The Most Interesting Division in the World
The 2014 NFL season is just around the corner and the NFC West promised to be the toughest division in the game once again with the Hawks and the 49ers among the two or three betting favorites to win the Super Bowl and the Cards and the Rams making giant strides toward legitimacy the last couple of years.
The good folks at Sportsbook.ag were first to market with win totals for the 2014 NFL season, and it’s these initial odds that give us a good idea of what oddsmakers think of each of the teams entering the season.
There’s still plenty of time between now and the first game of the upcoming NFL season, but the alert bettor is always looking ahead, and with lines available for Week 1, attempting to find value in those lines is something we can do now.
CG Technologies in Las Vegas is first to market with NFL win totals. There are still some free agents remaining on the board, but the majority of the big names have found new homes, and it’s safe to beginning looking for value in these numbers.
CG Technologies in Las Vegas is first to market with NFL win totals. There are still some free agents remaining on the board, but the majority of the big names have found new homes, and it’s safe to beginning looking for value in these numbers.
There is little hope that the Jacksonville Jaguars are going to surprise and be good this season. The question is whether they are going to be bad, as bad as last year or worse.
Tennessee is a classic team that is not sure if they have a quarterback or not. The athletic Jake Locker has been outshined by other young signal callers and until they know whether he can be a legit pro or not it is going to be tough to know whether this current group can be a playoff contender.
Things went about as good as could be expected last season for the Indianapols Colts. They transitioned from one franchise QB to another about as seamlessly as possible and made the playoffs in the process. It was almost a little too fortuitous which is why almost nobody thinks Indianapolis can repeat that success against in 2013.
There is little doubt that the Houston Texans are the top team in the AFC South. The question is whether or not they are a true Super Bowl contender. On paper it looks like they are but I think this team lacks some of that grittiness you expect to see from champions.
Carolina finished the season as one of the hottest teams in the NFL but it can be easy to play loose when there is no pressure on you. The Panthers have one of the most dynamic players in the NFL in Cam Newton but the rest of their playmakers are probably on offense are not quite good enough to push this team into serious contention.
In the NFC South you have stalwart Atlanta, resurgent New Orleans and intriguing Carolina thanks to Cam Newton. The one team that no one seems to be paying much attention to is Tampa Bay, who should be much better than they were a year ago as coach Greg Schiano waded into the NFL pool for the first time.
There is probably no city with as much anticipation for the 2013 NFL season as New Orleans. Last year was a complete writeoff with Bountygate leading to a 0-4 start that had the Saints eliminated from contention before October. This year things should be much different.
The Falcons have proven they know how to win games during the regular season but the playoffs have been a different story. They caught a break last year with New Orleans in disarray but with the Saints “back” and Tampa and Carolina improving it might be harder to maintain their recent success.
While the start of the 2013 NFL regular season may still be over two months away, it is already time to get ready for all the action with BetOnline’s futures odds for all 16 AFC teams as far as their chance to win their division this year.
The start of the 2013 NFL regular season is still over two months away, but to get you ready for all the action BetOnline has already released its futures odds for all 16 teams in the NFC in terms of winning their division this year.
The 2012-2013 NFL season was filled with lots of great action, and you can expect more of the same in the 2013-2014 season. There are plenty of teams who are capable of finishing the season as Super Bowl champions. Last year, it was the Baltimore Ravens who ended on top.
