The COVID-19 opt-out deadline has come and gone, and the NFL season is inexorably approaching. You know about a lot of the big changes. Nick Foles will try his hand at quarterbacking the Chicago Bears. Tom Brady and Rob Gronkowski will be lining up for the Tampa Bay offense this season. Teddy Bridgewater will lead the Carolina offense. Todd Gurley II will be carrying the ball for Atlanta. Washington doesn’t even have a name for its football team! Who will emerge from the chaos?
Take a look at the odds to win each conference and our NFL betting thoughts on some of the contenders.
NFL Betting:
Which Team is Favored to Win Each Conference in 2020?
| AFC | |
|---|---|
| San Francisco 49ers | +475 | New Orleans Saints | +600 |
| Tampa Bay Buccaneers | +700 |
| Dallas Cowboys | +850 |
| Philadelphia Eagles | +1000 | Seattle Seahawks | +1000 |
| Minnesota Vikings | +1100 |
| Green Bay Packers | +1300 |
| Los Angeles Rams | +2000 |
| Atlanta Falcons | +2200 |
| Arizona Cardinals | +2500 |
| Detroit Lions | +3000 | New York Giants | +3000 |
| Carolina Panthers | +50000 | Washington Football Team | +5000 |
| AFC | |
| Kansas City Chiefs | +300 |
| Baltimore Ravens | +320 |
| New England Patriots | +1100 |
| Indianapolis Colts | +1200 | Pittsburgh Steelers | +1200 | Buffalo Bills | +1200 |
| Tennessee Titans | +1400 |
| Cleveland Browns | +1800 |
| Denver Broncos | +2200 | Los Angeles Chargers | +2200 |
| Houston Texans | +2500 |
| Las Vegas Raiders | +3000 |
| Miami Dolphins | +3300 | New York Jets | +3300 |
| Cincinnati Bengals | +5000 |
| Jacksonville Jaguars | +7000 |
Kansas City Chiefs | Conference Champions?
Could the Kansas City Chiefs repeat as conference champions? Of course they could. However, it’s hard to get to the Super Bowl two years in a row. You need luck as far as avoiding injuries, and you need to sustain that hunger that got you there the year before. It also helps if you’re head and shoulders above the rest of the conference, like the New England Patriots used to be.
Kansas City Chiefs
| Check the NFL Odds | AFC Championship Odds
Baltimore Ravens | In the Chiefs’ way…
The Baltimore Ravens stand in the Chiefs’ way. Lamar Jackson was league MVP last year. Their defense ranked third in points permitted and fourth in yards permitted. They traded for Calais Campbell, who will bolster that interior defensive line that got gashed by the Titans. Remember, they went from Week 4 to the divisional playoff without a loss — and they’ll be looking for redemption.
Baltimore Ravens
| Check the NFL Odds | AFC Championship Odds
San Francisco 49ers | Reach the Super Bowl again?
The San Francisco 49ers had a double-digit lead in the Super Bowl before giving up that Kansas City comeback. They did lose wide receiver Emmanuel Sanders and trade away defensive tackle DeForest Buckner. They did replace those in the draft with blue-chip talent, but they will need time to adjust. The 49ers did give tight end George Kittle a long extension.
San Francisco 49ers
| Check the NFL Odds | NFC Championship Odds
Tampa Bay Buccaneers | Can Brady reach the NFC Title?
The Tampa Bay Buccaneers will not win the NFC. They won’t even win the NFC South. Yes, Tom Brady makes this offense better because he doesn’t turn the ball over. He has a lot of talent around him as far as receiving targets. However, the pass defense was #30 in the league a year ago.
Tampa Bay Buccaneers
| Check the NFL Odds | NFC Championship Odds
Dallas Cowboys | NFC is just out of reach…
The Dallas Cowboys will not win the NFC either. They have one of the most talented offenses in football, but on defense they have too many holes. They lost important free agents on all three levels and haven’t made credible replacements for any of them. This is going to be a team that loses 44-41 games, so take a lot of the “over” here, but we know that in the NFL the team that can get stops will win titles.
Dallas Cowboys
| Check the NFL Odds | NFC Championship Odds
Buffalo Bills | Intriguing…
The Buffalo Bills are an intriguing team. They have a quarterback in Josh Allen who has grown each year, and entering his third year he doesn’t have Tom Brady in his division anymore. The team added Stefon Diggs via trade, so John Brown won’t be the only deep threat. The defense was already stout, but the offense needed one more playmaker.
Buffalo Bills
| Check the NFL Odds | AFC Championship Odds
Arizona Cardinals | Terrific dark horse
The Arizona Cardinals are a terrific dark horse. They came close to beating San Francisco not once but twice last year, and now Kyler Murray has DeAndre Hopkins running routes for him. That kind of talent will help the Cardinals explode. In their division, the Rams are taking a step back, but the Seahawks and the 49ers are still extremely tough. But will the 49ers go through Super Bowl hangover? And will the Seahawks get a credible running back?
Arizona Cardinals
| Check the NFL Odds | NFC Championship Odds
