The 2017 NFL regular season is still a few weeks away, but it’s never too early to start thinking about the Super Bowl. The Big Game is going down in Minneapolis this year, which sounds like it should be a fun experience for all that get to attend. What could be better than going to Minnesota in the dead of winter? Sounds miserably brilliant.
Anyway, you may have heard that the New England Patriots won the last Super Bowl by capping a thrilling second half comeback with a touchdown to win in overtime. It marked the third straight year that the Super Bowl champion came out of the AFC and fourth time in the last five years. It’s been a nice run for the American Football Conference, to be sure.
The AFC East has won two of the last three, the AFC West claimed one and the AFC North got the other. The Seattle Seahawks represented the NFC West in the lone NFC title in the last five years.
Which of the NFL’s eight divisions will produce the winner this year? Let’s break it down.
AFC East +250
Obviously, this division houses the Patriots. Considering the Patriots are thought by many to be the most likely team to win (yet again), the AFC East is obviously favored to be the winning division (yet again). We can go ahead and write off each of the other three teams in this division, though, which hurts its overall chances of claiming the Lombardi Trophy.
The Jets? They are deliberately tanking. The Bills? They just signed Anquan Boldin and he was evidently so impressed by what he saw in camp that he retired a week later. The Dolphins? Their starting quarterback just had ACL surgery and they lured Jay Cutler out of retirement. They will probably be the second-best team in this division, and they have an outside shot at a Wild Card berth. Even if they do make the playoffs, they’ll get housed again in the Wild Card Round.
So, it all comes down to whether the Pats can deliver on their massive expectations. Most believe they actually upgraded over last year’s Super Bowl-winning roster, so it’s easy to see why they’re so heavily favored. It’s tough to win back-to-back Super Bowls, and the Patriots were the last team to do so back in the middle of the previous decade. 온라인카지노
We’d rather take the field over putting all our eggs in a division with one legitimate contender. There’s profit potential here if you’re all-in on New England winning again, but it’s risky.
AFC North +600
Unlike the AFC East, the AFC North has several teams with potential to make some noise. It’s not completely unreasonable to suggest that any of the four teams in this division could wind up making the playoffs. Yes, even the Browns.
The Steelers are probably the second-best team in the AFC behind the Patriots when they’re at full strength. Assuming Le’Veon Bell ends his holdout and suits up once the regular season begins, this offense is going to be an unstoppable juggernaut once again. They have more question marks on the other side of the football, but Pittsburgh looks like the early chief challenger to New England’s reign in the AFC.
The Ravens aren’t as strong as Pittsburgh offensively, but this team always seems to lurk around the playoff picture. Is this a Super Bowl team? It’s tough to say. They’re not as strong defensively as they were when they won it all five years ago, and they’ve failed to make the playoffs in either of the last two seasons.
The Bengals are an interesting sleeper. Injuries really caught up with them last season, but if Andy Dalton and AJ Green can stay upright then Cincy has an outside shot at winning this division. The running game hasn’t been particularly reliable over the last few years, but the team is hopeful that Joe Mixon can come in as a rookie and claim the job.
The Browns were the worst team in the league last season, but they’ve made obvious upgrades to the offensive line and overall defense. Quarterback is a massive question mark, though. Brock Osweiler may begin the year as the starter, but DeShone Kizer will seize that job eventually. While Cleveland will be improved, they obviously aren’t winning the Super Bowl this season.
So, while the AFC North has better depth than the East, it still looks like it may be Steelers-or-bust as far as their Super Bowl hopes go. At +600, we like their chances.
AFC South +800
We can quickly eliminate the AFC South. This division’s title hopes hinge on Deshaun Watson rising to the occasion as a rookie for the Texans and Marcus Mariota being able to stay healthy for a full 16 games. Neither seems particularly likely to occur, which is problematic considering the Texans and Titans are pretty clearly the two legitimate contenders in this division.
We much prefer the North at +600 compared to the South at +800. Unless a team rises up and shocks the world, this division is gonna have to wait to win another title.
AFC West +550
This is likely the best division in the AFC. Sure, the Los Angeles Chargers are likely going to be a doormat, but would it be a surprise to see any of the other three teams win 12-plus games? The Raiders and Chiefs stormed through the regular season last year, while the Broncos narrowly missed a Wild Card spot.
There’s a chance we get three playoff teams out of this division, which obviously helps its chances of being represented by the eventual champion. All roads in the AFC run through New England, though. Are the Raiders, Broncos or Chiefs going to be good enough this season to knock off the Patriots or Steelers? 메이저놀이터
Injuries can change everything, just ask the 2016 Raiders. That said, the West at +550 seems to give you the best bang for your buck among AFC divisions. This is the likeliest division to put 75% of its teams in the tournament, which gives it a puncher’s chance, at least.
NFC East +500
The NFC East is a lot like the AFC West in that any of three teams could win it and it wouldn’t raise many eyebrows. The Cowboys stormed their way to a 13-3 mark last season with a rookie quarterback, who seems primed to improve in Year 2. However, as of now, they’re going to be without star running back Ezekiel Elliott for the first six games due to suspension.
While Elliott will be sorely missed, he should still come back in time to contribute to a Dallas playoff push. Despite an amazing season last year, Vegas doesn’t seem super optimistic about the Cowboys’ chances of taking the next step. Health permitting, this could easily be the most well-rounded team in the NFC.
With no clear favorite in the conference, the Cowboys have a great shot at at least representing the NFC in the Super Bowl. The Giants look incredibly strong on both sides of the ball, as well, and we know what happens when New York faces New England in the Super Bowl.
Washington has far more question marks than either Dallas or New York, but it’s still a fairly impressive roster. They had a down year last season, but we’ve seen this team have success in recent years. The Eagles, obviously, can be written off as they’re in the midst of a rebuild.
This is a volume bet, as is the case with the AFC West. We love the NFC East’s chances here.
NFC North +500
This division is the Green Bay Packers. They were one step from representing the NFC in the Super Bowl last year before being housed by the Atlanta Falcons in the conference championship game.
The rest of this division features the Lions, Bears and Vikings. Could the Lions and Vikes make a trip to the postseason? Sure, anything’s possible. But they aren’t winning Super Bowl LII. So, the NFC North is a lot like the AFC East in that the division’s hopes are completely pinned on one team.
The Packers have some serious question marks defensively, which doesn’t make us super optimistic that they have what it takes to win it all this season. Rather than take a stab with a one-team division, we’d much rather bet on the NFC East or AFC West. Pass. GET MORE INFO
NFC South +500
The Falcons, of course, should be the defending Super Bowl champions. They were just a few minutes from claiming the first title in the history of the franchise, and then everything went haywire.
The same can be said of the Panthers from two years ago, who fell at the hands of the Broncos in Super Bowl 50. The NFC South has a fine track record in getting to the Super Bowl of late, but they haven’t been able to take the final step. The Saints and Bucs, of course, each won a title in the last decade. The Panthers also made an appearance in the 2004 game.
The Falcons figure to be elite again, but this division is pretty wide open. Nobody knows what to make of the Bucs, who certainly have plenty of offensive talent. The Saints aren’t much of a threat at this stage. The Panthers spent the offseason trying to upgrade their offense around Cam Newton. If those weapons can actually help, then the Panthers should improve upon their disappointing 2016 campaign.
We’ll rank the South just behind the East as far as our favorite NFC bets here. The Falcons are the best team, and they have an excellent shot at finishing what they started last year.
