The NFC South and AFC North will be the most competitive divisions in the NFL this fall, according to recent odds released by Oddsshark.
Preseason odds to win those division have three teams separated by a small margin. In the AFC North, it’s (surprise) likely to come down to the Pittsburgh Steelers, Baltimore Ravens and Cincinnati Bengals. The Steelers and Ravens enter the season as slight favorites to win the division at 19/10, while the Bengals are 11/5.
The division’s fourth member, the Cleveland Browns, are 9/1 odds to win the division.
The NFC South was so bad last year that its champion, the Carolina Panthers, advanced to the playoffs with a losing record. The Panthers did win a playoff game against the quarterback-less Arizona Cardinals, but the division still ended the season as the worst division in the NFL.
This year, the Panthers and the Atlanta Falcons are favorites at 2/1. New Orleans is a slight underdog at 9/4 odds, while the Tampa Bay Buccaneers are 13/2 odds to win the division.
Every other division, except for the NFC East, has its favorite as better odds than even money. New England in the AFC East, Denver in the AFC West, Green Bay in the NFC North and Seattle in the NFC West are heavy favorites to repeat as division champions.
The Patriots have won the AFC East 12 times since 2001, and this year should be no different, according to oddsmakers. The Patriots are 2/3 favorites to win the division. Miami is next in line at 4/1 and Buffalo is right behind at 17/4. The New York Jets are 15/2.
The AFC West isn’t much closer with the Broncos going off at 1/2. Kansas City is next at 4/1 and San Diego is at 5/1. Oakland is 12/1 odds.
There’s no division in the NFL with a bigger gap between the favorite and the rest of the divisional opponents than the AFC South. Indianapolis is the prohibitive favorite at 1/4, while Houston is at 9/2. Tennessee and Jacksonville own the two-worst odds to win a division in the NFL, with the Titans at 14/1 and the Jaguars at 16/1.
In the NFC, Seattle and Green Bay are heavy favorites to win their divisions. In the North, Green Bay is at 1/3 odds, while the Minnesota Vikings and Detroit Lions are 6/1. The Chicago Bears are 12/1 odds.
In the West, Seattle is at 4/9, while Arizona is at 4/1, and St. Louis and San Francisco are at 8/1 odds.
The top two teams in the NFC East should battle to the very end, according to oddsmakers. Dallas is the favorite at 5/4, but Philadelphia is better than 2/1 odds at 9/5. The New York Giants also are considered to be challenger at 3/1 odds, while the Washington Redskins have the worst odds of winning a division in the NFC at 14/1.
