NFL Betting: AFC Division Odds
Even the exodus of Tom Brady hasn’t completely soured the oddsmakers’ outlook on the New England Patriots in the AFC East.
Brady may have moved on but the Patriots remain the favorites to win the AFC East title at Bovada Sportsbook. They’re not huge favorites, though, checking in at +125 to put them just ahead of the Buffalo Bills, who are at +130. New England did keep together what was the best defense in the league last season, and the rest of the AFC East remains a barren wasteland.
Buffalo’s chances of winning its first division title since 1995 greatly improved when Brady headed to Tampa Bay. The Bills also gave their offense a boost by acquiring Stefon Diggs. It will be interesting to see what happens to the Bills’ odds if the Patriots make an upgrade at quarterback. If you think the Bills are for real, it may be best to wait and see if their odds become more profitable.
Chiefs biggest division favorite at -450
The AFC division that Bovada oddsmakers think is the easiest to call is the AFC West. The reigning Super Bowl champion Kansas City Chiefs are massive division favorites at -450. Most of the Chiefs’ championship-winning roster is returning and no one else in the West appears to be able to come close to matching them.
The Denver Broncos at +800 signed Melvin Gordon but with inexperienced quarterback Drew Lock leading the offense, it could be a season of growing pains in Denver. The Chargers are at +900 and expect Tyrod Taylor to be an improvement over Philip Rivers. The Las Vegas Raiders begin their first season in Sin City as +1200 division underdogs.
Colts, Titans close in AFC South
In the AFC South, the oddsmakers expect a battle between the Indianapolis Colts and Tennessee Titans for the division crown.
The Colts are slim favorites at +155, followed by the Titans at +165. The Colts brought in veteran quarterback Philip Rivers to try to ignite their offense. He’s an upgrade over Jacoby Brissett, but at 38 and coming off one of the worst seasons of his career, does he have enough left to win in Indianapolis?
The Titans were a wild-card team last year but caught fire in the playoffs, making it to the conference championship. Tennessee is banking on Ryan Tannehill repeating last year’s career-best season to bring home their first division title since 2008.
The Houston Texans won the South division last year for the second year in a row and fourth time in the last five seasons. They’re a +300 underdog to win this year after shipping out DeAndre Hopkins in a surprising trade for David Johnson.
Ravens big faves to repeat in North
Finally, in the AFC North, the Baltimore Ravens are -200 favorites to repeat as division champs. What can Lamar Jackson do for an encore after destroying defenses last season? The better question may be how will new acquisition Calais Campbell improve what was already a strong Ravens defense?
The only real challengers to a Ravens repeat are the Pittsburgh Steelers at +350 and the Cleveland Browns at +525. Pittsburgh will need a healthy and productive Ben Roethlisberger if it wants to regain the division title, while Cleveland has been the definition of disappointment for decades and kept it up last season despite being a preseason dark horse in the AFC.