2017 NFL Division Odds & Top Picks

As we approach the season, as of now, we have the latest betting odds & picks on the teams to win their NFL Division in 2017. Many will repeat that win for sure, while other teams might rise as a surprise. In 2016, the division winners in the AFC were the New England Patriots (East), Pittsburgh 1Steelers (North), Houston Texans (South) and Kansas City Chiefs (West). In the NFC, the champions in each division were the Dallas Cowboys (East), Green Bay Packers (North), Atlanta Falcons (South) and Seattle Seahawks (West). Some of those were expected (hello, New England and Pittsburgh), some were surprises (such as the rise of Dak Prescott in Dallas) and others required collapses from rivals (such as the loss of Derek Carr in Oakland, which allowed Kansas City to squeak by, and that three-game losing streak by Detroit that cost them the title when Green Bay reeled off six wins in a row to end the regular season. As you think about your NFL betting for the coming season, let’s look at who is likely to repeat — and who is not.

2017 NFL Division Odds & Top Picks

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AFC East: New England Repeats

Why? Because even though Miami won ten games, the Patriots won 14 — including a 3-1 record without Tom Brady, who opened the season on that DeflateGate four-game suspension. The Bills have fired Rex Ryan and open yet another new era, and the Jets are even worse, looking to Josh McCown, of all people, to right the ship at quarterback. There’s absolutely no sign that Brady is slowing down, and with Rob Gronkowski back, the Patriot offense should be just as potent as ever. NFL Division Odds: Patriots -700

AFC North: Pittsburgh Steelers Finishes second to Baltimore

If you watched the Baltimore Ravens last year, you may have noticed Joe Flacco playing with “happy feet” — getting rid of the ball as soon as a whiff of pressure came his way. As the season came to an end, you saw more and more confidence in his play, but it took a long time for him to recover mentally from his injury the season before. In Pittsburgh, you have a Ben Roethlisberger who is another year older, with no real succession plan. I see the Ravens leapfrogging the Steelers and winning this division. NFL Division Odds: Baltimore +200

AFC South Houston Texans Finishes third, behind Tennessee and Indianapolis

For some reason, the Houston Texans didn’t sign Tony Romo to run their offense and lead them to an easy division win (assuming that back of his held up). Instead, they named Tom Savage their starter and drafted Clemson’s Deshaun Watson — potentially a great quarterback of the future, but not likely to lead the team to victory today. I see Andrew Luck having another solid statistical season and the Colts figuring things out on defense, and I also see the tandem of Marcus Mariota (learning even more going into his third season) and DeMarco Murray pushing the Titans past the Texans in the division as well. NFL Division Odds: Indianapolis +160

AFC West: Kansas City Finishes second, behind Oakland

This is what would have happened if Derek Carr had not gone down in the last weeks of the season. Kansas City has a solid defense and a decent, pedestrian offense, but the ceiling with Carr and Amare Cooper is much, much higher. Add that ferocious Raider pass rush, and you have a team that might actually scare New England in the postseason. NFL Division Odds: Oakland +180

NFC East: Dallas Repeats

I don’t think Dallas will win 13 games again. They have the AFC West this year, which will bring four tough games; last year, they went 4-0 against the AFC North. You also have Carson Wentz coming into his second season in Philadelphia. Kirk Cousins won’t have DeSean Jackson as a target in Washington, but he is still a dangerous quarterback, and Eli Manning and the Giants beat Dallas twice last year. But while the division will be more of a dogfight, the Cowboys still have the best quarterback-tailback tandem in Dak Prescott and Ezekiel Elliott, and the best offensive line. The defense, once again, will be their problem. NFL Division Odds: Dallas +110

NFC North: Green Bay Repeats

I want to believe in the Minnesota Vikings, but they are sticking with Sam Bradford at quarterback instead of putting Teddy Bridgewater back on top of their depth chart. I also want to believe in the Detroit Lions, but they still haven’t inked quarterback Matthew Stafford to a deal. Aaron Rodgers is one of those quarterbacks against whom you never want to bet — so despite that porous defense, I still see the Packers eking out a division title. NFL Division Odds: -280

NFC South: Atlanta Finishes third, behind Tampa Bay and Carolina

Atlanta is about to embark on a Super Bowl hangover of epic proportions, set to match the scale of their collapse against the Patriots in last year’s title game. Carolina will be better, as Cam Newton will have had this off-season to get his head right, and the defense will figure out how to enter Year 2 without Josh Norman. However, the title will go to Tampa Bay, as we will see dramatic improvement from third-year quarterback Jameis Winston and his new deep-ball target, DeSean Jackson. The Bucs already have a solid defense in place, and I see them jumping to a division title this year. NFL Division Odds: Tampa Bay +300

NFC West: Seattle Repeats

Carson Palmer looks to be on an epic decline in Arizona. The San Francisco 49ers have another new coach and still need to figure out a direction for the franchise — is Blaine Gabbert really going to keep carrying the mantle held by Montana and Young? Then there are the Los Angeles Rams, which will eventually be Jared Goff’s team, for better or for worse. Seattle should have a relatively easy path to a division crown, even with Marshawn Lynch running in Oakland now. NFL Division Odds: Seattle 350