How To Beat The New England Patriots
October 14, 2017 942 Views
For 16 seasons, the New England Patriots have owned the AFC East. They have won…
NFL Division Predictions – Top Three Teams to Wager
Updated: March 13, 2023
[toc]While the majority of sports books have released their over/under win total NFL division predictions for the 2017 NFL season, the Westgate Las Vegas SuperBook just released odds for all 32 teams to win their respective divisions this upcoming season.
It might seem redundant to place wagers on winning the division, given the fact that you can just look at projected win totals and make a guess on who’ll win each division based off said projected win total, but the Westgate SuperBook’s odds on certain teams winning — or not winning — their respective division present some very interesting opportunities for NFL Division predictions for those who care to place a wager.
Unless you’re desperate for a paltry return on your betting investment, there’s really no point in placing any money on the New England Patriots. That’s not to say that they won’t repeat as division champions, because that idea is basically a foregone conclusion. New England has won the AFC East division an astonishing 14 times in the past 17 seasons. You’d have to go really far back in history to find a team with that level of sustained dominance in their division. So why not place any money on them? Because Westgate is giving a laughable 1-to-14 return on any investment made on the Patriots.
The same recommendation for betting elsewhere can be made for the Green Bay Packers and Pittsburgh Steelers, who are getting 4-to-11 and 2-to-3 odds, respectively.
It’s really difficult to see anyone in the NFC North dethroning the Packers. They enter the season as one of the top teams in the entire conference. They still have quarterback Aaron Rodgers, who is in his prime, and they maintain a level of continuity that’s very rare in today’s NFL. But for a team that only won their division by a one-game margin, and basically had to wait until Week 17 to secure their division, getting such terrible odds to repeat is a big neon sign encouraging you to take your money elsewhere.
As far as the Steelers, they won their division by a comfortable three-game margin. However AFC North is simply too volatile to reasonably say the Steelers will run away with the division. It’s never out of the question for the Baltimore Ravens and/or Cincinnati Bengals to be in contention for the division crown, so given that you wouldn’t even get a 1-to-1 return on any money placed on Pittsburgh, there’s no real reason to make any bets in favor of them.
Looking for NFL Division Predictions you should place your money on?
We’ll give you three Team suggestions.
1.
NFC East – New York Giants
The New York Giants are currently 11-to-4 favorites — basically getting 3-to-1 odds — to win the NFC East. While the Dallas Cowboys are the reigning champions, and finished with the best record in the entire conference last year, two of Dallas’ three losses came against the Giants. In our NFL Division predictions it’s certainly not out of the question to see the Cowboys take a step back from their 13-win performance last year. We could see the Giants sneakily leapfrog them in the standings by the end of the year.
2.
NFC West – Arizona Cardinals
You could also see similar circumstances in the NFL Division predictions for NFC West, given the perennial dogfight between the Seattle Seahawks and Arizona Cardinals. Arizona finished the season with a sub-.500 record last year, but that was in a season where the team was ravaged by injuries. If healthy, they’re only one year removed from being a 13-3 team. Seattle has plenty of questions of their own heading into this season, giving Arizona an opportunity to reclaim the division crown (while getting tasty 3-to-1 odds to boot).
3.
Division Winner – Tampa Bay Buccaneers
Finally, perhaps the most risky — and perhaps more rewarding — team to make a wager on would be the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. No team in the NFL is poised to take that next step forward the way Tampa Bay is positioned. They have a franchise quarterback in place, and spent the off season surrounding him with a startling array of weapons to throw to. Their defense is young, fast, and underrated. And most importantly, they play in a division where each team still has plenty of questions that need to be answered.
Nobody knows if the Falcons will be quite as explosive this season, after losing offensive coordinator Kyle Shanahan. Nobody knows if the Carolina Panthers can actually protect Cam Newton enough to where he can lead that team. As always, nobody knows if the New Orleans Saints will be able to stop on anyone from moving the football up and down the field on them at will.
This could be the year that Tampa Bay emerges as the division winner, rewarding anyone who’s willing to put money on the 4-to-1 odds they’re getting.
Sportsbooks with a Serious Sign up Bonus
[fcrp_feat_sc sc_id=”474″]
