Let the odds tell it, the Philadelphia Eagles are the only reigning division winner you can trust.
The upcoming NFL season won’t begin until September, but of course, odds regarding that season are already out. And included in that slate are division winner odds.
So last year’s division winners have to get some love when it comes to repeating, right?
Think again.
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The only division winner from last season favored to win their division again is the Eagles in the NFC East.
Ironically, last year was the first time the NFC East saw a back-to-back division winner in 21 years. Now, that division is favored to have a three-peat winner.
Moving on to the other divisions, consider this: Last season, the Patriots won the AFC East, the Steelers won the AFC North, the Jaguars won the AFC South, the Broncos won the AFC West, the Bears won the NFC North, the Panthers won the NFC South and the Seahawks won the NFC West.
However, at FanDuel Sportsbook (as of April 15), the Bills (-135) are favored to win the AFC East, the Ravens (-130) are favored to win the AFC North, the Texans (+150) are favored to win the AFC South, the Chiefs (+175) are favored to win the AFC West, the Lions (+160) are favored to win the NFC North, the Buccaneers (+165) are favored to win the NFC South and the Rams (+130) are favored to win the NFC West.
Go figure.
Taking it a step further, Buffalo, Baltimore, Houston, Tampa Bay and the Rams all finished second in their divisions last season, and none by more than two games, meaning each was at least in the running. But the Chiefs and Lions finished third and fourth in their divisions, respectively.
In the case of the Chiefs, they finished 6-11, missed the playoffs by a country mile, and their superstar quarterback, Patrick Mahomes, suffered a torn ACL in Week 15.
Going back to last year’s division winners, going into next season (as of now), New England is second on the AFC East oddsboard (+140), Pittsburgh is third on the AFC North oddsboard (+550), Jacksonville is second on the AFC South oddsboard (+185), Denver is third on the AFC West oddsboard (+210), Chicago is third on the NFC North oddsboard (+310), Carolina is fourth on the NFC South oddsboard (+360) and Seattle is second on the NFC West oddsboard (+170).
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