes, so I’m going with the Colts at -140. I’m fully on board with a Colts rebound in 2022 with Matt Ryan at QB and I think they have the best roster by far in the AFC South. I wouldn’t be surprised if Indianapolis has the division wrapped up with a couple games to go.
PETER TRUSZKOWSKI: I’m going with Baltimore to win the AFC North at +145. They won 14 games in 2019 and 11 games in 2020. They were 8-3 last season despite dealing with a boatload of important injuries. Once Lamar Jackson went down, it all came crashing down. They will be healthier this season as it’s almost impossible not to be. The Steelers are projected to have a down year, the Browns are wasting a season and the Bengals might be due for some regression.
GREG BRAINOS: It was borderline laughable that Dallas was favored to win the NFC East after all the hits to their offense and Philly tooling up for a serious Super Bowl run. That has flipped and the Eagles took over as the favorite. Like Mark, I’ve been on the Eagles to win the division since they were +300 and I’m still willing to add on at +130.
SCOTT PIANOWSKI: Rolling with the Vikings at +240 (and it was juicer all summer) to take the NFC North, which really just means “beat Green Bay.” Chicago’s rebuild is going to take a while, and although the Lions are a darling, scrappy team, it’s in a 7-10 sort of way. Minnesota’s defense needs some breaks, but this retooled offense is likely to hum. Eventually the Packers have to pay a price for that shoddy wide receiver room.
FRANK SCHWAB: I like the Eagles (+130) and Chargers (+230), but I’ll settle on the Ravens at +145 as my favorite division winner bet. The Ravens were ravaged with injuries last season and still finished 8-9. There are questions with every other team in the AFC North. I’m fine betting on the steady consistency of John Harbaugh’s Ravens at a plus number.
