NFL 2020 Division Odds: Chiefs And Patriots Heavy Favorites Again

The NFL Draft is still several weeks away, but sportsbooks are getting an early jump on futures markets like division winners. These markets were released after the draft last year at most sportsbooks, but sites like BetMGM, FOX Bet, PointsBet and DraftKings Sportsbook decided to run the no-huddle offense and pick up the pace as interest in pro football continues throughout the offseason. That includes in the betting market, where many fans and gamblers like to know where the teams stand in projected 2020 success.

Division winners are favorites to repeat

The eight division winners from 2019 are the favorites or co-favorites to finish on top again. But there is annually a surprise team or two that rises towards the top, and 2019 produced a few, the foremost being the San Francisco 49ers (13-3) winning the NFC West and advancing to the Super Bowl following a four-win campaign the previous season.

Following the NFL Draft last April, the 49ers were picked to finish third in the NFC West and were 15-1 to win the division. Now San Francisco is the favorite to win the division in 2020 followed by the Seattle Seahawks and LA Rams. Remember, it was Los Angeles that won the NFC West two years ago and made it to the Super Bowl. The Rams responded with a 9-7 season to finish in third place and miss the playoffs. Los Angeles was -175 to win the NFC West last season and -350 to make the playoffs.

So before you make that ‘easy’ touchdown pass and pick a repeat division winner, consider the price and review the schedules and rosters. Key injuries can derail a team’s hopes (see Big Ben and the Steelers), and the status of Patriots QB Tom Brady is still uncertain with free agency looming this month.

2020 NFL division winner odds

Chiefs laying the biggest number

A bet on the Super Bowl champion Kansas City Chiefs to win their fifth straight AFC West title will cost you plenty in terms of price. The New England Patriots, with or without Brady, are the prohibitive favorite to win their 12^th straight AFC East crown.

Recall the recent fate of the 2019 Chicago Bears (8-8), who went from last to first to win a division title in 2019 with 12 wins before falling back to .500 last season as the division favorite (+175). The Green Bay Packers (13-3) rebounded from back-to-back losing seasons to capture the NFC North with a first-year head coach.

Remember the hype for the Cleveland Browns last offseason? Following another losing season and seven wins, the Browns (+125) were the favorite to win the AFC North. The Browns disappointed fans and bettors again, missing the playoffs with six wins. Hey, it’s still quite an improvement from zero wins in 2017! Perhaps the Browns will get it right this year with emerging young players and a new head coach in Kevin Stefanski. Cleveland is the third choice in the NFC North this season while the Cincinnati Bengals (+3000) are the longest odds of any NFL team to win the division at 30-1. The Baltimore Ravens are expected to come out on top, but last year the oddsmakers had the Ravens picked third in the AFC North at +325 and also +180 that Baltimore would make the playoffs. The Ravens ran away with the division while going 14-2 for the best record in the NFL.

It took just nine wins for the Philadelphia Eagles to win the NFC East last season, and Philadelphia is co-favorite to win the division in 2020 with the Dallas Cowboys. Yes, those talented Cowboys who were one of the major disappointments in 2019 while finishing 8-8. Head coach Jason Garrett got the axe, and former Packers coach Mike McCarthy takes over a Cowboys team that was top-six in point differential last season, scoring 434 points and allowing 321.

The New Orleans Saints are favored across the board to win the NFC South again, but DraftKings Sportsbook and FOX Bet are not quite as bullish on New Orleans. The AFC South is a three-way race between the two-time division champion Houston Texans and the Tennessee Titans and Indianapolis Colts, who are showing interest in the quarterback market as well. DraftKings has opened the Titans (+170) a slight favorite to win the AFC South.

The odds and prices will adjust in the months ahead and other sportsbooks will release division odds following the NFL Draft April 26. The books are ready for your NFL division wagers. So which teams will surprise in the 2020 season?